Frequently in the NT, the concept of the Jewish tradition is mentioned. There is no question that the rabbis already held an important and central position in Judaism by the time Jesus arrived. They were to become the inheritors of the whole of Jewish tradition after the final destruction of the rites and administration of Judaism in a.d. 70. Pharisaism and Rabbinic Judaism were both founded on a massive collection of traditions.

This dead-weight of orthodoxy was often rejected by Jesus in His interchanges with His questioners. In this series of talks, we examine the origin, transmission and establishment of these traditions and why a proper understanding of these traditions helps to more clearly understand the gospels.