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1
Lawrence, Louise Joy. "Matthew: a literary ethnography : an anthropological reading of Matthew's constructed world." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.391834.
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Anderson, Amy Sue. "Codex 1582 and Family 1 of the gospels : the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.248821.
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Fawley, William S. "Matthew 5:17 an interpretation /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1985. http://www.tren.com.
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Sim, David C. "Apocalyptic eschatology in the Gospel of Matthew /." Cambridge : Cambridge university press, 1996. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb37645562b.
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Yoakum, Thomas G. "Servant discipleship in the gospel of Matthew." Online full text .pdf document, available to Fuller patrons only, 2004. http://www.tren.com.
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Cousland, J. R. C. "The crowds in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/14106.
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Of the three major groups in Matthew's gospel, the disciples, the Jewish leaders and the crowds, it is the last of these, the crowds, which is most ambiguous. While the disposition of the disciples and the Jewish leaders toward Jesus is readily apparent, it is less so with the crowds. They have been characterized as ambivalent in their relationship to Jesus, and this ambivalence is borne out by the fact that some scholars have readily interpreted them in a negative light, others in a more positive light. As neither of these interpretations is especially compelling, the problem of the crowds has reached a critical impasse. It is the intention of this work to resolve this impasse, and explain the ambiguities of Matthew's portrayal, by offering a full-fledged examination of Matthew's understanding of the ὄχλοι. It begins by analyzing Matthew's use of the word ὄχλος, and determines that this word alone is used to refer to the crowds, and denotes a specific group. Matthew does rely on his sources for his portrayal of the crowds, but he has both clarified and stylized the portrayal. When Matthew's contradictory mission directives are analyzed, it emerges that the crowds are Jewish. After defining the crowds, it goes on to examine the crowds' actions and statements. It begins with a discussion of the crowds following of Jesus, and determines that the crowds follow Jesus not out of a "qualitative allegiance", but because they are needy. The crowds' astonishment in the face of Jesus' words and deeds does not indicate commitment on their part, but rather an incipient favourable response to Jesus. Their use of the title "Son of David" indicates a growing insight into Jesus' true nature, but one that ultimately fails to develop. Their designation of Jesus as "a prophet" indicates the inadequacy of their perceptions. It also adumbrates their final rejection of Jesus, a rejection which culminates in their joining with their leaders to accept responsibility for Jesus' death. The reproaches levelled against the crowds by Jesus in chapter 13 do not readily fit in with this portrayal of the crowds of Jesus' day, and are best seen as referring to the experience of Matthew's church. When the crowds are examined in the timeframe of Matthew's church, they are best regarded as Jews, and not members of Matthew's church. They are attracted to the church because of its authority to heal and forgive sins. They attach themselves to the community in large numbers, listen to the church's kerygma, but ultimately fall away when the church loses its thaumaturgic ability. Persecution by the Jewish leaders, particularly the Pharisees, may have provoked this crisis. After this, the crowds no longer heed the community's message, and appear to fall back under the sway of the Pharisees. Matthew's church reproaches the crowd for its obduracy, and embarks on its mission to all nations. The ambiguity in Matthew's depiction of the crowds is the result of two factors. In his portrayal of the crowds of Jesus' day, the ὄχλοι are used with two contradictory intentions in mind. On the one hand, they are used christologically to enhance the picture of Jesus, and to represent the side of Israel which welcomes its messiah. On the other hand, they are used apologetically, to show how Israel missed its messiah and ended up putting him to death. The second reason for the ambiguity of Matthew's account, is that the crowds sometimes, particularly in Matthew 13, represent the crowds of Matthew's day. This juxtaposition of the two temporal levels produces a refracted picture of the crowds, which also makes them appear ambiguous.
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Winchester, Christopher. "Thematic association in the Gospel of Matthew : situating exegesis in the Gospel of Matthew in its Second Temple context." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/31561.
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This thesis situates Matthew's interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures within a Jewish setting. I argue that Matthew uses a Jewish technique that I call 'thematic association'. The technique involves using scriptural quotations to point to themes in the quotations' original scriptural contexts. Evoking the themes facilitates implicit interpretations of the unquoted scriptural contexts. I begin by identifying examples of thematic association in the Dead Sea Scrolls to show how thematic association is used. This discussion not only illustrates the process of implied interpretation, but it also shows that thematic association was used by Jewish sources before the Gospel of Matthew. It is, of course, one matter to show a precedent, but another to demonstrate that Matthew actually uses the technique. To that end, I will attempt to show that Matthew's narrative exhibits the same technique. I argue that Matthew uses thematic association when quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures to point to themes in unquoted parts of the scriptures, implying that these themes are relevant to events during Jesus' life. I analyze Matthew's quotations of Isa 7:14, Mic 5:2, Hos 11:1, Jer 31:15, Deut 8:3, Isa 9:1-2, Isa 53:4, Isa 42:1-4, Ps 78, and Ps 22. Comparing themes in these quotations' contexts to themes in Matthew reveals Matthew's use of thematic association.
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Hedrick, Terry J. "Jesus as shepherd in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, Durham University, 2007. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2536/.
