Reviewer: Alice Lester
Date: 01/26/08
Filson, Floyd V.: A Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (London: Adam and Charles Black, 1960). 225.7 B567n v.2
Floyd V Filson, TH.D, was Dean and Professor of New Testament Literature and History at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago Ill. when he wrote this commentary in 1960. In 1944 Filson served as president of the American Academy of Religion. He has also written numerous other books including A New Testament History, Jesus the Risen Lord a Biblical Theology based on the Resurrection and Pioneers of the Primitive Church
A commentary, The Gospel of St. Matthew is divided into two parts. Filson begins with a 44 page introduction followed by the commentary. Filson uses the RSV translation as the basis for his commentary. In the Forward Filson says “I have given continual attention to the Synoptic Problem and to the author’s use of Mk. Q, and probably other written sources.” He goes on to say that his “main concern was to make clear how the author understood the gospel story and what he wanted the Church to get from his book. The Commentary contains sections of the book of Matthew followed by Filson’s actual commentary of it.
The text of the Gospel of Matthew is taken from the RSV. Filson does exegetical studies of the different sections and often refers to the Greek translation to give a deeper meaning. His introduction to the commentary is filled with important background that is a great help to the reader.
In the section on the birth of Jesus v.18, Filson takes time to mention that in some manuscripts it reads “Jesus” Christ and in others it read “the Christ.” He doesn’t make any comment about the possible reason but does give the reader a look into some of the source material by doing this. In chapter 5: 1 – 12 The Beatitudes, Filson refers to Luke and the similarities and differences. He also points out the relationship between the importance of a teaching and the reference to Jesus going up “into the mountain.”
I found this commentary to be very readable. It is important to note that anyone using it would be missing a wealth of information if they were to just open to the section they wanted to study and not read the introduction to the book first. Filson lays a great deal of ground work in his introduction. It is a great help to the reader. Filson discusses the importance of Matthew to the church, he explains what sources he used, discusses the date and setting and the authorship.
Reviewer: Aaron French
Date: 1/11/08
Kingsbury, Jack Dean.: Matthew as Story (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988). 226.2 K611ms 1988.
Jack Dean Kingsbury was a professor of biblical theology at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
Kingsbury identifies the elements comprising narrative in general as events, characters, and settings, and then analyzes the gospel of Matthew in terms of these elements. At the same time he is concerned with what he calls the "discourse" of the narrative: If the story is the "what" is told (i.e., the life of Jesus), the discourse is how that story is told. The attention to discourse leads Kingsbury to look at the implied author or narrator of Matthew, the points of view of the narrator and the different characters, and the implied reader.
Evidence all comes from the text of the gospel of Matthew itself, and is supported by secondary material in general and biblical literary criticism. It is not made clear what text of the gospel Kingsbury used. There are almost no references to any other New Testament texts.
"To approach Matthew's Gospel as a unified narrative...is to attend to the very story it tells. When one reads Matthew, one temporarily takes leave of one's familiar world of reality and enters into another world that is autonomous in its own right. This world, which possesses its own time and space, is peopled by characters and marked by events that, in varying degrees, are extolled or decried in accordance with this world's own system of values. By inhabiting this world one experiences it, and having experienced it, one leaves and returns, perhaps changed, to one's own world" (p. 2).
The argument of Matthew as Story is occasionally labored. Kingsbury identifies the elements of narrative in general, and then works through the gospel of Matthew showing how different elements of Matthew correspond to his general scheme. Often this approach finds Kingsbury amplifying minor points of the gospel text to support his arguments, and forcing the textual evidence to fit his scheme. Also, there are almost no references to the other gospels, and these would have been welcome. Nevertheless, Matthew as Story offers a salutary reminder that the gospels are not, as we so often read them, history or biography, but tales, and that Jesus is best seen in the gospels not as an imperfectly depicted historical personage but as a fully developed character in a unique type of story.
Reviewer: Ned S. Crockett
Date: 12-4-07
Garland, David E. The Intention of Matthew 23 Leiden, The Netherlands, 1979.
David E. Garland presented this material as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, while he was a student and instructor in New Testament Greek.
The Author structures the book in eight parts. He begins with an introduction which suggests a problem in the Matthew 23 text. Chapter one deals with the composition and structure of said text. In this chapter Garland compares the Matthew text to the other “scattered parallels” expressing a more complex literary piece composed of very different parts. This raises the question about sources and what sources the writer of Matthew had in hand when the text was produced. He concludes that; “more and more scholars are finding it impossible to accept the rather simplistic approach that the traditional Two-Source Theory involves.” Chapter two looks at the Audience of Matthew and draws the conclusion that it was not addressed to the scribes and Pharisees but rather the crowds and disciples. Chapter three deals with the woes of Matthew and makes the point that the reader should not confuse the intention of Matthew with that of Jesus. The Woe is seen in its true meaning as an expression of sorrowful pity or as an expression of pity and anger. Chapter three looks at the charge of Hypocrisy as something that is a Matthean addition. Only in Matthew are the scribes and Pharisees characterized as “Hypocrites.” Garland expands the meaning to its Hellenistic understanding too “conscious Pretence” and concludes that this is a characterization of their failure as the divinely appointed leaders of Israel as it related to their responsibility in interpretation of the law. Garland then supports this further in chapter five as he provides support for this conclusion through an exegesis of the first six woes. Chapter six gives an explanation of the perceived intention of the writer of Matthew. This chapter contrast Paul’s statement that all Israel will be saved with the use of Psalm 118 by the early church to prove that Jesus was the Messiah and that the Jews had been rejected for their rejection of Jesus. Garland believes that the last section of chapter 23 shows that the writer of Matthew understood this to portray the perennial persecution of the prophets and now the rejection of God’s Last Messenger. The book ends with Garland’s conclusion that chapter 23, “therefore, is not Matthew’s attack upon Israel but an attempt to provide a solution for the Christian problem of Israel’s rejection of the Jewish Messiah and increasing takeover of the kingdom of heaven by Gentiles, in addition to the problem of explaining the recent destruction of the temple and city of David.” For Matthew “the conclusion seemed to be self-evident: the sons of the kingdom had been cast out. Garland expands this explanation to say that “this does not exclude, however, individual Jews from the kingdom, only those who do not believe in Jesus and keep his commandments. He further concludes that Matthew is speaking to the Christian community as it has its share of false prophets and hypocrites. This is seen as a warning to the early church against such behavior. “Therefore, the Christian is to see himself potentially mirrored in the scribe and Pharisee.”
Garland uses the Greek text throughout this book and refers to different locations throughout the scripture to give suggested meaning and alternatives. Garland went into depth explaining the two source theory and why many are finding it hard to believe in this theory. Garland suggests that the writer of Matthew used current events like the destruction of the temple and the Jewish-Roman war in constructing the Gospel.
When Garland looked at the Synoptic Parallels in the first chapter he points out the areas of disagreement with Matthew and Mark. He points out that Mark does not have any woes and that Matthew refers to the scribes and Pharisees who make their phylacteries (small leather boxes containing slips of paper with scripture written on them) broad and lengthen their fringes. According to Mark the Scribes are solicitous of: greetings in the market place, chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at feast. In Matthew the order is reversed; they love places of honor at feast, chief seats in the synagogue, and greetings in the market place.
This book has a lot of important information and is a book that could be read several times with something new gained each time it was read. I was concerned at first with some of the arguments around the Jews and whether or not the author was agreeing with and promoting an Anti-Semitic position. In reflection, I think he shows the position of the early church (it is what it is) in those terms but does try to redirect the conversation to the Christians and not the Jews.
Reviewer: Heather Blais
Date: 11/28/2007
Fitzmyer, J.A. “Anti-Semitism and the Cry of “All the People”.” Theological Studies 26.4 (D 1965) 667-671. BTS First Search.
