201 THE LAST BEATITUDE. JOY SUFFERING IN admonition, and the wisdom of God that corrects in such a way: there is no specific reference to suffering. d) Rabbinic Literature Among some RL late writings, in Targum Neofiti is written: “ Blessed are you, just men. What a wonder (reward) is done (prepared) for you before YHWH in the coming world!” 79. The actual situation is accepted because of the consideration of a future recompense. By the same token, the Babylonian Talmud (5th century CE) mentions joy in suffering, in close similarity to the last beatitude’s promise 80. It is not improbable, however, that they had borrowed the topic from early Christianity. In view of the above presentation what could one conclude regarding the possible origin of a persecution form in early Judaism ? One remains hardly surprised with Millauer’s assertion that there are no proofs of the topic in Jewish literature 81 or with the position of Metzner who decisevely affirms the originality of the gospel tradition 82. One could also agree with Selwyn who, comparing and contrasting Christian patterns with Jewish analogies, says : “the great difference is the living hope and consequent joy which the resurrection of Christ has imparted to it” 83 and with Nauck who, talking about the early Christian tradition of joy in suffering, sees its decisive difference from late Judaism in the “ presence of the salvific announcement and in the union of every person with the passion of Jesus Himself” 84. The last two cases, however, require some qualification. Even if there are in Early and Targum Neofiti 1: Numbers (trans. M. McNamara) (Edinburgh 1995) in 79 loc. Num 23,23, 258. “ Of those who are humiliated but don’t humiliate others, hear themselves 80 reviled but don’t answer, act out of love and accept suffering with joy, Scripture says : . . . Bavli Tractate Shabbat 7-10 (ed. J. Neusner) (Atlanta 1993) 9.4.I.33 (88b), 84. “ Wir kommen zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Vorstellung, dass das leiden 81 selbst Ursache der Freude sein könnte, für das Judentum ein seltener Gedanke ist ”. MILLAUER, Leiden als Gnade, 179. “ Ein Makarismus dem Thema “Leiden um der Gerechtigkeit Willen” ist 82 in der jüdischen, hellenistischen und urchristlichen Literatur ohne Parallele”. METZNER, Die Rezeption des Matthäusevangelium im 1. Petrusbrief, 19. Cf. SELWYN, First Peter, 128. 83 Cf. NAUCK, Freude, 76. 84