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The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that Matthew and those who first received and transmitted Matthew's Gospel during the late first century believed that Jesus was the righteous and royal Shepherd-Messiah of Israel, the Son of David. Matthew also believed that Jesus was the true teacher and interpreter of the law who could give definitive leadership and guidance to Israel in the aftermath of the Jewish war. Matthew's Gospel was written sometime during the last quarter of the first century, during the formative period of early Judaism. In this context, Matthew presented Jesus as the defining figure for the future of Israel. Jesus, as the righteous royal shepherd, will provide the authoritative understanding of Judaism and her traditions. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David, and fulfils the promises of the Hebrew Scriptures. Therefore, as God's choice, he is the one to be turned to during this time of transition and change. As the Son of God and Messiah, he has been given God’s authority and is personally present with the community to give this guidance. One of the ways the evangelist demonstrates this is in his use of the shepherd metaphor in regard to Jesus. The ancient metaphor of shepherd was an image for leadership in the history of the tradition. The shepherd metaphor was often associated with the spiritual and national leaders in Israel, for example, Moses and David. According to Matthew qualities of this kind of shepherd leadership are now revealed in their fullness in Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus as Shepherd-Messiah is revealed both explicitly and implicitly in Matthew. He is revealed explicitly in the shepherd texts of Matthew and implicitly in the Gospel through the literary and typological correspondences in the history of Israel. The shepherd metaphor has a long history both inside and outside Israel’s tradition. Kings and rulers of many types were referred to as shepherds. In the thesis, the metaphor IS explored in the Ancient Near East generally, the biblical tradition, second Temple Judaism, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Philo. The shepherd metaphor was also used to describe evil, false or abusive rulers and leaders. In Israel's tradition this false shepherd metaphor became especially prominent in the exilic and post-exilic prophets. After the time of the exile, messianic hopes grew. The shepherd metaphor became associated with these messianic expectations. Other relevant texts from Rabbinic Judaism and Greco-Roman sources are also considered. In light of this social and historical background, the intertextual and narrative implications of Matthew's use of the shepherd motif will be investigated in relation to his christological concerns. Finally, the shepherd metaphor as it is applied to 'Jesus as shepherd' is thoroughly examined in regard to the Gospel of Matthew. It is the intention of this thesis therefore to make a contribution concerning Matthew's use of the shepherd metaphor in the wider context of Matthean Christology.
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Pennington, Jonathan T. "Heaven and earth in the Gospel of Matthew /." Leiden : Brill, 2007. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb41168273q.
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Moss, Charlene McAfee. "The Zechariah tradition and the Gospel of Matthew /." Berlin : W. de Gruyter, 2008. http://opac.nebis.ch/cgi-bin/showAbstract.pl?u20=9783110196955.
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Moss, Charlene McAfee. "The Zechariah Tradition and the Gospel of Matthew /." Berlin : de Gruyter, 2007. http://deposit.d-nb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?id=2997786&prov=M&dok_var=1&dok_ext=htm.
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Moss, Charlene McAfee. "The Zechariah tradition and the gospel of Matthew." Thesis, Berlin New York, NY de Gruyter, 2002. http://d-nb.info/985470690/04.
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Shaw, Frances. "Discernment of revelation in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, Durham University, 2003. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1417/.
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Pennington, Jonathan T. "Heaven and earth in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/13395.
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A much overlooked aspect of Matthew's Gospel is the theme of heaven and earth. A close examination of Matthew reveals that this theme is woven regularly and skilfully throughout the First Gospel and interacts with several other theological emphases there. Rather than being a reverential circumlocution for God, "heaven" in Matthew is part of a highly-developed discourse of heaven language. Matthew has developed an idiolectic way of using heaven language that consists of four aspects: 1) an intentional distinction in meaning between the singular and plural forms of oupsilonrhoalphavoc; 2) the frequent use of the heaven and earth word pair as a theme; 3) regular reference to the Father in heaven/heavenly Father; and 4) the recurrent use of the uniquely Matthean expression, betaalphaolambdaalphatau, "kingdom of heaven." After providing a detailed examination of the historical precedents for each of these elements, this thesis argues that this four-fold idiolect serves one overriding theological purpose: to highlight the tension that currently exists between heaven and earth or God and humanity, while looking forward to its eschatological resolution. This emphasis on the current tension between heaven and earth functions for Matthew in a number of important theological, pastoral and polemical ways in his first-century context.
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Wilson, Alistair I. "Matthew's portrait of Jesus the judge, with special reference to Matthew 21-25." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2001. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU602032.
