Texts in conversation

Compare 4Q242 1-3 2 and Matthew 9:6

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Retellings · New Testament

Summary

Matthew 9 shows Jesus forgiving sins in connection with healing as an indication of his authority. The Prayer of Nabonidus in the Dead Sea Scrolls shows a similar moment when a Jewish healer declares forgiveness for the Babylonian king while healing him.

Passages

4Q242 1-3 2

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Retellings · 4QPrayer of Nabonidus

1 The words of the prayer that Nabonidus, king of Babylon, the [great] king, prayed [when he was struck] 2 with a grievous skin disease by the decree of God in Teima. [I, Nabonidus, with a grievous skin disease] 3 was struck for seven years, and when God set [his face upon me, he healed me,] 4 and my sin an exorcist forgave. He was a Jew from [the exiles. He came to me and said,] 5 “Declare it and write it down, to give honor and greatness to the name of God [Most High.” And so I wrote:] 6 “I was struck with a grievous skin disease in Teima [by the decree of God Most High.] 7 For seven years I was praying [before] the gods of silver and gold, [bronze, iron,] 8 wood, stone, and clay, because [I thought] that they were gods […]

160–60 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 4Q242

Matthew 9:6

New Testament

4 When Jesus perceived their thoughts he said, “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then he said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 7 So he stood up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were afraid and honored God who had given such authority to men.

70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... The only possible exceptions of a human forgiving may come from Qumran, in the texts of Prayer of Nabonidus and the Damascus Document. However in both cases it is unclear grammatically whether God or the person in question is doing the forgiving. If it were the person doing the forgiving in each case, the texts give no indication whether they were merely relaying a message from God or if they actually had the authority to forgive sins (granted to them by God). What seems clear, however, is that Jesus was not making a generic statement, not even a qualified one about prophets or Jewish healers and exorcists, given that no evidence conclusively indicates that they could ever do anything further than declare or mediate forgiveness of sins. Also, if Jesus were making a generic statement applicable to man in general, it would not even have been necessary to prove he had that authority by healing the paralytic ..."

Andres A. Tejada-Lalinde, “Jesus as the Son of Man in Mark” (diss., Florida International University, 2014), 51–52.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Fragments 1-3

4Q2422 chapters

Compare 4Q242 1-3 2 and Matthew 9:6

Summary

Passages

4Q242 1-3 2

Matthew 9:6

References

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