Joseph A. Fitzmyer is a Jesuit priest who has served as a professor of both Old and New Testament in universities both domestic and abroad. He wrote the article in 1965 in response to an article by Dominic M. Crossan, O.S.M called “Anti-Semitism and the Gospel” which appeared in the same journal earlier that year. The author wrote the article primarily for other scholars, but also for those seeking to be educated about ending anti-Semitism.
This brief article is structured by starting with an address as to why the author is writing the article, which is to take Crossan’s article deeper by analyzing Matthew 27:53 in hopes to build up Crossan’s argument for not using the language at the condemnation of Jesus of Nazareth towards furthering anti-Semitism. Then the author briefly reviews Crossan’s article before reviewing the text himself and comparing to other Biblical texts and what other scholars have said to make his point.
The article is based on an English translation of the text, although the author does look at the Greek when analyzing the text. His argument is primarily made with evidence from the Bible with some additions from the history of theological thought.
One example of the author demonstrating why this passage is important to consider in furthering the conversation of ending the anti-Semitic arguments that come from the Biblical text is where in Matthew 27:24 Pilate took water and washed his bands before the crowd proclaiming that he is innocent of Jesus of Nazareth’s blood in order to express his religious innocence in the blood that would be shed and then in Matthew 27:25 he presents the antithesis to Pilate’s protestation of innocence in the cry of “all the people”, when all the people answer that ‘His blood be upon us and our children’. It is important to consider shifts such as these when attempting to understand what the language means and how it has been used in anti-Semitic ways despite that not being Matthew’s intention.
The article seems helpful in furthering Crossan’s argument, by further developing his point by looking at Matthew 27:53. Independent of Crossan’s argument it would be a fairly dull reading experience, but since his intention is to further Crossan’s argument, he does what he is intending to do. This article would profit those that have read Crossan’s argument as well as those interested in furthering the study of ending anti-Semitic thought by Christians from misusing the text.
Reviewer: Heather Blais
Date: 11/28/2007
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. “Crucifixion in Ancient Palestine, Qumran Literature, and the New Testament.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 40.4 (O 1978) 493-513. BTS First Search.
Joseph A. Fitzmyer is a Jesuit priest who has served as a professor of both Old and New Testament in universities both domestic and abroad. He wrote the article while at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1978. This article is written for both scholars and beginning students of the Bible that are interested in learning more about crucifixion in Ancient Palestine and in Qumran literature in relation to the New Testament.
The author structures his article as a continuing investigation of what the role of crucifixion actually was in Ancient Palestine by looking at Qumran literature and the New Testament. He sees his study as a continuation on the study of crucifixion outside of solely literary sources. He does this by structuring his article with his introduction and explaining this aim of continuing the investigation, followed by looking at the ossuary remains from Giv-at ha- Mivtar, to the mention of crucifixion in the two Qumran texts, before concluding with the bearing of these materials on certain New Testament passages.
The type of evidence that is interpreted is based primarily on archeological discoveries in Ancient Palestine, the Qumran texts, and other texts outside of the Bible. The author also primarily is working with Arabic, as some of these non-Biblical texts were written in Arabic, but he always translates their meaning for the reader. He also uses both the Greek and English translation of the New Testament, and he always provides both when discussing a text.
The author takes the example of the bones found in an ossuary of an adult male and of a child and looks at how this archeological discovery affects our present understanding of crucifixion in Ancient Palestine and how this finding can serve as concrete evidence of the practice that John references in 19:32 of breaking the legs first. I chose this example because it is one of the examples of the author taking the archeological discoveries and using them to make the case of crucifixion in the New Testament no longer a purely literary one.
This article was very interesting as it took a subject such as crucifixion and made the biblical references to it that much more plausible and interesting by discussing the role of crucifixion in Ancient Palestine and in the Qumran texts. He presents his findings in such a way that the reader understands this is simply an addition to a continuing project of understanding crucifixion fully. He was not making any bold claims; bur rather made the crucifixion more relevant to beginning students and furthered the investigation for fellow scholars.
Reviewer: Edner Fago
Date: 11/27/07
Bibliography Perkins, Pheme: Love Commands in the New Testament (Ramsey, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1982). 225.82. P4191
Author Pheme Perkins developed this book in 1982 out of a variety of Biblical lectures given by her at Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas, on February 15-17 in 1981. Love Commands in the New Testament was designed as a study guide for students interested in exploring the New Testament as a resource for ethical decision-making in contemporary society. Perkins presently works as Professor of New Testament at Boston College and has written extensively on issues and concerns regarding the New Testament. One of her more recent articles titled “Good News from Judas?” was published in America: The National Catholic Weekly in 2006.
Structure The structure of this book follows the layout of a typical text; it begins with an introduction, followed by a number of chapters, includes an epilogue and concludes with a selected bibliography. Within each chapter Perkins presents information regarding the love commands and how/if they pertain to contemporary ethical decision-making. Each chapter ends with a series of study questions. For example, at the end of chapter eleven; God as Love: The Johannine Tradition, she asks seven questions, one of which is “Give two examples of Johannine use of proverbial or wisdom traditions?” Over all, Perkins uses this text to expound upon her insights concerning how the love commands in the New Testament can be used as a reference for contemporary ethical decision-making within a Christian community.
Evidence In order to support her claim that the love commands of the New Testament can be a reference for ethical decision-making within a contemporary Christian community, Perkins first interprets a collection of New Testament passages from an English interpretation of a Greek text. This collection consisted of a variety of legendary Biblical narratives like The Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), The Good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-36), and The Double Love Commandment, of which she compares Mt 22:34-40, Mk 12:28-34 and Lk 10:25-29. Perkins then begins her literary exploration by painting a verbal image of how these stories may have been perceived by the historical audience of Jesus. She does this by comparing these New Testament stories with similar stories from both Palestinian and Hellenistic Judaism. She thought that by depicting how the love commands were utilized for ethical decision-making during the time of Jesus, she could then substantiate the use of the love commands for ethical decision-making in contemporary Christian society.
Example For example, Perkins compares Jubilee xx, 2-10, an “…exhortation given by Abraham [that] includes the love of neighbor and of God…”, with the Double Love Command from Matthew, Mark and Luke. She states “This passage show an extension of the commandment to the relationship between Jews and the Gentiles among whom they live (13).” So, even though Jesus was questioned about these commandments, the method by which the writers of these three Gospels address Jesus’ response created an ethical universality which transcended through time to the present day, so Perkins thinks.
Response I found this text to be very informative. To read a text that groups together the love commands has heighten their meaning for me, especially when ethical decision-making elements are highlighted. It truly does create a picture of universal meaning. A meaning that is certainly applicable to societies of the twenty-first century, rather Christian based or not.
Reviewer: Heather Blais
Date: 11/27/07
Senior, Donald. “Death of Jesus and the resurrection of the holy ones.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 28.3 (Jl 1976): 312-329. BTS First Search.
Donald Senior is an ordained Catholic priest who has been a professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago since 1972 and is now serving as President of the school. He wrote the article during his time as a professor at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, 1976. The author is intending to reach readers of Matthew’s gospel, especially other scholars.
The article is structured with the introduction and aims of the article first, followed by the general significance of the “signs”, the origins of Matthew’s special materials where the author reviews the transposed resurrection account study of D. Hutton and a Jewish apocalyptic hymn study of W. Schenk, before moving on Matthean composition of the death scene, and finally concluding with his own conclusions for Matthew’s interpretation of the death of Jesus.
Senior uses the history of theological thought as his primary evidence, followed by the actual text from the New Testament. The author uses a combination of the English text during discussions, but using the Greek text when analyzing the meaning of the text.