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This thesis sets out to examine a section of the canonical text of the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 21-25) with a view to its contribution to the search for knowledge of Jesus as an historical figure. Methodologically, then, this thesis respects the literary coherence of the final form of the gospel of Matthew, but raises the question of its significance for an understanding of the historical Jesus. In an attempt to offer a fresh analysis of the material, the thesis takes up the use of the models of 'prophet' and 'sage' in contemporary scholarship, and investigates the theme of judgement in selected portions of the canonical and non-canonical Jewish literature associated with the prophets and the sages at the time of Jesus. It emerges that Jesus' proclamation of judgement reflects previous canonical themes found in both prophetic and Wisdom literature. Such deep dependence upon Jewish prophetic and Wisdom literature does not inevitably result in either Schweitzer's prophet of the imminent end or the 'non-eschatological sage' of Borg and others. Matthew portrays Jesus as prophet by means of his accounts of Jesus' prophetic acts, his declaration of impending national catastrophe and his warning of eschatological judgement. Matthew portrays Jesus as sage by means of his emphasis on the provocative aphoristic and narrative meshalim which Jesus employs to expose the errors of the Jewish religious leaders and to declare judgement upon them. He also highlights Jesus' emphasis, typical of Wisdom literature, on the judgement of God upon injustice, while not hesitating to indicate the eschatological element in Jesus' Wisdom sayings. Of particular significance in the ongoing discussion over Jesus' eschatological expectations, which are clearly of great significance for his teaching and actions relating to judgement, is the nature of 'apocalyptic' language. This thesis therefore discusses the biblical language at the centre of this debate in the light of its location in Matthew's text and considering the most likely background to his thinking. We conclude that many scholars have driven too great a wedge between what is 'apocalyptic' and what is 'prophetic', and propose that 'apocalyptic' texts in Matthew are best interpreted with the canonical prophetic literature as the most significant backdrop. We submit that when this material is read in its canonical background, its significance becomes clear so that it is no longer necessary to regard it as predictive of the parousia but rather symbolic of a great vindication of Jesus. In particular, when these sayings are interpreted in their context in Matthew's gospel, according to the approach to 'apocalyptic' language argued for in the thesis, they may be understood as natural and appropriate sayings of Jesus. That is, by means of recognising their coherence with the narrative in which they are set when interpreted in a manner in keeping with their most likely literary background, these sayings may be said to have a substantial claim to being authentic portions of the teaching of the historical Jesus. The thesis concludes that Matthew presents Jesus as one who embodies the prophet and the teacher of Wisdom, and who goes beyond these figures in important ways as he takes to himself the role of judgement in a way that is highly distinctive among the religious figures of his day.
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Smith, Joel G. "The significance of a̲k̲o̲l̲o̲u̲t̲h̲e̲o̲ in the Gospel of Matthew." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1986. http://www.tren.com.
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Um, Hongsuk. "Observation of celestial phenomena in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/20944.
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A close reading of the gospel of Matthew highlights the striking reports of the observation of distinct celestial phenomena in the narrative (e.g. 2.1-12; 3.16-17; 17.5; 24.29-31). However, the motif of celestial phenomena in Matthew lacks a full or even comprehensive investigation. These have been addressed only in part both in journal articles and in individual chapters of various books. Looking at these celestial phenomena as interrelated parts of the evangelist’s wide theological perspective in the gospel, this study explores Matthew’s description of these occurrences in relation to the contemporary perspective on celestial phenomena and astrological application. It seeks to assess what meaning and significance the Matthean representation of celestial phenomena was designed to have in the process of the gospel narrative and for the readership. In so doing, this study discusses the conception of heaven and the attitude towards celestial phenomena in the Graeco-Roman world in the Second Temple period, the Sitz im Leben of the Matthean community, and the significance of the heaven motif in the gospel narrative, as preliminaries to the investigation of Matthew’s portrayal of celestial phenomena. This study will show that the motif of celestial phenomena in Matthew carefully crafted and thoughtfully arranged plays a significant role in authenticating the identity of Jesus.
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Kinde, Todd M. "The influence of Isaiah in Matthew 1-4." Thesis, University of Chester, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10034/621875.
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This study traces the four Isaianic references in Matthew 1-4 to identify their influence in the structure and theology of Matthew's Gospel. Isaiah distinctively contributes to the parallel nature of the narratives in the structure of Matthew 1-12 and particularly to the structural unity of Matthew 1-4. Further, the Abrahamic background in Isaiah contributes to Matthew's "Son of Abraham" motif. The second chapter identifies the placement of the Isaianic references in Matthew and offers an alternative view of Matthew's macrostructure. Similarly, the integral unity of Matthew 1-4 is supported by parallel themes and plotlines. The strategic placement of Isaianic references supports this proposed structure. The study proceeds with a chapter devoted to each of the four Isaianic references in Matthew 1-4. The study's intertextual methodology observes the reference's text form, Isaianic context, reference in Jewish sources, placement in the Matthean chapter, Matthean context, and a summary of Isaiah's structural and Christological influence. Two appendixes accompany the research: one identifies the Abrahamic background in Isaiah 1-12, and another reevaluates the premise of a new Moses typology in Matthew. Isaianic references influence the narrative parallelism in Matthew 1-4, highlighting the calling motif, and confirming the preaching ministry of John and Jesus. Theologically, the Isaianic references and allusions echo in Matthew 1-4 to inform Matthew's Son of Abraham Christology. As the Son of Abraham, Jesus recapitulates Israel's history, following the paradigm of the patriarch Abraham.
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Brown, Charles Thomas. "Beyond obedience Jesus and the law in Matthew 5:17-20 /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1991. http://www.tren.com.
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Nelson, Neil David. "The date and author of the Gospel according to Matthew." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1990. http://www.tren.com.
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Burt, Kathleen Helen. "Ritual in the Damascus Document and the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/6594.
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This thesis examines the ritual content of the Damascus Document and the Gospel of Matthew, demonstrating how community identity is constructed and developed through the interpretation of the Law represented in each. The content is arranged according to the ritual typology of Catherine Bell, which organises ritual into six categories: calendrical ritual, rites of exchange and communion, political ritual, rites of passage, rites of affliction and rites of feasting and fasting. Analysis by type enables comparison and comment on the features and effects of ritual. I identify the Scriptural precedent for the discussions of ritual and any similar texts from the same period. These two ritually dense texts provide a great deal of material representing different perspectives on ritual function and obligations within a Jewish community setting. The Damascus Document is a non-sectarian legal text from the Second Temple period. The Gospel of Matthew presents the narrative of Jesus with considerable comment on ritual matters, reflecting an audience steeped in Jewish ritual praxis while looking towards an eschatological inclusion of Gentiles who adhere to Jewish obligations. Each offers an insight into a community dissenting from aspects of mainstream Judaism without withdrawing completely. Each community maintains traditional ritual obligations to some extent, but claims additional information clarifying the correct interpretations of the Law. This thesis analyses how they negotiate the practical, and often theological, issues that accompany their distinct practices, creating a community identity through ritual.
