unclean

The Gospel According to Mark 7:2 (NABRE) describes Jesus being challenged because some of his followers are not following all the ritual cleanliness practices: “Some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.”

There’s an interesting contrast taking place here that’s lost in the translation. The Greek word translated as “unclean” is κοινός (koinos), a word that means “common.” In fact, the Greek dialect used in the New Testament, Koine, is named using this word. It’s a common Greek dialect that represented the merging of different regions in Greece. The Latin equivalent is being vulgar.

What’s interesting about this usage is that for Jews, the idea of being common or like everyone else would be directly opposed to being holy since language about holiness is at its root about being set apart. With this understanding, it’s interesting to look further at the Gospel passage and Jesus’ disagreement with the Pharisees. This is an argument not only about cleanliness but about holiness.

What does Jesus say it takes to be holy?

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