Texts in Conversation
Jesus in Matthew teaches that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Rabbinic tradition in Pirkei Avot records a similar tradition from Hillel, anyone who seeks to make their name great will lose it.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 23:12
New Testament
11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 13 “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
Pirkei Avot 1:13
Mishnah
Rabbinic
12 Hillel and Shammai received the oral tradition from them. Hillel used to say: be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving mankind and drawing them close to the Torah. 13 He also used to say: one who makes his name great causes his name to be destroyed; one who does not add to his knowledge causes it to cease; one who does not study the Torah deserves death; and one who makes unworthy use of the crown of learning will pass away. 14 He also used to say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self only, what am I? And if not now, when?
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Notes and References
"... The warning against self-exaltation pronounced by Jesus in Matthew 23:12 ("whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted") aligns closely with Tannaitic traditions concerning humility, notably the maxim of Hillel recorded in Pirkei Avot 1:13: "one who makes his name great causes his name to be destroyed." Both traditions reflect Second Temple Jewish wisdom concerning status, honor, and divine judgment. In early rabbinic literature as well as the teachings of Jesus, God actively reverses human arrogance, while those who refuse self-aggrandizement are rewarded with true honor. Thus, Jesus’ warning against self-exaltation reflects a core ethical priority shared with the School of Hillel in Second Temple Judaism. ..."
Young, Brad
Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus
(pp. 188-191) Hendrickson Publishers, 2007
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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