The concrete chaise, (Mk. 7, 5), of disloyalty to the tradition



THE POLEMIC IN THE GOSPELS



47



of the Elders, because of His neglect of the oral law of cleansing
before food, is met by the equally concrete charge of Pharisaic
disloyalty to the Word of God, betrayed by their scribal decision
concerning Korban; such a dedication of gifts as prevents obe-
dience of the Old Testament conmiandment. Against this accusa-
tion of His transgression of a merely human rule, He hurls back
the charge of their annuhnent of divine taw, in the interest of
their law of oral tradition. Hypocrites are they; fuifiHing Isaiah's
description of hypocrisy and dishonoring God by pretext of a
piety stricter than the Old Testament standard. As the Issue
hat! been raised on cleansing before meals to avoid ceremonial
defilement. He announces to the people in His parable, (Mk. 7,
14 f.), which He interprets to the Twelve, (vs. 17 f.,) that the
inner fount of purity of heart is the ideal aimed at in tlie Old
Testament law conceraing defilement: thereby as Mk. comments,
(vs. 19), "cleansing all food."

This in Keim's words,^* " was a worthy conclusion of this con-
flict: opposed to ordinance, the Law; to cleansings, the heart;
to ceremony, moral character and the love of man. Every path
must lead him to the same goal. Out of the ridiculous washing
of hands to the glory of God, must develop the noble wann care
for humanity, in the personality of one's self and others: a trans-
formed religion."

Before considering His final denunciation of the Pharisees at
the close of His ministry, we may turn to the intervening con-
flicts as reported in the Fourth Gospel. After the Galilea.n con-
flicts and after the annunciation of the passion and resurrection,
we have in John, chapters 7 to 12, a record of controversies in
Jerusalem at the feasts of Tabernacles and Dedication and near
the final Passover. The reported references to division among
the people, (7, 12.40; 8, 22; 10, 19; 12, 41), and even among the
ruling class, (7, 50; 9, 16; 11, 45), reveal the result of the earlier
and of the renewed conflicts. 