Posted by Bibleman [Bibleman] on November 17, 1999 at 22:30:54 {xx2d.1sWpQf9UnUPxURUslyACFuF8c}:
In Reply to: *****Concerns about Greg posted by Joseph Malik on November 17, 1999 at 19:29:57:
Hi Joseph,
I stand corrected if you have a critical reference. I was just saying I hadn't come up wiht a direct quote yet. So I just wanted you to be aware that based upon what I had observed in general (and I'll try to find you an example) that the Jews do call these special non-Saturday sabbath days simply "high days." Thus the reference that this sabbath was a "great" sabbath might have referred to the fact that it was a double sabbath OR to the fact that it was not a regular sabbath but a "high sabbath" day, which it was, the "7th day of unfermented cakes."
I just didn't want you to perhaps overemphasize that point if you didn't have some specific references.
Anyway, I'll look up my general references for you (it wouldn't hurt for me to do the homework since I brought it up - smile) and then you can use it as a background reference. It was just a loose end I hadn't quite tied up.
Ooops! As I'm tying I'm checking and comparing the Greek and it looks like this might end up being a specific reference to the two days, which is great.
Thus, it would be understood that that statement at John 19:31 could be interpreted in loose modern as: "For the day of that sabbath was a LONG one."
So I've already disproved myself now that I'm looking more closely at the structure, etc. The whole verse is basically talking about not leaving the bodies up over the sabbath which means they were also cognizant that this was a double sabbath as well, and the following verse logically reflects on the unique nature of this particular sabbath.
So the context of the verse definitely seems to suggest that they don't leave bodies on the torture stake during the sabbath generally, but they would especially not since this was a "great" one.
But I'll still hunt down the comparisons and there is anything significant I'll post it. As with many things, even if they used "high" for single sabbaths not the usual Saturday, the context suggests this use is in reference to the extra length, in addition to the acutal word being used for "sabbath".
Ignore this if you want, but basically, it seems as though when the Jews refer to the technical holiday it is spelled one way and when it refers to the normal sabbath it is spelled another. But in their minds when referring to "sabbath" on a regular Saturday, it means generically the "weekend" or literally the REST DAY or REST period. When it is spelled another way it refers to the concept of a holy day.
So at John 19:31 you have both spellings.
"Then the Jews, since it was preparation, in order that the bodies might not remain upon the torture stakes on the sabbath ["holy day" Gk: sabbato], (for the day of that sabbath ["rest day/period", Gk: sabbatou] was a great one,) requested Pilate to have their legs broken and the bodies taken away."
So I disproved my own presumption since the second spelling which refers to the generic "rest day" or "rest period" is described as "great". Had this been simply a common expression for a holy day then it should have been the other spelling. So I guess I answered my own precaution.
But I will see what I can find and compare the uses of that word elsewhere just for our references. In that regard too, the closest direct information I had was that somebody said somewhere in the Jewish writings was a specific reference that this "great sabbath" meant a specific two-day event. But I could not hunt it down. If we can get that quote then that would be more direct proof to substantiate Jesus had to die before a two-day weekend.
Sorry for the false alarm. Just forget everything until I get back to you, but doesn't look like this will be an issue, the context and wording are perfectly consistent with your current view that this was an extra "long" sabbath.
This is the process.....right?
Discovery!
Thanks, again, for the update information.
I'm also very interested in your "Anti-Christ" documentation when that gets published.
Cheers,
Bibleman