The author gives his evidence primarily through the history of theological thought regarding Matthew 27: 51-53 and one such example of this is the author’s discussion of Matthew’s special materials whether the author reviews two studies by D. Hutton and W. Schenk. He looks at these studies in order to determine the precise meaning of Matthew 27:51-53 in its present context. After reviewing each study in depth the author gives his educated opinion as to what should be taken from these studies in order to understand the precise meaning of the text. I chose this particular passage because it demonstrates how the author thoroughly analyzes schools of thought on Matthew 27:51-53 in order to demonstrate his own findings. His manner of study is effective at demonstrating how to determine what the text means in its present context.
Reading this article was a helpful experience as it dives into the history of theological thought for the text of Matthew 27: 51-53 in such a way that is very user friendly for the beginning student, and helpful for other scholars in the author’s field.
Reviewer: Heather Blais
Date: 11/28/2007
Kingsbury, Jack Dean. “Composition and Christology of Matt 28:16-20.” Journal of Biblical Literature 93.4 (D 1974) 573-584. BTS First Search
Jack Dean Kingsbury wrote, “The Composition and Christology of Matt 28:16-20” in 1974 when he was serving as faculty at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kingsbury is intending to reach readers of Matthew’s gospel, particularly other scholars in his field that have studied Matthew’s gospel.
The text is structured into four parts, the introduction and thesis, the composition of Matthew 28:16-20, the Christology of Matthew 28:16-20, and the conclusion. In the introduction the author identifies his thesis that the text in the Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20 was composed by Matthew himself and that he has done so with a view to his Son-of-God Christology. The next part on the composition of Matthew 28:16-20 begins with Kingsbury considering what other scholars have to say about the text, and then seeking to demonstrate the editorial nature of Matthew 28:16-20 by citing the text to set forth the linguistic, stylistic, and conceptual features of each segment to indicate that Matthew authored this text himself. In the third part on the Christology of Matthew 28:16-20 the author briefly reviews what other scholars have to say regarding the Christology of this text, before giving text examples of how the Christology points to Matthew’s Son-of-God Christology shinning forth in this text. Lastly, he concludes that this study of the text has shed further light on the intention of the text.
The type of evidence that is interpreted is a combination of text of the New Testament and the history of theological thought for Matthew 28:16-20. The author gives an English translation of the text before reviewing it, but then spends most of the time reviewing the actual Greek text to make his points. Before reviewing the text, the author begins each major part of the argument with the modern history of theological thought on this particular passage.
The following passage is an example of some of the familiar characteristics of this article. It demonstrates Kingsbury’s use of structure in his argument and his manner of making his argument. The following passage is from the portion of his argument where he is arguing about the Christology of Matthew 28:16-20: In view of the foregoing, what objective is Matthew pursuing in associating the conclusion of his gospel with the Christological predication of the Son of God? It appears that his objective is twofold: as regards the history of Jesus (the so-called horizontal dimension), Matthew employs the title, the Son of God, to relate to one another all the major phases of the life of Jesus- birth and infancy, ministry, death, and resurrection- in order that he might thereby stress the ‘identification of the person’ that he believes exists between ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and the ‘resurrected, exalted Jesus” of the post-Easter church; as regards the relationship of Jesus to God (the so-called vertical dimension), Matthew employs the title, the Son of God, in order to set forth the uniqueness of the person and therefore the divine authority ‘then’ and ‘now,’ of the man Jesus who was born of Mary, and after death, raised by God to life. For at least these two reasons Matthew draws upon the title, the Son of God (11-12). Kingsbury is continually breaking down his argument into simple equations by demonstrating what he is looking to learn, and how parts a and b, lead to part c. I chose this particular passage because it demonstrated the type of logic he uses throughout his article that make understanding his argument easier for biblical readers and scholars alike.
The article was an enjoyable reading experience as the author used a logic in his writing that made it easy to understand for both scholars and those biblical readers simply eager to learn a bit more about the Gospel of Matthew. The one piece that is probably completely appropriate if it is an article solely for scholars, but is more difficult to beginning students is how the author gave the text that he would be giving examples from in English, and then primarily only used the Greek text, without providing the English translation of the word or phrase, to the reader. For the beginning student this might make the argument less effective at times, however, for most scholars this would be a very beneficial article to read when trying to gain a better understanding of Matthew 28:16-20 as well as the author Matthew himself.
Reviewer: Poppy Thacher Arford
Date: 11/27/07
Hengel, Martin. Crucifixion (Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1977) 232.96 H3878p
Crucifixion was written by Martin Hengel and originally published as an extended article in 1967. The German text was translated into english, revised, enlarged and published as a book in 1977. My best guess is that Hengel wrote the book from his office at the University of Tubingen in Germany where he resides as a Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism. His specialty is early Rabbinical Judaism and Christianity including the study of Christian Origins. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Hengel Hengel is an accomplished and prolific writer having at least eighty six books and journal articles credited to his name. Twenty four of these texts are available from our BTS library. As was the case with Crucifixion, a number of Hengel’s texts started out as extended articles and were later translated into English and published in book form. The most recent example of this, also available at BTS, is his work The Atonement: The Origins of the Doctrine in the New Testament, which was published as a book in 2007. Hengel has written crucifixion for the serious, no-nonsense theologian interested in exegetical research and a comprehensive understanding of crucifixion in ancient times. It is clear, from reading the book, that Hengel believes any serious ddiscussion of the "theology of the cross" must be preceded by sufficient comprehension of both the nature and extent of the act.
Hengel structures Crucifixion in a sensible, straightforward manner. The book starts with the Abbreviations and Introduction followed by eleven chapters of text organized around the books theological, cultural, geographical and historical subject matter. The book concludes with a summary followed by a Bibliography, and two indexes, one of Ancient Authors and the other Modern Scholars.
As alluded to already Hengel is an author committed to serious scholarly research and writing. As such he provides a very thorough accounting of his sources including the evidence put forward in the bibliography and indexes along with extensive and comprehensive footnotes found throughout the eleven informational chapters. A significant amount of ancient Greek language is also offered or referenced throughout the book often with the English translation.
At the same time that we were assigned this book report, I was also preparing to write a sermon using Matthew 27: 27-44, the “Crucifixion of Jesus”, as the gospel passage. I found Hengel’ s Crucifixion referenced in Sacra Pagina in relation to this passage and choose the book thinking it might work well for both a book report and as preparation for my sermon. My intention was to better understand how crucifixion was experienced throughout antiquity and specifically by Jesus from an exegetical point if view. The book turned out to be an excellent choice on both counts. The following two examples demonstrate Hengel’s exceptional understanding of this "most vile death of the cross” and how valuable this understanding is for a student, like myself, of Christian theology. Christ had suffered a particularly cruel and shameful death, which as a rule was reserved for hardened criminals, rebellious slaves and rebels against the Roman state. That this crucified Jew, Jesus Christ, could truly be a divine being sent on earth, God's son, the Lord of all and the coming judge of the world, must inevitably have been thought by any educated man to be utter madness and presumptuousness. (p 83) The theological reasoning of our times shows very clearly that the particular form of the death of Jesus, the man and the Messiah, represents a scandal, which people would like to blunt, remove or domesticate in any way possible. We shall have to guarantee the truth of our theological thinking at this point. Reflection on the harsh reality of crucifixion in antiquity may help us to overcome this acute loss of reality, which is to be found so often in present theology and preaching.(p 90)
Crucifixion is a excellent, ninety-nine page, easy to read (if such a thing can be said about the subject of crucifixion) book that I recommend for anyone interested in a exegetically focused, fact vs. fiction, version of the crucifixion story. If your goal is to comprehend the social, cultural, psychological and physical reality of crucifixion in antiquity than this is the book for you. I suggest that interested seminarian’s read Crucifixion so that they may, with a more complete historical understanding, consider Hengel’s assessment that crucifixion is "a manifestation of trans-subjective evil, a form of execution which manifested the demonic character of human cruelty and beastiality."(p 87) After reading the book I have an understanding of Crucifixion as an event rooted in a identifiable historical reality and understand why Hengel describes the practice in such a very dark manner.
