Not at the feast

According to many modern translations, the chief priests and scribes were anxious to arrest Jesus, but not “during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people” (Mark ch14 v2, Matthew ch26 v5). The AV modifies it by adding a supplementary word; “on the feast day. These translations give the impression that they wanted to avoid action during a period of time. This in turn gives rise to the idea that they changed their minds when Judas showed them how the arrest could be made in the middle of this period.

However, I think this idea is a misunderstanding, based on a mistranslation.

The Greek expression translated as “during the feast” is EN TE HEORTE. But EN is the equivalent of the English “In” and has a wider range of meanings than “during”. That is why the AV translates “on” and is obliged to add “day” to make it more idiomatic in English speech. I’m going to suggest, though, that HEORTE is not a period of time but a location.

Let’s take a similar expression in modern English; “At the carnival”. The best-known carnival in the world is surely the Brazilian “Carnavale” (their spelling wanders further away from the Latin CARNI VALE, “farewell to flesh). The most recent Carnavale was held on February 9th-14th 2024. But can we say that something is happening “at the carnival” just because it is happening during that time period? Surely a man can’t truly say that he is “in the carnival” or “at the carnival” unless he’s out there on the streets. If he’s hiding out in a back street hotel room, then he’s evading the carnival, not being part of it. “At the carnival” is as much about location as it is about time.

So “not at the feast” could be understood as “not in the streets, in the middle of the crowds which have gathered for the feast”. And that’s exactly how Luke seems to take it. His paraphrase is that Judas offered them a chance to capture Jesus “in the absence of the multitude” (Luke ch22 v6). While in John, the chief priests and Pharisees are giving orders that “if anyone knew where [Jesus] was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him” (John ch11v57). This too is about “away from the crowds”.

So Judas was, in fact, offering the authorities what they had wanted from the beginning, namely a way to arrest Jesus without interference, because it would be “not in the middle of the feast-crowds”.

a reply to: DISRAELI2

I think that the Sanhedrin, and probably many of Jesus followers, believed that Jesus might be trying to emulate 'the triumphant messiah', and lead a revolt against the Romans.

Many of Jesus' disciples wanted it, and the Sanhedrin feared it (because they knew such an act was doomed to fail in their present situation). Even the disciples seemed to have that belief about Jesus 'messiahship' up until His death.

If they arrested Jesus while there were crowds on the streets, perhaps it would be a tipping point where the crowds could become a mob, kicking off another rebellion?

That is the way I have always seen this. But I appreciate that there are probably other relevant views and and opinions.

Thanks again for another interesting topical post.

a reply to: DISRAELI2

I don't waste my time getting hung up on translations. It starts in original text and is transliterated into oblivion. There's one I can't remember where if you go French-English-French it turns to something completely different about a horse.

That would track actually. Rome was very bureaucratic. Pay offs. Entrapment.

But I think Judas was like a window into ancient FBI practices. Definitely federal law enforcement is built on Judases. Rarely, do planned take downs with intel from informants go down in public.

That's all Judas was, the earliest written state informant I can think of.

It has somewhat transitioned to an amoral parable about kindred honor over time. A snitches end up in ditches one. Which is why every time Judas is brought up I just think of this.

For the lord may have also said...

Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both. For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, "If I Die, You are forgiven. If I Live, I will kill you." Such is the Rule of Honor.

a reply to: DISRAELI2

I'm Greek and speak ancient and modern Greek...and with all due respect, I simply can't for the life of me figure out what it is you're trying to say. Is it Εν την γιορτή; ΕΝ ΤΗΝ ΓΙΟΡΤΗ; And where is the AV (??) you're talking about!?

a reply to: AlexandrosOMegas
I am quoting Mark ch14 v2, which is written in the KOINE Greek of the New Testament period, It is well-known that this dialect differs from both classical and modern Greek. I have just double-checked that I have correctly transliterated the breathing at the beginning of the word, and allowing for that I have quoted the wording found in the Biblical text.

My lexicons (which are devoted to the N.T. form of the language) give the meaning of HEORTE as "feast or festival", and that's how it is translated by the scholars who have produced the English translations of the New Testament.

AV is the standard abbreviation for "Authorised Version", which is the same Bible the American dialect has chosen to call the KJV. I call it the AV because I am not an American.

P.S. Ironically, it was only ten minutes ago that I was reading Toynbee on the subject of Archaism, including his remarks (Study of History, Volume 6 p69) on the nineteenth century literary efforts to create the modern form of Greek by combining the popular patois with more ancient forms. Jung would have called this an example of synchronicity. Apparently the peasants living in the vicinity of Athens were still speaking Albanian at the time, while the ancient non-Attic Laconian dialect is still spoken "in the present day" (that is, 1938) on the eastern sea-board.

He footnotes "Greece is perhaps the only country in Christendom in which popular disturbances over the question of translating the Bible out of a classical language into the vulgar tongue have been excited, not against a veto upon the project of translation, but against a threat to carry the project into effect."