Deuteronomy 17 – Sacrificial animals must be without “serious defect.” Death is to be the penalty for idolatry, but only on the testimony of more than one witness.  The witnesses must be among those who stone the perpetrator—the first to cast the stone (17: 7) [Here is where Jesus gets his saying when he saves the woman accused of adultery—perhaps they had gotten away from this rule] Complicated cases should go to the assigned judge or levitical priests in office. This is a change from the elders who were earlier assigned these functions—it shows an evolution of offices similar to the evolution experienced in the church. If you should have a king - also an evolution of offices from judges to kings - in the future, he should not have too much of anything – wives, gold and silver, etc  (17:16-17) and should read and observe the law so as not to become estranged from his people. These references to “judges” and “levites” and to the monarchy are evidence that Deuteronomy comes from a later point in time than the earlier books of the Torah.

Deuteronomy 18 – The priestly tribe of Levi shall have no share in Israel’s heritage.  “The Lord himself is his heritage” (18:2).  They shall receive a portion of what is given over to God.  There shall not be permitted idolaters, child-sacrificers, fortune-tellers, soothsayers, charmers, diviners, people who cast spells or consult ghosts or oracles from the dead.  “You must be altogether sincere toward the Lord, your God” (18:13).  Then he says, “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen” (18:15). This is a preeminently important passage for Christians, and particularly for Friends who took this as a pointing toward Christ.

In the context of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that they asked at Horeb that they not be subjected to the frightful and overwhelming presence and voice of God in a direct way—see Exodus 20:19.  So what Friends took to be a promise concerning the removal of intermediaries between the people and God, the Jews actually took to be a promise of continuing “protection” from that intimacy through the continuation of the prophetic role Moses played. Moses goes on to tell the people that they can know the true prophet from the false by looking to whether or not the words of the prophet are actually fulfilled.

Matthew 28 - The Resurrection – Instead of just having Matthews’s account, all accounts are here set side by side.  I think Paul is the only NT writer we have who writes about the risen Jesus Christ from his own experience.  But his credibility is so huge.  He is so convincing, so resonant even though he lived so damn long ago, that no one can fail to be at least tempted to listen to him.  In Matthew, only verses 1-8 are based on Mark.  The rest is unique:

• Matthew 28: 1-8
  • The two Marys come to the tomb. There is a great earthquake and the coming of an angel “like lightning” with “clothing. . .white as snow” to roll back the stone and sit on it. The angel probably same as Mark’s young man. The guards are shaken with fear and were “like dead men.” The angel tells them not to fear; he tells them Jesus “has been raised” and has gone ahead to Galilee. They leave in fear but are overjoyed. Jesus meets them on the way and greets them; they embrace his feet, and he tells them again not to fear but to go tell others to go to Galilee (28:10) where they will also see him.
  • The guards tell the priests and they are paid to tell everyone that his disciples stole the body (28:14).
  • The disciples then go to Galilee, to the mountain where they see and worship him, but we are also told “they doubted.” (28:17).  His last words to them are: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me [see Dan. 7:13]. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (28:18-20) An NAB note indicates this is meant to be a foretaste of the final Parousia when “the nations” will experience him in this way.
• Mark 16:1-8
  • Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bring spices; they come after dawn, worrying about the stone. It is rolled back. They enter and see a young man on their right in white
  • “Do not be amazed!” he tells them. “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised. . .Go and tell his disciples and Peter; he is going before you to Galilee where you will see him as he said.”
  • They flee, terrified, and say “nothing to anyone” for they are afraid.
  • In the longer ending [thought by some to have been an addition, by others to have been lost for a time and then re-added] has him appearing first to Mary Magdalene and her going to tell went his companions. Then there are also appearances to the two [on their way to Emmaus as in Luke] and his appearance to the Eleven.
• Luke 24:1-12
  • Unnamed women who had come from Galilee with Jesus – a wonder why only here they remain unnamed? – they take spices and go to the tomb where they find the stone rolled away. Puzzling over his disappearance, they see “two men in dazzling garments” and are terrified. The men ask, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?  He is not here, but he has been raised.”  They remind them of Jesus’ words to them.They return and tell everyone.
  • The women are then identified: Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James and “others.”
  • The disciples generally do not believe them, but Peter runs to the tomb and discovers the burial cloths but no Jesus.
  • Then comes the Emmaus story
• John 20:1-18
  • Mary of Magdala comes early when it is still dark and sees the stone removed. So, she runs to Simon Peter and to the beloved disciple and tells them “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” Peter and the other disciple run out to look for him.  The “beloved disciple” arrives first, having run faster, but Peter actually enters the tomb first and sees the burial cloths – the head cloth rolled up in a separate place. They return home, but Mary stays and weeps.  Then she sees the two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. He asks why she is weeping; then she turns around and sees a man who asks “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for? She thinks it is the gardener, but when he says her name, “Mary,” she turns and calls him “Rabbouni”
  • He tells her to stop holding on to him and that he is going to “my God and your God.”
  • Mary goes and tells the others what she has seen and what he told her.