Reviewer: Annette Joseph
Date: 11/25/07
Brooks, Stephenson H. Matthew's Community: The Evidence of His Special Sayings Material. (Sheffield: JSOT Academic Press, 1987). BS 2575.3 B76 1987
Brooks wrote this for a dissertation while attending Union Theological Seminary in 1985. Originally it was entitled 'The History of the Matthean Community as Reflected in the M Sayings Traditions. The author wrote this to reach other people in academia.
The structure of the text supports the authors thesis, which is to investigate the sayings in Matthew that are unparalleled by any other gospel in order to understand Matthew's community in relation to Judaism (15). First Brooks introduces the thesis, then he translates and analyzes the Matthean text, which is primarily M saying only (Special M). Brooks concludes with what we can see about the Matthean community from the special sayings.
Brooks uses the New Testament Greek text and has an appendix to use for reference back to the translated text. He considers the theories of Streeter, Manson and Kilpatrick on the unparalleled M sayings and wants to study why there are contradictions between what is seen as pro-Jewish sayings and opposition sayings to the leadership. There must be a way to interpret these instead of calling them pre-Matthean sayings.
Brooks starts with Matthew 23:1-3 where Jesus tells the crowds and disciples to keep the words of the Pharisees in high esteem, just don't act the way they act; then in v16 this changes to woes charging the Pharisees for what they are saying that is wrong (11). This introduces the argument for the structure of the community of Matthew. Later on Brooks concludes that these shifts show us a histroy about the Matthean community. First their life is in being around the quthority fo the Jewish synagogue leaders, then the community places the authority with Jesus as teacher and God as Father, lastly there is a rejection of the community by the Jewish leaders and Israel, which leads to a rejection of any authority from the synagogue (116-117).
This book is very academic. It would help to be more familiar with the Greek. It would not be a book you just want to sit and read for fun. It was interesting to see the way Brooks interprets these sayings and how that might tell us things historically about the community of Matthew. The thing that keeps coming to me is that all of this is a conjecture; a best guess because of the way the material is written by Matthew. It is hard to prove whether or not this is historically correct, but it does give us a window into the community that may have loved hearing the Gospel according to Matthew.
Reviewer: Melissa Marquis
Date: 11/12/07
Green, Michael. 1988. Matthew for Today, Expository Study of Matthew. Dallas: Word Publishing. 226.2 G824m.
Michael Green is the Professor of Evangelism at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. He is the editor of the Jesus Library and I Believe series. He has also written many books including his most recent To Corinth with Love. Green’s purpose in writing this book is to reach everyday people, not just scholars and students of the Gospel of Matthew. His intent is to make studying the Gospel of Matthew more interesting and helpful rather than dry like many commentaries are. He looks at the Gospel of Matthew as a whole book rather than in pieces. Green uses this way of studying Matthew to apply it to today so that all people will learn from it and be able to apply it to their own lives and share it with others.
The book is comprised of 301 pages. It has two parts that are broken down in to three sections each. He follows the structure of the Gospel of Matthew starting with section one titled In Galilee then part one that he titles Beginnings where he discusses Matthew 1-7 in four different sections. The next section of part one is call Discipleship. Green reviews Matthew 8-20 and discusses who Jesus was and what His mission was. The final section of part one is called Response which covers Matthew 11-13. The author discusses Jesus’ claim and its ground, people’s responses to Jesus and the Parables of the Kingdom. Section two is titled To Jerusalem. Green further delves in to Matthew in chapters 14-18 which he calls Shadows. Next he goes in to Judgment, chapters 19-25 of Matthew and the Finale. In the Finale, Green looks at chapters 26-28 of Matthew, studying some of the contrasts in this section and discussing the final days of Jesus.
Green discusses several possibilities of the origin of Matthew. He states that among scholars it is agreed that it was written in Hebrew, is one of the earliest Gospels and that it was in fact written by Matthew. As evidence, Green does quote several other books of the bible as well as Apocrypha. Interestingly enough is that Green states that his bibliography is at the end of the book on page 302. There is no page 302 of this book and no bibliography. This makes it difficult for the reader to understand where Green gets his information for writing this book. This discovery leads me to believe that what is written in this book could be mostly the author’s opinion on Matthew or that the bibliography was left out by mistake.
In part one; section A4 Green discusses the placing of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel. He acknowledges that he found inspiration on a book by John Stott called Christian Counter Culture. “The placing of this first great discourse is important in the tidy plan of which Matthew id devised for his Gospel. With it he brings to an end the first main panels of the book. The next four panels end in a similar major address by Jesus, and the final panel of the Gospel offers us, instead of the teaching of Jesus, the person of Jesus, risen from the dead. By then, we have reached the end which is also the beginning. Not only is the placement of this material significant as well as tidy, but it presents a Christian Manifesto of the Kingdom. In all probability it was not all preached on one occasion, but was assembled by Matthew out of many talks by his Master, to show in a coherent whole what the essence of the teaching of Jesus was, and what it demanded of the men and women who were enlisting as his disciples. There is an inner logic n the placing of the material at this juncture. Jesus has just begun his ministry. It is taking off rapidly. What does it involve? What is it like to be a follower of Jesus? To follow Jesus demands a totally different way of life and it is vital for the people of God. Right at the outset of his ministry Jesus lays it on the line. The new age has dawned. And the Sermon shows what human life is like after repentance and commitment to the King. In a word, life is very different. “Do not be like them” is an injunction which comes again and again in the Sermon. A sharp contrast is constantly being drawn between the standards of Jesus and those of all others. Here we meet a different lifestyle, values and ambitions which are radically different. Everything is at variance with life outside the Kingdom.” The reason I picked this passage is because it is a good example as to how Green approaches the Gospel of Matthew. He gives a lot of detail in to the structure of the book as well as the order in which the passages are placed. Throughout the book the author reflects on the context as well as the content of the Gospel, giving the reader several different angles to study the Gospel of Matthew. He also gives the reader a deeper meaning to ponder regarding why Matthew ordered the book in the way he did as well as what the importance of this was to the followers of Jesus.
I enjoyed reading this book. There are a lot of question and answer sections that I found useful. They may or not be based on accepted research, but I think that this section gives the reader something to think about and look in to further. In the beginning of the book Green looks at the pattern of how the Gospel was written and what the purpose of it was. This section would be helpful to anyone who is attempting to read the Gospel of Matthew for the first time. At the end of the book, Green answers some difficult questions regarding the validity of the Gospel. He reflects on some questions that many people are afraid to ask. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh, newer perspective on the Gospel of Matthew.
Reviewer: Tara Olsen
Date: 11/10/07
Gerhardsson, Birger. “Seven Parables in Matthew 13.” New Testament Studies 19 (1972) 16-37. ILL Number: 35586284.
Birger Gerhardsson is professor emeritus in the Faculty of Theology at Lund University, Sweden. He is the author of Memory and Manuscript: Oral Tradition and Written Transmission in Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity and Tradition and Transmission in Early Christianity. “During a single academic career few scholars have seen their work rejected as vehemently by members of the academic community as Emeritus Professor Birger Gerhardsson from the University of Lund in Sweden. Few scholars have experienced a more significant vindication by his former critics than Gerhardsson, now in ripe retirement. The central issue at stake concerns the touchstone of the historical Jesus research, namely, the nature and reliability of the oral tradition that preceded the manuscripts of the New Testament. Since the publication of his seminal doctoral dissertation, Memory and Manuscript: Oral tradition and written transmission in Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity (1961), Gerhardsson has proposed a thesis that challenged the dominant paradigm of the Form Critical School, and in recent years a basic tenet of the Jesus Seminar" (http://www.hendrickson.com/html/product/36678.acad.html?category=academic
Gerhardsson takes a look at how the seven parables in chapter 13 of Matthew are laid out- considering the patterns they show, the edits they have gone through in coming from Jesus' mouth to the final work of the editor and how the parables presented Matthew 13 relate to each other. In Gerhardsson's view it is highly unlikely that these seven parables came from the mouth of Jesus, but more likely from an early church father of unknown identity (35).