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Kim, Tae Sub. "Israel and the universal mission in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.610830.
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Kinney, Robert S. "Hellenistic dimensions of the Gospel of Matthew : studies in background." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2015. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.687444.
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In the search for Matthean theology, scholars overwhelmingly approach the Gospel by way of Sitz im Leben. Whether arguing from a perspective that Matthew wrote from a cloistered Jewish community, perhaps as the master of a rabbinic-type school, or arguing from the other extreme, that Matthew is writing as the leader of a Gentile rebellion against such a Jewish community, scholarship appears unable to avoid the question of Matthew's and his community's relationship to Judaism. While this is undoubtedly an important and necessary question for understanding the Gospel, it often assumes too much about the relationship between Judaism and Hellenism. Scholars with such a sharp focus on this question tend to neglect Matthew's provenance in a thoroughly Hellenistic culture and first-century Judaism's thorough Hellenization. Part 1 of this dissertation (chapters 2-5) argues for a hybridized perspective in which Matthew's attention to Jewish sources and ideas is not denied, but in which echoes of Greek and Roman sources and ideas from Antiquity can be observed. This argument includes a survey of recent scholarship on the Judaism/Hellenism divide, consideration of several aspects of the Gospel (e.g. language, sources, provenance, genre), a discussion of rhetorical methodologies, and a survey of relevant ancient education practices. In Part 2 of this dissertation (chapters 6-8), I explore two facets of Matthew's Gospel as examples of the kind of Hellenistic contextual reading I am proposing. First, I specifically explore the Sermon on the Mount in the context of ancient Greek historical and philosophical writings (particularly of the Socratics). Second, I explore the possibility of Homeric resonances throughout the Gospels. I conclude that Matthew's Gospel has a rich Greco-Roman backdrop-one that will only help us as we seek to interpret the text of the Gospel and learn how it was understood by its first audience.
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Stiles, Steven James. "Jesus' fulfilment of the Torah and prophets : inherited writing strategies and Torah interpretation in Matthew's Gospel." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33212.
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This thesis takes a different approach to the contested topic of Jesus and the Torah in Matthew's Gospel. Rather than asking whether or not Jesus' radical teaching on the Torah (Matt 5:17-48) affirms the validity of the Torah, surpasses it, or if it situates the Matthean community within or outside the bounds of Judaism, this thesis examines the Matthean Jesus' radical teaching as an example of first-century Torah interpretation. Specifically, it examines Second Temple writing strategies used to present interpretations as an authoritative representation of the Torah and compares them with the way Matthew authorises Jesus' teaching on the Torah. This comparison shows that Matthew uses inherited writing strategies to participate in the Second Temple and late first-century Jewish phenomenon of innovating the Torah to meet the needs of a specific context. Chapter 1 examines the phenomenon of Torah interpretation in the Second Temple period, both the contexts that caused it and the logic behind it. Chapter 2 analyses Matthew's Gospel to see if it exhibits a similar context and logic as other Second Temple texts that interpret the Torah. Chapter 3 then uses Hindy Najman's concept of Mosaic Discourse as a lens to observe the writing strategies Matthew uses to present Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount as an authoritative representation of Sinaitic Revelation. Chapter 4 then considers how the genre of biography was used to legitimise a historical figure in a polemical context. Chapter 5 then examines how Matthew similarly used the opportunities of biographical writing to legitimise Jesus as an authority on the Torah in a polemical context and, therefore, authorise his teaching on the Torah as the correct way to follow God's commandments.
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Choi, Wooyoung. "Understanding Matthew's Gospel in its Jewish and Roman backgrounds." Thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.683022.
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Lie, Michael M. "An examination if Jesus abolished the law in Matthew 5:21-48." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1986. http://www.tren.com.
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Huizenga, Leroy Andrew. "The new Isaac : tradition and intertextuality in the gospel of Matthew /." Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2009. http://opac.nebis.ch/cgi-bin/showAbstract.pl?u20=9789004175693.
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MacDougall, Daniel W. "The fig and fig tree imagery in the Gospel of Matthew." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1988. http://www.tren.com.
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Marshall, Donald Plumstead. "The Son who is the servant in the Gospel of Matthew." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1992. http://www.tren.com.
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Turnill, Peter Trevor Willingham. "Early high Christology and apocalyptic themes in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2017. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.752783.
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Zacharias, Hermann Daniel. "Matthew's presentation of the Son of David : Davidic tradition and typology in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of the Highlands and Islands, 2015. https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/matthews-presentation-of-the-son-of-david(19893ef0-2ff8-4290-ae63-234c26aa463e).html.
