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Of course, we cannot be sure that traditions found in the Talmud are contemporaneous with Jesus or Matthew. The Babylonian Talmud was probably put in final from about 600 C.E. Nevertheless, the Talmud and its “parent,” the Mishnah, (complied in about 200 C.E.), are our best windows into Jewish life in the early centuries of the Common Era.
For more on Droge’s views, see his “Did Paul Commit Suicide?” BR 05:06.
Zechariah foretells that a king will arise for Jerusalem triumphant “riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This is an example of parallelism, in which the repetition of an idea in different words is analogous to a musical variation on a theme. There is only one animal, however. The author of Matthew misread this, so he has Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on two animals.
Apparently, this was thought necessary to bring the book into an acceptably orthodox mode: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep all his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).
The common scholarly designation of the third and latest edition of Emil Schurer’s The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, revised and edited by Geza Vermes, Fergus Millar and Martin Goodman; organizing editor, Matthew Black; literary editor, Pamela Vermes (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark Ltd., 1986).