Using the Greek text as a basis to work (shown in word study throughout the document), Gerhardsson makes it clear that he believes the way Matthew has laid out chapter 13 is quite intentional. Using the Parable of the Sower as the "introductory parable" (19), the following parables present in the chapter are the fruit that original parable bears. Gergardsson refers to them as "complementary parables" (19).
The diagram given on page 20 of the article lays out the intent of Gerhardsson's argument quite clearly. The four parts of the PArable of the Sower lay the ground for further explanation in the following parables. Parable of Sower Following Parables those falling by the wayside tares among wheat those falling on stony ground mustard seed leaven those falling among thorns treasure pearl those falling on good ground the good fish among the bad (19-20)
This is a scholarly article, but easy to read and engaging. I am fascinated by the work Gerhardsson has done in tracing the words in the Bible back to the historical Jesus and am interested in reading more of his work. This article is helpful in seeing how Matthew chapter 13 is laid out- showing the connections between the various parables. All in all- a helpful article.
Reviewer: Tara Olsen
Date: 11/10/07
Bailey, Mark L. “The Kingdom in the Parables of Matthew 13.” Bibliotheca Sacra 155 (1998) 172-188. ATLA0000144637.
Dr. Mark L. Bailey assumed Dallas Theological Seminary’s presidency after years of service as both a professor and the vice president for Academic Affairs as well as his role as pastor of a local church. He was a seminar instructor for Walk Thru the Bible Ministries for 20 years and is in demand for Bible conferences and other preaching engagements. His overseas ministries have included Venezuela, Argentina, and Hungary. He is also a regular tour leader in the lands of the Bible, including Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. Taken from: <www.dts.edu/about/faculty/mbailey>
In this article Bailey takes an in depth look at the Parable of the Sower as it appears in Matthew 13 and the other synoptic gospels. Bailey breaks down the structure of the gospel of Matthew in this article. He also provides support to the hypothesis that Jesus' teaching style has changed. Dr. Bailey provides some possible preaching points from this text as well as some word study for those exegetes who would like to cheat a bit!
Bailey offers a complete structural breakdown of Chapter 13 in Matthew's gospel (174) and compares this representation of the parable to those in Mark and Luke. On pages 179-184 Bailey offers several word studies from the Greek that help the reader delve further into the text- helpful for preaching.
"The parables in Matthew 13 were given in some measure as an apology against the Jews for their rejection of Christ. This chapter is a great turning point in Matthew's presentation. Jesus was preaching and teaching the kingdom to the Jews, but they rejected him" (172). This statement sums up the intent of this article. Bailey wants the reader to understand that Jesus used parables for a specific reason- to seperate the believers from the non-believers.
This article was easy to read and helpful in looking at the overall structure of Matthew. I do not agree with Bailey's sentiment that Jesus, in using the parable as a teaching technique, wanted to leave behind/exclude people. The article is helpful in some aspects of sermon preparation.
Reviewer: David Gardiner
Date: 11/10/07
Donahue, John R.: The Gospel in Parable: Metaphor, Narrative, and Theology in the Synoptic Gospels (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988). 226.8 D714g
John R. Donahue, S.J., is a Jesuit who has written extensively on the New Testament and also on issues concerning the Bible and Social Justice. He has held positions as the Professor of New Testament Studies at the Jesuit School of Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California and also at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland. He has written and co-authored a number of books, including the Sacra Pagina series commentary on ‘The Gospel of Mark.’ The author aims the book at both students and scholars of the Gospels but in addition he also targets those preparing sermons or teaching on the parables, giving advice on how to present the parables.
This book explores the parables of the Synoptic Gospels using literary analysis, together with a study of their context within each Gospel to throw light on their meaning. Although Donahue does interpret the parables, his primary aim is to use them as an entrance to the theology of each individual Gospel showing how they reflect the Gospel writer’s major theological themes. To commence the study Donahue gives a very useful introduction to the techniques of literary and contextual analysis and how they can be applied to the parables. Characteristic features of the parables as text are explored, such as the common use of metaphors, similes and allegory together with the language of realism, paradox and strangeness. Treating the parables as narrative, plots, literary devices and character depiction are explained together with the importance of the literary context of each parable or group of parables. Next follow the three main sections of the book each one dealing with the analysis of the parables in a particular Gospel. Mark’s parables are considered first followed by Matthew’s and then Luke’s. Not every parable is covered but the major ones are and in particular there are sufficient ones to embrace the theological motifs of each Gospel. Parables are grouped together by theme and each parable is explored thoroughly taking account of it as text, narrative and also in context. Following this are three sections, one for each Gospel, outlining the Gospel in parable. These sections show the main theological themes of the parables in each Gospel and how they are in fact indicative of the theology of each Gospel as a whole. Finally Donahue ends with a section on proclaiming the parables, with advice for preachers and teachers on how to present the parables and some of the common pitfalls to avoid.
The author uses the evidence obtained from the literary and contextual analysis of each parable to shed light on the Gospel author’s intent for the parable but recognizes that parables do not necessarily have one single interpretation. By their very nature they are often open ended and allow for multiple interpretations. The parables are compared with similar ones in the other Synoptic Gospels using the Two Source Theory as a tool and the basis for this exercise. Alterations, deletions and new material added to the parables as they appear in the different Gospels are examined for information on the Gospel writer’s intent. Donahue also reviews the major scholarly literature on each of the parables, discusses their findings and offers up alternative viewpoints, whether supporting or contradicting his own or indeed giving another valid interpretation. Other examples in scripture are used to assist in the interpretation of the parables such as previous uses of allegories, cultural information and theological background. Donahue then pulls all the pieces together to outline the major theological themes of each Gospel using the parables to demonstrate this. He therefore presents the Gospel in parable as stated in the title of his book.
Much of the discourse on the parables is very detailed, thorough and moves in a logical measured scholarly pace. An example from the discussion of a parable would not do justice to the varied approaches Donahue makes in examining the parables. I have therefore chosen a text from Donahue’s comparison of Matthew’s parables with those of Mark’s, which shows more of the literary and theological elements covered. “Matthew’s collection of parables, as I noted earlier, is more extensive than Mark’s, since he supplements Mark with Q parables and those from his special source, M, or of his own composition. Matthew’s parables are more ornate, heavily allegorical and concerned with the discourse of good and evil at the final judgment. The literary style and the theological thrust of the parables are reflected in the Gospel itself…Matthew’s parables, as we saw in detail, are dramatic parables in which human beings determine their fate in response to surprising opportunities (e.g. the remission of a debt; unexpected hiring and payment; a gift of talents).” (p200)
As a newcomer to literary analysis the introductory part of the book is an excellent guide to the techniques of this form of analysis which I found very helpful and readable. If you don’t know your metaphors from your similes, what place allegory has in interpretation or how to view characters and plots in a narrative this is a book for you. The individual analysis of each parable or group of parables is in depth and provides lots of information, especially in the comparison with other similar Gospel parables. For me, the expositions of the parables are best treated as reference material. Look up the particular parables that you are researching or are interested in, as reading them all consecutively is hard work. There is too much information to take in easily. The sections dealing with the major theological themes of the Gospels were very informative and useful as an overview of the different approaches and theology of the Gospel writers. These sections were also quite readable. I liked the openness of Donahue to other interpretations than his own and his emphasis that parables as a genre are deliberately open ended allowing multiple interpretations. Overall this is a very useful book, which I have indeed decided to buy, for use as reference material because it covers the parables in all of the Synoptic Gospels.