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This thesis is a literary-critical analysis of the Gospel of Matthew and its interaction with Davidic tradition and use of Davidic typology. Throughout the narrative, the evangelist makes pervasive use of Davidic tradition from the Old Testament in his portrayal of Jesus. This begins from the first verse and the declaration that Jesus is the Son of David, and culminates in Jesus' usage of Psalm 22's Davidic lament on the cross. The incipit and genealogy predisposes the reader to look for interaction with the Davidic tradition. Matthew's Davidic program utilizes throughout the narrative formal quotations, allusions, and echoes to the Davidic tradition found particularly in the OT prophets. In addition, Matthew makes use of Davidic typology numerous times, with David as type and Jesus as anti-type. This is done in order to present to the reader a scripturally-grounded redefinition of what it means for Jesus to be the Son of David: not as a violent militant leader, as was expected, but as a physical descendant of David, a healing shepherd, and a humble king. Within the Gospel, Matthew utilizes Davidic typology to show how the Son of David even has similar experiences as his royal predecessor. Even David's own words from the psalms are utilized as testimony to the legitimacy of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah.
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Youn, Jin Hee. "The Transfiguration of Christ: A Study of Matthew 17:1-9 in relation to the Believers' Transformation and Senses in the Matthean Transfiguration Narrative." Thesis, Boston College, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:107482.
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Thesis advisor: Angela Kim HarkinsThesis advisor: Franklin Harkins
This thesis will argue that the senses and emotions in Matthew 17:1-9 play a key role in communicating the message of Christ’s transfiguration and the believers’ transformation in a holistic way, and stress the positive role of embodied and sensory experience in contemplating the transfiguration narrative. This thesis seeks to shed more light on the important role played by all human senses and emotions in perceiving Christ and his messages posed by the Gospel. Human sense and emotion show the depth of our embodied experience of God. It will demonstrate how Matthew’s transfiguration narrative brings vivid, holistic, and positive messages to readers in a way that can be very powerful in its effects on their ways of contemplation and transformation. In Matthew, the extraordinary event of the transfiguration is described by the means of the concrete, sensory, emotional experiences of the characters
Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2017
Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry
Discipline: Sacred Theology
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Camp, Greg Alan. "'Woe to you, hypocrites!' : law and leaders in The Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2002. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3551/.
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This thesis seeks to move beyond the impasse in Matthean scholarship that posits the reason for conflict in Matthew 23 with the authorial community. A framework is developed that allows the possibility that the gospel was received and understood by a widespread, general audience that itself was not necessarily embroiled in conflict. Multiple complementary methods are used to analyze how an ancient audience might expect conflict and work through its development in the narrative. Analysis of comparative biographical literature and of Old Testament references and allusions shows that readers could expect in literature the type and intensity of conflict exhibited in Matthew 23. The gospel's internal narrative development provides unity to the conflict episodes in Matthew 9-23. It also offers rationale for the escalation of conflict for which Matthew 23 is the summary. Chapter One: The Shape of the Discussion surveys representative works including redaction, social scientific, socio-historical, narrative and genre critics, to understand the options for studying conflict in Matthew. Reader-response oriented genre criticism provides language for framing reader expectations. Chapter Two: Expecting Conflict examines expectations that can be associated with Matthew's use of the Old Testament and by comparison with ancient biographies. Chapter Three: The Conflict Builds works systematically through each of the points of contact between Jesus and the leaders of Israel in chapters 9-22 organized by three topics: legal interpretation, the identity and authority of Jesus, and the character of the leaders. Chapter Four: Woe to You takes up the task of examining Matthew 23. The analysis of Matthew 23 identifies three components in the summary of conflict: Jesus presented as the model for his audience, Jesus' final denunciation of the leaders, and the presentation of Jesus as God’s representative. The multi-methodological approach used in this study of Matthew 23 suggests a narrative that invites the reader to rethink how one knows and understands God. The study thereby provides an alternative to the assumption that conflict reflects the immediate experience of a narrowly conceived authorial community.
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Lee, Sang-In. "Mission to the Jews and the Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2003. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=120496.
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This thesis investigates the theme of mission to the Gentiles in Matthew’s gospel. Questions arising include: Was Matthew a Jew or a Gentile? What was the nature of the community that he addressed, and how was it related to Judaism? How did he view the Judaism of his time? Should there be a continuing mission to the Jews? Did Matthew believe that the church, including specifically his own community, should be involved in mission to the Gentiles? How could he show this in a Gospel about a Jesus who rarely met Gentiles and even told his disciples not to go to Gentiles during his lifetime? If he did commend mission to the Gentiles, were there any conditions (such as circumcision and other Jewish commandments) that they must fulfil? How did Matthew’s attitude compare with those of the other Synoptic Evangelists and Paul? The thesis arises from the need to respond to such scholars as D. Sim, A. J. Saldarini and J. A. Overman who are sceptical to various degrees that Matthew was an enthusiast for mission to the Gentiles. Although a majority of scholars have held that Matthew was a proponent of the Gentile mission, nobody has as yet responded to the case against this view and treated the evidence supplied by the Gospel in detail. After summarising current scholarly debate (Introduction) the present thesis will go carefully through the Gospel, treating all those passages that are relevant to the problem and interacting particularly with scholars who deny Matthew’s concern that his own church should evangelise the Gentiles.
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Talbot, Elizabeth V. "Rest and sabbath in Matthew's Gospel : an investigation of Matthew 11:25-12:14 in the Context of the Gospel's theology and setting." Thesis, University of Gloucestershire, 2013. http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/2362/.
