The stones and the rock: Jewish and Christian elements in Vita Jeremiah

Abstract

This paper examines a single chapter of the Vitae Prophetarum (Lives of the Prophets) to explore elements that could be classified as Jewish or Christian. Setting aside the overt Christian glosses, this study explores two major themes: one is the report that Jeremiah was stoned to death by his people, the other that Jeremiah concealed the ark and the law in a rock for future times. Each of these traditions can be presented as either Jewish or Christian, through context of biblical literature as well as later patristic or rabbinic texts. This study concludes that the ambiguous nature of the text is due to a deliberate effort to appeal to a dual audience, providing insight on the purpose of the author, as well as reorienting the debate over the date of the Vitae Prophetarum.