Reviewer: Paula Hammerick
Date: 11/8/2007
Kingsbury, Jack D: Matthew: Structure, Christology, Kingdom (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1975).BS2575.2 .K49
Author Jack Dean Kingsbury, Dr. Theol. Is a Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology at Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education. He authored this book in 1975. The author’s intended audience is the academic community, both scholars and graduate students. Those who are interested in the importance of the structure of Matthew’s Gospel and Matthew's view of Jesus and the related ‘kingdom of heaven’.
The structure of the book dictates the title. Dr. Kingsbury first presents his minimalistic view of the structure of Matthew. He contends Matthew is divided, not into five sections as is usually offered, but into three sections: the person of Jesus Messiah (1:1-4:16), the proclamation of Jesus Messiah (4:17-16:20), the passion and resurrection of Jesus Messiah (16:21-28:20). This way of dividing Matthew, Kingsbury offers, leads one to see this Gospel as Christological rather than primarily a ecclesiological Gospel. Dr. Kingsbury discusses the titles used in Matthew for Jesus. He asserts that all titles used are secondary to “Son of God” which he describes as having “an exceptionally prominent Christological strain in Matthew’s Gospel”. The book also explores how the “Kingdom of Heaven” relates with the proposed Matthew Christology.
The index of names referenced in this book include Aland, Bacon, G. Bornkamm, Metzger and Stendahl. The list is long and Kingsbury references many of the scholars’ assertions, both those he agrees with and those he does not. The ‘references in Matthew’ list appears to include virtually every entry in the Gospel. Dr. Kingsbury includes many references in the text to Greek.
“Taken together, the topical outline that Matthew drafts and his concept of the history of salvation show that, regardless of the weighty ecclesiological concerns that surface in the Gospel, it is primarily a Christological document and has its central purpose to inform the members of Matthew’s community, against their present situation, of Jesus Messiah and of his relationship to the Father and of what it means to be his disciple.” (p.161-62) This statement is a good overview of this book. Dr. Kingsbury offers that Matthew is primarily a Christological document, acknowledging its ecclesiology. He explains where he sees this and why it was done by Matthew.
I borrowed this book from the library and although I am a new student to the Gospels, after reading Dr. Kingsbury book, I am considering adding it to my bookcase. The extensive references to the scriptures attest to its consideration of the entire Gospel. Along with being an interesting and thought provoking read, it is a good book for referencing other authors who have put their two cents in about Matthew’s structure, Matthew’s Christology and/or Kingdom views. I imagine this book has been referenced many times and no doubt Dr. Kingsbury ideas have incited lively discussions among those in the know and brought questions to the graduate seminary student.
Reviewer: Mark E. Woodsum
Date: 7 Nov 07
Senior, Donald: What are they saying about Matthew? (Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1996). 226.2 Se57w 1996.
Fr. Donald Senior, C.P., is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the Passionist Seminary College, Chicago, followed by a Licentiate in Theology (S.T.L.) and a Doctorate in New Testament Studies (S.T.D.) from the University of Louvain, Belgium. Fr. Senior entered the Passionist Religious Congregation (dedicated to the Passion of Christ and to preaching the message of the Gospels) in 1960 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1967. He has spent most of his priesthood proclaiming the connection between the theological and literary characteristics of each Gospel, along with the pastoral and missionary contexts of the early Church. Moreover, his familiarity with the history and landscape of the Middle East has prompted strong interest in the historical Jesus, juxtaposed against the social and historical context of the New Testament. Since 1972, Fr. Senior has been Professor of New Testament Studies at the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, where he was founding Director of the school's overseas Israel Study Program from 1980 - 87. With the exception of a two-year period from 1995 - 97, he has been President of Catholic Theological Union since 1987. Fr. Senior is a prolific and highly regarded writer, who has lectured and conducted workshops throughout the United States, as well as internationally. Amongst his many works, he is the general editor of the periodical The Bible Today, co-editor of the twenty-two volume international commentary series New Testament Message, and general editor of The Catholic Study Bible. He is also a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association and serves on the College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He wrote, What are they saying about Matthew, while at Catholic Theological Union in 1995. It is intended for a “modern,” post-World War II, world that understands the evangelical nature of the Gospels in a “different” way from their predecessors. Fr. Senior emphasizes the Passion of Christ and the fact that Matthew was attempting to do much more than assemble a collection of already existing materials to create a simple life narrative of Christ. Moreover, he focuses on the early 20th century shift from “from criticism” to “redaction criticism” (identifying the importance of the groundwork laid by the German scholar Gunther Bornkamm).
This is a very methodical analysis of the Gospel of Matthew. After a brief prologue, Fr. Senior discusses the historical setting of Matthew’s Gospel, in order to frame the commentary that is to follow, he then provides a comprehensive analysis of the sources and structure of this work. After this enlightening and thoughtful groundwork, Fr. Senior analyzes Matthew’s views on: Salvation History, Integration of the Old Testament into the New Testament, Attitude’s on the Law, Christology, and, finally, he concludes his work by outlining his views on Discipleship and the Church. This structure and progression works quite well in bringing the reader from the Historical Jesus to the Christ of our Salvation, and culminating in the manner and efficacy of our discipleship within the framework of modern ecclesiology and missiology. The only theme that is notably absent here is that of Matthew’s eschatology.
Fr. Senior derives his evidence from a wide variety of sources ranging from the 1984 version of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, to a vast array of scholarly theological research (mostly late 20th century), to a variety of sociological, anthropological, economic, and other scientific resources. He also draws from historical materials that deal directly with both the Gospel period in question and with the Old Testament periods that he looks to in order to support his thesis. Moreover, he draws upon the archeological evidence as well in order to further substantiate his positions.
Fr. Senior describes the death of Jesus as marking the end of a world without hope and the beginning of a new age of God's Spirit. He is an evangelist at heart and treasures Christ’s Passion to the point of emphasizing that in Matthew's Gospel the resurrection is almost anti-climactic because, in Matthew’s view, the resurrection breaks out on Golgotha itself, at the very moment when death seems about to conquer all. The trust of Jesus, even in the face of mockery and abandonment, is met immediately by God's abundant life and immortal embrace. In fact, in his concluding remarks in the section on the Church and Discipleship, he states that, “communal Christian existence was of a pressing interest for (Matthew).” Matthew constantly emphasizes the importance of the “bond between the community and the risen Christ.” Moreover, this bond demands an “ethical response informed by Jesus’ teachings and example.” All of this, for Fr. Senior, points to a Church that must be “egalitarian, inclusive, evangelical, and standing above traditional understandings of authority and community.” This book is ultimately about the Passion steeped in the dichotomy of its transcendent and immanent mysteriousness. (The above quotations are all taken from pages 103 and 104 of the text.)
I found this to be both an enjoyable read and an enlightening one. Though it is clearly a scholarly work (with an incredible bibliography of over 130 sources for further study), written by a passionate proponent of the transcendent, yet immanent, passion of Christ, it is equally accessible to the novice reader trying to enter the unfamiliar ground of theological exegesis. Throughout this work, Fr. Senior details how Matthew follows closely the storyline of his primary source Mark, but still colors that story with themes characteristic of his gospel. The same is true of the Passion story, of particular importance to Fr. Senior, where Matthew's account absorbs virtually all of Mark's story. Yet even here, Matthew recasts the narrative to highlight his own distinctive themes. In meeting death, Jesus fulfills his God-given destiny foreshadowed in the Scriptures and inaugurates a new age of history charged with resurrection life. Jesus is the obedient Son of God, tenaciously faithful even in the midst of abject suffering. Jesus' trust in God, tested in the savage fury of death itself, is not in vain – and nor will a reading of this fine work be in vain.