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Jesus' invitation to rest in Matthew 11:28-30 is part of the evangelist's special material, inserted between the pronouncement that only the Son fully knows the Father and possesses the unique prerogative to reveal him (11:25-27) and the only two sabbath stories in this Gospel (12:1-14). This dissertation explores the significance of such a juxtaposition. Since the use of the Jewish Scriptures is pervasive in Matthew’s Gospel, the dissertation studies the use of the evangelist’s term for rest (a0na/pausiv) throughout the LXX. As a result of this analysis, it proposes that there are three main potential backgrounds for the concept of rest in this two-fold pericope and these can be summarized under the categories of "sabbath rest", "peaceful inheritance" and "wisdom's repose." These categories then provide the resources for a fresh evaluation of the significance of Jesus' offer of rest in its Matthean narrative context. In addition, the examination of Matthew’s theology of rest and Sabbath in 11:25-12:14 in light of the major themes of law, eschatology and Christology in this Gospel suggests that Matthew’s approach to interpreting Sabbath law and his eschatological perspective are primarily based on his beliefs about Jesus. Jesus is the Mosaic-Davidic eschatological agent prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures and through him has been inaugurated a new era of Christ-centered law interpretation along with a present realization of the eschatological expectations of the sabbath rest of the messianic age that is to be consummated at his parousia. This Christological conviction has placed the Matthean community at odds with the leaders of its own religious society, who have rejected its belief about the identity and mission of Jesus, including its proposal that the sabbath commandment’s rest from now on points to the eschatological reality of rest that is centered in Jesus.
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Witte, Brendon Robert. "'Who do you, Matthew, say the Son of Man is?' : Son of Man and conflict in the First Gospel." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/22020.
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This dissertation analyzes the Matthean “Son of Man” sayings, paying particular attention to their function in the development of conflict and in the anticipation of conflict resolution. The major premise is that the Son of Man is described in Mt as being at the center of the formative conflict that both forced the split between “this generation” of unbelieving Jews and the Matthean community and initiated the community’s Gentile-inclusive mission. According to Matthew, the Son of Man is not engaged in aimless conflict; he confronts and destroys his enemies for the sake of promoting his universal reign and establishing his Church, i.e., the “sons of the kingdom” (13.38), among the nations (cf. OG Dan 7.14; 24.14; 28.18-20). It is his authority over the kingdom of God, given subsequent to and consequent to the judgment of God against “this generation” in 70 CE, that enables the global mission of the disciples, provides the raison d’être for their mission, and assures the Christian community that the Son of Man will return at the eschaton to bring a final end to conflict. A corollary question that will be investigated is what Jesus’ idiomatic self-designation meant to Matthew and his community. The first chapter observes that despite the enormous literary footprint of the “Son of Man” debate, their is a notable lack of adequate studies concerning the Matthean “Son of Man” concept. What literature exists is surveyed, common trends in the debate are analyzed, and a statement of the thesis is provided. Based on the successes and failures of previous studies, it is suggested in the second chapter that the most promising method by which to examine the Matthean “Son of Man” concept is composition-critical and narrative-sensitive. This provides a rational for examining the Matthean “Son of Man” sayings in relation to the gospel’s structure and plot, both of which are shown to have been shaped by the theme of conflict. Finally, interpretive issues such as synoptic relationships, composition date, authorship, provenance, and the status of Matthew’s community are discussed. Chapters Three and Four examine the “Son of Man” sayings in Matthew 8-13 and 16-26 respectively to determine how each saying contributes to the evolving Matthean “Son of Man” concept and the unfolding conflict between Jesus and his “sons” and Satan and his “sons” (cf. 13.37-39). It is shown that the “Son of Man” sayings are not a heterogeneous mixture of “earthly,” “suffering,” and “future” statements that simply concern the life and ministry of Jesus. Matthean redaction has woven the “Son of Man” sayings into a grand tapestry of meaning, sewn into the conflict that precipitated the split of the Matthean community from “this wicked and adulterous generation.” It is shown that the advancement of conflict is matched by the resolution of conflict. This resolution occurs in two stages. According to Matthew, God began to resolve the conflict with “this generation” in 70 CE, whence he destroyed Jerusalem and bestowed upon the Son of Man universal dominion and an everlasting kingdom. The Son of Man’s empowerment enables him to preside over the Eschatological Assize, consequently fulfilling the predictions of end-times reprisal given to “this generation” (cf. 11.20-24; 12.39-42) and bringing a permanent end to conflict. Chapter Five examines the allusion to Old Greek Dan 7.13-14 in 28.18-20 and its connection to the commissioning of the disciples. It is suggested that “all authority in heaven and on earth” is not obtained through a supposed proleptic experience of the Parousia in Jesus’ resurrection or death, or simply by means of his son-ship to the Father. Rather, the Son of Man’s universal sovereignty, by which the Matthean community is empowered to “make disciples of all nations,” was received from the Ancient of Days after the Temple’s ruination in 70 CE. That is, the exaltation of the Son of Man, which is physically signaled by the destruction of Herod’s Temple, initiated and provided justification for the Matthean community’s schism from “this generation” and their mission to the Gentiles. Additionally, the divine empowerment of the Son of Man grounded the community’s eschatological hope for conflict resolution. This chapter ends with a discussion of how this theory impacts one’s understanding of Matthean christology, missiology, and salvation-history. The final chapter summarizes the preceding evidence, details the contributions of this dissertation, and concludes that for Matthew “Son of Man” is more than a mere signal word for speech about Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation. “Son of Man” is a self-designation employed by Jesus that Matthew has interpreted as a title referring to Jesus’ office as the exalted human-like figure of Old Greek Dan 7. Like the enigmatic “man” of Daniel’s night-vision, the Son of Man is the representative of the elect who remains with his community “until the end of the age” (28.20).
