Blood curse

The blood curse is a New Testament passage from the verse (Matthew  27:24-25).

Contents

Versions of the scriptural quotation

Note to the quotation

The actual curse is understood to be το αιμα αυτου εφ ημας και επι τα τεκνα ημων, which would be in a word-by-word translation: The blood his on us and on the born ours. As can easily be seen there is no verb in the original of the blood curse. The vulgate translates here true, but most translations insert some verb here. In translation the text can thus take the form of a wish, expressing the desire for the death of Jesus ("be", "komme", "kome"), it will get some tense, usually a future one, which allows for the translation to be read as some prophecy, which alters the mere acceptance of the responsibility which would have been Pilate's, expressed by "πας ο λαος" of the author in the "undeniable biblical testimony" of the blood curse.

Possible interpretations

It is possible that Matthew, the author of the Gospel in which the verses appear, understood them to be an ironic echo of Exodus  24:8, in which Moses sprinkles sacrificial blood on his people after reading the Book of the Covenant to them as a means of ratifying the covenant. Interpreted thus, the words would have actually been an unintentional expression of desire for ratification of the New Covenant. Also see Hebrews 9:11-22.

Another possibility is that this contrasts with the pagan sailors who threw Jonah (whom Jesus was to give the sign of in Matthew  12:39-41) into the ocean, praying, "O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us." Jonah 1:14.

As well, it is possible that the author of the Gospel understood the words to be an ironic echo of Deuteronomy  21:6-9, in which the Deuteronomic Code commands that the elders of a town nearest which an unknown murder victim is found declare "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did we witness the bloodshed. Accept expiation, O Lord, for your people Israel whom you redeemed, and do not let the guilt of innocent blood rest upon your people Israel: let this bloodshed be expiated on their behalf." In the blood curse, the elders accordingly leave the expiation to the people, who ironically accept communal responsibility for Jesus's death. In this manner, the blood curse would be an invocation of the Deutermonic Code passage's converse. Pontius Pilate also noted that he found no fault in Jesus Christ. Also, see Joshua 2:19, 2Samuel 1:16 and Acts 18:6.

It is also possible that the author meant the blood curse as a curse indeed, one fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, to explain that disaster and to put the blame on the leaders of concurrent Judean (Jewish) movements who had led the masses to destruction. See John 11:47-50.

However, it appears that this self curse may be in violation of Deuteronomy 24:16, 2Kings 14:6, 2Chronicles 25:4, Jeremiah 31:29-30, Ezekiel 18:20, see also Biblical law in Christianity. This curse also stands in contrast to Jesus' forgiveness in Luke 23:34 and their repentance in Acts 2:22-41.

See also