The gospel of Luke contains this same teaching (Lk. 6:31), but in the gospel of Matthew Jesus adds, "for this is the law and the prophets." Both Jews and Christians in the first century referred to "the law and the prophets" as "scripture." The letters of Paul and the gospels written after them did not become "scripture" for all Christians until the 4th century, when they were included in the canon of the Christian Bible. The gospel of Matthew emphasizes that the teachings of Jesus sum up the scriptures, because this gospel was written for a primarily Jewish church. The gospel of Luke does not identify the Golden Rule with the scripture of Israel, because the author was writing for a largely Gentile church.
In 40-10 BCE Hillel was the leader of the dominant school of Pharisees in Palestine. Once a Gentile came and said to Hillel, "I will convert, if you can teach me Judaism while standing on one foot." Hillel replied, rephrasing Leviticus 19:18, "What is hateful to you do not do to anyone else." When this same man went to Shammai, the leader of a school of Pharisees that interpreted the Jewish law more strictly, the man was physical pushed away. The conflict among Pharisees between the followers of Hillel and the followers of Shammai is reflected in the gospels of the New Testament. The sayings of Jesus are often consistent with what was taught by Pharisees following the teachings of Hillel, and thus would have been opposed by Pharisees adhering to the teachings of Shammai.
Grace and peace . . . Bob