Reviewer: Karen Garcia
Date: 11/7/07
Cope, O. Lamar. Matthew: A Scribe Trained for the Kingdom of Heaven. (The Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series 5; Washington: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 1976). 226.2 C79m.
O. Lamar Cope wrote this text in 1971 as her doctoral dissertation at Union Theological Seminary. The text was submitted in 1975 in its near-original form to the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, a theological journal for academic and biblical scholars. After completing her doctoral work, Dr. Cope taught religion at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She retired in 2003 and currently serves as Professor Emeritus of Religion and Philosophy at Carroll.
Dr. Cope’s book is a systematic effort to prove that the writer(s) of the Gospel of Matthew was a Jewish scholar (or scribe) who was well-versed in Old Testament theology. The writer of Matthew had knowledge and a lived experience of the Hebrew scriptures that was used to frame the Gospel text for a specific, intended result: to prove that Jesus was the long-awaited messiah that had been foretold in the Hebrew scriptures, and to prove that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. After a short introduction and explanation her methodology for looking at the text, Cope begins with an analysis of several passages in Matthew. In her analysis, she considers parallels to OT source material, logical patterns of thought consistent with and allusions to OT teaching, and use of literary form, language, and style, along with other key indicators. The majority of her book involves the analysis of several mid-point passages in Matthew, comparing them directly to specific OT texts. Cope further explores connections between OT and NT events in which there are parallels without specific OT texts identified. After her analysis, Cope concludes that the Gospel of Matthew was indeed written by a Jewish-Christian who was an expert in Old Testament scriptures, and that the writer’s knowledge of scripture provided a formula for the writing of the Gospel text.
The writer of Matthew uses his knowledge of Old Testament scriptures to his advantage when writing the Gospel. Matthew presupposes that there are secret passages and meanings encoded into the OT texts, which is illustrated in this verse from Habakkuk (2:2-3): “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.” For Matthew, this revelation is revealed in Jesus the Christ. The true meaning of the OT texts is intended to lie dormant until interpreted by someone who is properly trained to read and interpret the text, and the true power of the text lies dormant until perceived by one of these special few. The writer of Matthew intentionally points the reader toward the end times and teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven, framing the Gospel with OT scripture passages or thoughts that demonstrate his point. Matthew appears to have an “inside track” that others do not have access to when interpreting specific NT events. He structures his writing to include specific details that would otherwise be too obscure for most people to grasp. An example of Cope’s analytical work follows.
In Matthew 13, Jesus uses several pairs of linked parables to teach the crowds. The parables draw upon OT passages in Isaiah 6 and Psalm 78 as their frame of reference. When describing the action in the parables, Matthew uses the phrase “He who has ears, let him hear.” While some people may interpret that to mean the physical hearing of the word, Matthew likely meant “to understand” rather than actually hear. Matthew suggests that while there are crowds of people hearing Jesus speak, the true meaning of the parables is beyond their understanding. Cope suggests that the phrase “He who has ears, let him hear” is an exegetical formula, because the phrase is sometimes used in Jewish literature to call for agreement among scholars. Cope compares Matthew 13: 13, 16-17 to Isaiah 6: 9-10 line by line, pointing to Jewish interpretation of the words hear and understand, and look and see, stating that while many people may look and hear, few will see and understand. This is a meaning that Matthew would have intended to employ when writing the text. Cope goes on to explain that when comparing similar passages in Mark, the focus is on the behavior of the characters in the story, not on their perceived understanding of the secrets encoded in the text. Cope uses this analytical interpretation to compare and contrast several texts in Matthew with OT scripture to develop her case throughout the remainder of the book.
I enjoyed reading this book, though I struggled with some terminology. With my limited background, I found myself looking up several words and concepts that I didn’t previously know the meaning of (for example, redaction criticism vs. form criticism). The book gave me a real appreciation for the writer’s research and knowledge of the Scriptures. As a result, her work made me want to spend more time understanding source theory and exploring the texts in their original languages. After a short introduction, the writer quickly moved into the analysis and spent most of her time there, continually tying back to her thesis statement, making it a very understandable and logical read. I would read this book again given more background knowledge and time to really digest the passages as Cope did.
Reviewer: Karen Indorf
Date: 11/07/07
Hengel, Martin.: The Charismatic Leader and His Followers. Translated by James Grieg. (New York: Crossroad, 1981). 232 H387c
Martin Hengel is an Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He wrote this book in 1968, a study based on a trial lecture given in 1967 before the Protestant Faculty of Theology at the Eberhard-Karls University in Tübingen. It was translated from German into English in 1981.
Hengel begins this book with a brief Exegesis of Mt. 8:21-22. His focus is on Jesus’ sharp response to a prospective disciple who asks to bury his Father first: ‘Let the dead bury their dead.’ Hengel then explores the discipleship of following Jesus, using Elisha’s call by Elijah as a prototype. He compares the call by Jesus to other charismatic leaders in first century Palestine and the Hellenistic world, as well as Biblical prophets. Exploring the distinctiveness of what the author identifies as Jesus’ charismatic and eschatological call to discipleship, he especially focuses on the difference of rabbinic teaching and Jesus’ preaching, as well as the call and disciples of the Zealots, prophets, and other messianic figures, contrasting them with Jesus’ authority.
Hengel uses many references to the Old and New Testament, as well as Old Testament Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Literature and Rabbinic literature. He often uses direct quotations from the original languages of Greek, Hebrew and Latin, some of which are translated, but most assume a working knowledge of those languages, given his audience of theological scholars. In spite of not being able to read these languages, for the most part I could follow the sense of what he was conveying. Other references include Greek and Roman writers and early Christian literature as well as redaction and form criticism.
I cite the following example, as it is a recurring theme throughout the book as well as a summation of some of his basic conclusions. Hengel contrasts the concept of Jesus as a teacher with the Jewish Rabbi, contending that Jesus was not a rabbi but rather a charismatic and eschatological leader who proclaimed that the kingdom of God was near. He did not teach by having his students (disciples) memorize or recite scriptures or learn tradition. Rather he taught through parables and ethical principles. He spoke as a common Galilean to ordinary people. His disciples were not learned pupils who applied to rabbinical school. There were no academics or nurturing of scholarship and tradition. An itinerant and charismatic preacher, Jesus spoke to the people gathered around him with an eschatological message of love, peace and healing. His closest disciples learned by hearing the stories and following Jesus in his ministry, even though they often did not understand. Unlike the prospective disciple in Mt. 8:21-22, they had left their family and worldly possessions, standing outside everyday vocation and family duties. Jesus was preparing them to be fellow workers for service in the Kingdom that was at hand. There was no time to bury the dead.
Although not always an easy read due to the language difficulties, I liked this book very much and would consider reading other books by this prolific author. He is certainly a scholar who is well grounded and who thoroughly documents his work. I especially like his final conclusion that our limited knowledge of Christian history in the first century should not be considered greater than our knowledge of Jesus.
Reviewer: Laura Peckham
Date: 11/6/07
Scobie, Charles H. H.: John the Baptist (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964). 225.92 J613 Sc15j
This book evolved out of Scobie’s doctoral thesis; the work for which he did at the University of Glasgow. In reworking the material for this book, he states that his hope was to keep the book scholarly but accessible. Scobie does not want to look at John as a way of understanding Jesus better but “to investigate the life of John for its own sake.” (11) Why? “(O)ne who was so greatly admired and highly praised by Jesus himself deserves our most careful and sympathetic study.” (12)
Scobie starts by introducing the sources he will be using, outlining their strengths and weaknesses. He then describes the social, political, and religious climate into which John was born and raised. The bulk of the book follows the chronology of John’s life, taking what the written sources say about his life, ministry, and interaction with Jesus and comparing these to what is known historically about life and lives at this time in Israel. It concludes with an analysis of the followers John left behind and a summation of just what sort of man John the Baptist was. This book is very much “The Quest of the Historical John” (also the title of the book’s first chapter).