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Bertolini, Dewey. "The fifth gospel an interpretive geographical study of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) Access this title online, 2005. http://www.tren.com.
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Dodson, Derek S. Talbert Charles H. "Reading Dreams : An Audience-Critical Approach to the Dreams in the Gospel of Matthew/." Waco, Tex. : Baylor University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2104/5006.
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Bobbin, Kevin J. "The Gospel according to Matthew: the special material of the Infancy and Passion narratives /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) Access this title online, 2005. http://www.tren.com.
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Khual, Gin Khan. "Ethnicity in the Gospel of Matthew with its application to ethnic issues in Burma." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2003. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3486/.
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This thesis critically investigates the relationship between the Jewish majority and the Gentile minority in the church which gave rise to Matthew’s Gospel. That is, the investigation is one of ethnic divisions in one specific church. The central interest in this research is to examine the community life of Matthew’s church in order to discover whether there was any racial discrimination, tension, and conflict between the two ethnic groups which was exacerbated by quite different cultural backgrounds. In order to examine social division, it was necessary to study the background of the author and his community in relation to ethnicity, the requirements for entry into the Matthean community, their new group identity markers, and to analyse the community rules and leadership of Matthew. The research is done principally from a study of the text of Matthew’s Gospel and viewed from an ethnic perspective in evaluating any element relating to ethnicity. As the result of this research project, this thesis argues that Matthew accepted non-Jews also into his Christian-Jewish community regardless of ethnic origins and formed a new kinsfolk of God, but his community rules did not provide any room to accommodate the culture of the Gentile minority. This cultural intolerance caused division, tension, conflict, and finally church schism in the aftermath of the Matthean leadership. It is therefore, advisable for the present and future leadership in both Christian mission and in political administration to learn from Matthew’s failure to understand the power of culture and his lack of concern for the minority’s interest. The final argument of this thesis is to choose the alternatives of giving equal rights and privileges to both minorities and majorities, or granting devolution; whichever is preferred, all our aim should be to heal our wounded world and keep the Church catholic healthy and alive to her mission.
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Scott, Ian W. "Among God's people Palestinian Jewish symbols of community membership in the Gospel of Matthew /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1998. http://www.tren.com.
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Nguyen, Michael Quang. "The function of the Magi episode (2:1-12) in the Gospel of Matthew." Online full text .pdf document, available to Fuller patrons only, 2002. http://www.tren.com.
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Larson, Paul Daniel. "New interpretation of Matthew 18:18-20 : reconciliation and the repentance discourse." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/10621.
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Matthew 18:18-20 is an important section of the discourse of Matthew 18 and one of the most important passages for Matthew's theology. The near identical wording of Mt. 18:18 to Mt. 16:19b-c gives this section even further importance. Mt. 16:17-19 has long been a source of disagreement about the place of Peter or the structure of the church in early Christianity, so the connection of Mt. 18:18 to Mt. 16:19b-c closely ties one important passage of Matthew to another. This thesis proposes a new interpretation for Mt. 18:18-20 and also for Mt. 16:19b-c, though the primary aim of the thesis is directed to the new interpretation of Mt. 18:18-20. The entire section of Mt. 18:18-20 is an expression of a central and repeated emphasis of Matthew's theology, his emphasis on divine causation in human behavior. The heaven-first order of binding and loosing in Mt. 18:18 expresses the conviction that God causes a person to repent (which does not deny there also being human causation). When the sinner of Mt. 18:15 looses his sin from himself through repentance, and when disciples respond by treating him as if his sin were loosed, such loosing has already occurred in heaven because God caused the person to repent. When the sinner holds fast to his sin and thus is treated by disciples in kind as if his sin were indeed bound to him, this is so because of the absence of such divine influence to repentance or because of the withdrawal of such influence in cases where the sinner has resisted it. It is thus appropriate to say that what has been loosed or bound on earth has already been loosed or bound in heaven. This explains the periphrastic future perfect verbal forms of Mt. 16:19b-c and 18:18. Matthew moves from the focus primarily on sin in Mt. 18:18 to a focus on conflict in Mt. 18:19. When two persons reconcile and thus resolve conflict, such reconciliation will have been divinely caused. The apodosis of Mt. 18:19 gives information about the cause of the event of the protasis. Something similar happens in Mt. 18:20, where the presence of the exalted Jesus mediates the presence of God, who works together with the exalted Jesus to bring reconciliation for the name of Jesus. Such an interpretation is the basis for renaming the discourse. It is a repentance discourse. This proposal for Mt. 18:18-20 avoids problems that have plagued previous interpretations of these verses. It does justice to the periphrastic future verbal forms and respects the linguistic evidence of Mt. 18:18-20. It also allows the interpreter to find a triad of triads structure that aligns the repentance discourse with the structure of the preceding discourses and with Matthew's use of triads in non-discourse material. Further, though this proposal is defensible on its own, it is also in continuity with Matthew's emphases on reconciliation and divine causation prior to Mt. 18. The results of this study are significant for source and redaction critical assessment of Mt. 18, for understanding Matthew's theology, and for understanding his conception of righteousness.
