Jesus was not an originalist

The title of this blog might raise some questions — like, what am I talking about. In the last week or so, I read an article which made this argument: Jesus was not a strict originalist when it came to the law. He is quoted many times as saying, “you have heard it said…, but I say to you…” In other words, he offered a new interpretation on the law.

This shouldn’t be a shock actually, especially if you know anything about Judaism. Rabbis have been offering their own interpretations of the law for centuries. In fact, you can read some of these in The Misnah. It’s a collection of…