16:17 B: Flesh and blood.
σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα.—בָּשָׂר וָדָם frequent periphrasis for “human being,” most of the time, as
here, in contrast to the everlasting God.
Sirach 14:18 (Hebrew): “Like the budding leaf on green wood: one
withers and another sprouts—so are the generations of flesh and blood: one dies
and another comes to maturity.” ‖ Babylonian Talmud Berakot 28B: When Rabban
Yohanan b. Zakkai († ca. 80) became ill, his students visited him. When he saw
them, he began to weep. They said to him, “Light of Israel, righteous pillar
(cf. 2 Chr 3:17), strong hammer, why are you crying?” He answered, “If I were
being led before a king of flesh and blood, who is here today and tomorrow in
the grave—if he were angry at me his wrath would not be an eternal wrath, and
if he fettered me, his fetters would not be eternal fetters, and if he killed
me, his killing would not be an eternal death; I could also conciliate him with
words and bribe him with money—and still I would cry. And now, when I am being
led before the King of all kings, the holy one—blessed be he!—who lives and
abides for all eternity—if he is angry with me, his wrath is an eternal wrath,
and if he fetters me, his fetters are eternal fetters, and if he kills me, his
killing is an eternal death; and I cannot conciliate him with words nor bribe
him with money; and not only this, there are also two ways before me, one to
the garden of Eden and the other is to gehenna, and I do not know where I will
be led—why should I not cry?” They said to him, “Our teacher, bless us!” He
answered, “May it be (God’s) will that the fear of God be with you as the fear
of flesh and blood.” His students said, “Not further?” He answered, “If only
this were the case (that a person fears God just as much as people)! Know, if a
person commits a transgression, he says, ‘Oh, that no one may see me!’ ” ‖
Genesis Rabbah 1 (2B): “For you are great and do wonders, you are God alone”
(Ps 86:10). As is usual on earth, a king of flesh and blood is praised in a
city (or province) and the great ones of the city (province) are praised with
him; for they carry his burden with him. Yet it is not thus with God: he alone
created the world, he alone is praised in the world, he alone is glorified in
his world. ‖ Genesis Rabbah 1 (2D): As is usual on earth, a king of flesh and
blood is praised in a city (province), before he has built it public or private
baths; first he mentions his name and finally his work. Yet the Only One first
works for the world and then he is praised. Simeon b. Azzai (ca. 110) said,
“ ‘Your condescension makes me great’ (2 Sam 22:36). Flesh and blood
(first) mentions its name and then its title (literally: its praise): So-and-so
Augustalis; so-and-so πρώτιστος (or πρώτατος, the noble). Yet it is not so with God:
only after he had created the necessities for his world does he mention his
name. See Gen 1:1: ‘In the beginning created,’ and then follows, ‘God.’ ”
‖ Babylonian Talmud ʿErubin 19A: R. Jeremiah b. Eleazar (probably the younger,
ca. 270) said, “Come and see that God’s way is not like the way of flesh and
blood. The way of flesh and blood is that, if a person has merited death from
the government, a handle (piece of wood) is put in his mouth lest he curse the
king; but God’s way is that a person is silent if he has merited death from
God. See Ps 65:2: ‘To face you is silence.…’ ” ‖ See more examples in y.
Ber. 9.13A.27: Flesh and blood has a protector.—Jerusalem Talmud Berakot
9.13A.31: Can flesh and blood escape the government?—Jerusalem Talmud Berakot
9.13B.1: If the one who clings to flesh and blood is saved, how much more the
one who clings to God!—Jerusalem Talmud Berakot 9.13B.4: If he whose name is
like that of flesh and blood (like that of a human being) is saved, how much
more the one whose name is like the name of God!—Jerusalem Talmud Berakot
9.13B.33: Flesh and blood (= a human being) has a relative; if it (flesh and
blood = the person in question) is rich, he confesses him, and if he is poor,
he denies him; but it is not so with God.… ‖ “King of flesh and blood” = a
human king in contrast to the King of all kings, for example, in b. Ber. 28B
(see above), Midr. Ps. 21 § 2 at § Heb 2:7; b. Sanh. 91A in the excursus
“General or Partial Resurrection of the Dead?” #4, E; see b. ʿAbod. Zar. 54B at
§ Matt 15:26, n. f; b. Ber. 31B at §
Matt 15:27; Exod. Rab. 43 (99A) § Matt 4:1 B, #3, B, n. a. ‖ בשר
is found by itself in the term בְּנֵי בָשָׂר.
So in the ʿAlenu prayer: “All children of flesh (human beings) will call on
your name.”—See further supporting texts at § 1 Cor 3:1 and § 1 Cor 3:3 A.
(Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New
Testament from the Talmud and Midrash, ed. Jacob N. Cerone, 4 vols. [trans.
Andrew Bowden and Joseph Longarino; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2022], 1:831-32)