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Repschinski, Boris. "The controversy stories in the Gospel of Matthew : their redaction, form and relevance for the relationship between the Matthean community." Göttingen : Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 2000. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb391721705.
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Mutton, Ross Herbert. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, the Gospel according to Matthew." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ55433.pdf.
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Sim, David Campbell. "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth : apocalyptic eschatology in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 1993. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/there-will-be-weeping-and-gnashing-of-teeth--apocalyptic-eschatology-in-the-gospel-of-matthew(91b342c9-a4b7-4e61-b12d-51fb366f5b16).html.
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Hannan, Margaret. "The nature and demands of the sovereign rule of God in the Gospel of Matthew /." London : T & T Clark, 2006. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb409802932.
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Paulson, Gregory Scott. "Scribal habits in Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Bezae, and Washingtonianus in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8957.
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This study examines singular readings in the Gospel of Matthew across five of the earliest extant Greek copies of Matthew: Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Ephraemi, Bezae, and Washingtonianus. In each of the selected MSS, it is determined where a spelling, word, clause, phrase, sentence, or group of sentences is different from other MSS. These “singular readings” are collected in order to shine light on what such idiosyncrasies can tell us about the MS or tendencies of the scribe who copied the MS. One of the more interesting finds is that some of our MSS add text more than they omit it, which is contrary to other studies. Apart from itacistic changes, alternate spellings are not always the most frequent type of singular reading in our MSS. The MSS have similar types of singular readings, but they often go about creating them in different ways. Conclusions are that our MSS either prefer Attic Greek to Koine (Washingtonianus) or vice versa (Sinaiticus), but two MSS (Vaticanus and Bezae) fluctuate between both grammatical standards. Our MSS typically have a high percentage of error due to parablepsis, but one MS seems to skip letters within words more often than entire words (Ephraemi). Ephraemi does not transpose words, but when the other MSS create transpositions, they all record instances where the genitive pronoun is placed prior to the word it modifies and verbs are moved forward in sentences. In addition, transpositions in Sinaiticus could have resulted from corrected leaps. Context often plays a part in the creation of singular readings, but context affects each MS differently. Nearby text seems to prompt changes in all of our MSS, but remote text such as a gospel parallel, does not often influence our scribes: Ephraemi contains the only harmonization seems to be intentional. In Sinaiticus and Washingtonianus, several readings exhibit possible interpretations of the text (but typically these do not appear to be theological changes) and they both contain readings that conflate textual variants. All of the singular readings record either a textual addition, omission, or substitution, but the MSS do not end up with the same amount of text: both Codex Vaticanus and Ephraemi add more words than they omit, whereas Codex Sinaiticus, Bezae, and Washingtonianus end up with more omissions. This final element adds a counterweight to other studies that contend MSS omit text more than they add. The examination yields few singular readings of dramatic theological import. Rather, the singular readings expose grammatical currents of the 4th-5/6th centuries, currents that are more prevalent than scribal attempts to re-present the text of Matthew.
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Ye, Yuanhui. ""By what authority?" : the literary function and impact of conflict stories in the Gospel of Matthew." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/9495.
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The purpose of this thesis is to explore the significance of conflict stories in the Gospel of Matthew from a literary critical perspective. The key research question the thesis has attempted to answer is, how do conflict stories function in Matthew’s narrative? Because their interest is often limited to the Sitz im Leben behind the Matthean text, previous studies attempting the similar pursuit view conflict stories as transparent accounts of Matthew’s polemical program against the Jews or Judaism. Thus they have neglected a vital purpose of the author, that is, besides his interest to record or preserve what happened in history, the Gospel author is also interested to arouse or affirm the readers’ faith in Jesus through his preservation and redaction of his sources, which is an inseparable part of the author’s theological program. How exactly then has his literary work achieved this purpose? Assuming the literary unity of the Matthean text, this study has treated the Matthean text as a mirror and explored literary nuances reflected by the textual ‘surface.’ Under such a premise, the narrative analysis of this thesis has highlighted three foci: 1. The connection which each conflict makes with its narrative context; 2. How the Hebrew Scripture interacts with the author’s composition or redaction of the stories; and 3. The literary impact these stories have on the implied reader. This study selects a total of seventeen conflict stories in Matthew based on three criteria, Matt 9.1-8, 9-13, 14-17; 12.1-8, 9-14, 22-37, 38-45; 13.53-58; 15.1-9; 16.1-4; 19.1-9; 21.14-17, 23-27; 22.15-22, 23-33, 34-40, 41-46: 1. The presence of an attitude of hostility or challenge in the setting of the narrative (either explicit or implied); 2. The presence of a question of an accusation or a challenge; and 3. The question or the accusation is usually followed by a reply of Jesus. In conclusion, the literary analysis of this study suggests two most important functions of Matthean conflict stories: 1. Conflict stories function, either individually or in clusters, as kernels of the Matthean plot to advance the narrative forward in order to reach its climax in the passion narrative. 2. The Christological focus in conflict stories is consistently concerned not only with the superiority of Jesus over the opponents, but more importantly with the nexus between the divine status of Jesus and him being the messianic figure.
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Tritle, Jedidiah. "The Patristic Historians of Matthew's Gospel: A Critical Analysis of the Earliest Witnesses." Athenaeum of Ohio / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=athe155022231240027.
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