Reflections on the Trials of Jesus the territory of Samaria. The picture then offered of Samaritan beliefs and
attachment to their sacred mountain (Mount Gerizim) is the most detailed
in any of the Gospels (:–) and is vividly matched by Josephus’ descrip-
tion (Ant. , –) of an episode which belongs very soon after the time of
Jesus’ preaching: a local man persuaded a large group to ascend Mount Ge-
rizim in the hope of finding there sacred vessels buried by Moses; but the
movement was suppressed by a force sent by Pilate. The episode is followed
by the dismissal of Pilate, apparently in the winter of../.
In John’s narrative Jesus now returns to Galilee, but his work is interrupted
by a ‘‘festival of theIoudaioi’’ (:), perhaps Pentecost (though the words could
refer to the Passover of the next year), and Jesus goes up again to Jerusalem,
where he heals a lame man lying at the pool called Bethesda and is blamed
for doing so on a Sabbath (:–). After his reply, and with no transition,
he is found going away across ‘‘the sea of Galilee to Tiberias’’ (:, with :
the only reference to this new city in the Gospels). He then ascends a moun-
tain; but here the chronological sequence may be in some way distorted, for
John says (:) that ‘‘thePascha, the festival of the Jews’’ was near. There is
no further reference to Passover in the long section which follows (:–).
This must be either a displacement, or a scribal or authorial error, or we have
shifted forward a whole year (or even two years altogether, if the two allu-
sions to a ‘‘festival of the Jews’’ [: and :] should be taken as referring to
two successive Passovers). But to solve the problem in that way would be to
indulge in an inappropriate literalism. It is perhaps more likely that there is
some mistake here, and that John is intending to portray Jesus’ preaching and
his movements from Galilee up to Jerusalem and back within the framework
of a cycle of festivals covering just over one year. If that is so, then it is ap-
propriate that we come in :– to Sukkot/Tabernacles. Jesus is preaching
in Galilee, for he fears to go to Judaea. But his followers urge him to go none
the less, for ‘‘the festival of the Jews,skenopēgia[Sukkot]’’ is approaching. Jesus
then does go, first clandestinely, then teaching openly in the Temple during
the festival. No features of this festival are explicitly reflected in this section
(:–), except for an allusion to the last day, as being the climax (:); but
the atmosphere of a popular festival centred on the Temple is felt through-
out. It is worth recalling that, in a year which is probably.., almost
contemporary with Jesus’ preaching, the Jews of Berenice in Cyrenaica held
an assembly at which they voted honours to a Roman official ‘‘at the time of
the public assembly [syllogos]oftheskenopēgia’’ (IGRI, ).
As was mentioned above, we cannot regard the fact that the Synoptics
represent Jesus as going up to Jerusalem only for one Passover as itself a strong
argument for preferring John; for it is indisputable that Passover was indeed