The author uses both the historical-critical method and form criticism. The two source theory of the origin of the Gospels is referenced as though it is fact. The text sources used are the New Testament, Josephus, early Christian writings, and the writings of a group known as the Mandaeans. All of these sources are used in their original languages. Scobie gives examples of the scholarship of his day concerning John the Baptist throughout the book and then explains what he sees are the merits or deficiencies of these theories based on the texts and other historical sources.
“In his preaching of the coming judgement, John stood in the true prophetic tradtion. To a certain extent, John was also in line with the apocalyptic branch of Jewish thought, which developed the ideas of the prophets especially in the intertestamental period. Whereas the prophets often thought of judgement as being administered on earth, by some nation whom God used for his purposes, the apocalyptists expected the judgement to take place at the end of days, following the resurrection, and preceding the ushering in of a new age when God and/or his Messiah would reign supreme. The apocalyptists usually expected the end to take place soon, and sometimes ventured to predict exactly when and how it would occur. In so far as John looked for a judgement by fire, by the Coming One, at the fast-approaching end of days his message has a very apocalyptic ring. Further, John can be seen to have many affinities with the baptist sectarian movement. The ideas both of the river of fire and of the future outpouring of the holy spirit find their closest and most striking parallels in the Dead Sea Scrolls. This supports our contention that it was the sectarian movement which formed John’s background.” (73-74) I chose this passage because it is an example of how Scobie tries to show the influences that would have surrounded John and how John was in line with, or in contrast to, his culture.
I am not sure how well Scobie accomplishes his goal of being both scholarly and accessible - the term he uses is “popular.” While his writing is not the most difficult I have seen, I also do not think it is what the common person in the pews would have an easy time following. I think those of us immersed in academia loose touch quite quickly with what most people would find accessible. For the most part I enjoyed this book and I appreciate knowing more about the history of use of baptism within Jewish sects and about the traditions which built up concerning John. I was fascinated to learn that there is a strong tradition that John took his preaching and ministry to Samaria before his arrest. There was also strong enough belief that John was buried in this region to cause the building of two churches there, both claiming to be at his burial site, of course. (176) While I enjoyed learning more about the historical background and other writings concerning John, I disagree with a significant number of Scobie’s conclusions. I also get easily annoyed when scholars treat ‘Q’ as a known fact, stating such things as “Luke got this from ‘Q’” or “Matthew varies from ‘Q’ here.” Fortunately for me, Scobie does not do this to excess (unlike the book I reviewed for “The Four Gospels”). I think anyone with an interest in the history of Baptism or just have always wanted to know more about John the Baptist would benefit from reading this book. I agree with Scobie that, given the prominence of John the Baptist in the Gospels and in what Jesus says about him, he deserves a closer look.
Reviewer: Robert Bach
Date: 11/6/08
What are they saying about Matthew? (New York/Mahwah, N.J; Palest Press, 1996). 2262 Se57w 1996
Senior, Donald, C.P The author is writing primarily to his colleagues in the biblical field.
The structure of the text is created by seven chapters, which are based on issues arising from within the gospel as well as the history of its interpretation. The first chapter deals with the Matthew’s community, addressing the question of whether his community was still part of Judaism. The author chooses the middle ground, his impression being that it was a church in transition. The second chapter explores what sources Matthew used. He supports the two source theory and questions whether the passages that are unique to Matthew are derived from a special source, “M,” or were even composed by himself. He feels that the structure of Matthew can be best described as “a retelling of the story of Mark”(p35). In Chapter three the author addresses Matthew’s view of salvation history, and emphasizes Jesus’ death and ressurection as a turning point. Before his death salvation was restricted to Israel, but after the cross, salvation becomes universal. He also points out that Jesus’ abiding presence began with the resurrection, explaining why Matthew did not include an ascension account or develop “a theology of the Spirit” (p.45). In chapter four the author discusses Matthew’s use of the Old Testament, placing major emphasis on the fulfillment prophecies which are used throughout his entire ministry The author feels that Matthew utilized these to show that the salvation promised to Israel became available to all through the risen Jesus and as well as to emphasize the gravity of rejecting Jesus (p.60). Chapter five addresses Matthew’s attitude towards the law in which he emphasizes that Jesus did not come to abolish the law but rather came to fulfill it in the sense that he shifted the emphasis from a “holiness code” to a “mercy code,” with an emphasis on love and justice (p.71). This was a fulfillment of the prophets as well because of their commitment to love and justice. Chapter six addresses Matthew’s Christology by discussing his various titles, concluding that his Christology is beyond titles and that the narrative themselves reveal his Christology by showing ”Jesus in action”(p 86). The last chapter discusses Matthew’s view of the church as a covenant type of ecclesiology, in that Jesus is bound to his community as Yahweh was bound to Israel. The second part of the chapter discusses discipleship with the expectation that one will hear the call and follow him. Scribes are included and an ethical response is expected as the result of Jesus’ teachings and example (p.104).
The only primary source noted for the text of the New Testament was the Anchor Bible. There are 143 sources listed in the bibliography most of which are commentaries. There are several that deal with theological issues such as Gender and Reading, and Matthew’s Inclusive Story. There are several references regarding Christology and the Jewish law. There were no references to archeological studies.
Jesus own proclamation of the Kingdom of God definitely affirmed and newly interpreted what had always been the message of “the law and the prophets. This phrase should not be taken as two divisions of the biblical literature, but rather as a summary of God’s will for Israel, now brought to fulfillment in Jesus ministry to the outcasts and his proclamation of the love command. The above passage is a critique of Alexander Sands, entitled Das Gesetz und die Propheten (The Law and the Prophets). He characteristically gives a concise, objective observation and summary of the author’s viewpoint. I picked this particular passage because it ties the Old Testament and the New Testament together in a scriptural, theological and ethical way. It reinforces the fact that Jesus was preaching against the Pharisee’s interpretation of the law and not the law itself. My response was a very positive one because we needed to be reminded of the importance of our Jewish heritage and the fact that Jesus lived what the prophets preached.
The experience of reading this book was very rewarding. The author dealt with a variety of important Matthew’s viewpoints in a very concise way. He provided the reader with many different interpretations in an objective manner, followed by his own comments. I was impressed with his ability to convey so much information in a concise, clear, and interesting way. I think that lay people would benefit from this book because it would introduce them to biblical criticism that is clearly explained and applied in the interpretation of relevant issues.
Reviewer: Kathleen Maclachlan
Date: 11-6-2007
Kee, Alistair. "The Question About Fasting." Novum testamentum 11 (1969) 161-173. (This journal is not in the holdings of Bangor Theological Seminary.)
Alistair Kee has been a prolific writer of articles appearing in Christian Century; examples include "Seeds of Liberation" and "Old Coat and the New Wine: a Parable of Repentance." He is the author of numerous books; his published works have spanned several centuries and include The Way of Transcendence, Domination or Liberation, Marx and the Failure of Liberation Theology, Constantine Against the Crucified, Nietzsche Against the Crucified, and The Rise & Demise of Black Theology.
Kee looks at that parallel account which appears in Mark 2:18-20, Matthew 9:14-15, and Luke 5:33-35 in which Jesus replies to questions regarding why his disciples are not fasting. Kee draws attention to two aspects of these texts, the question and the reply. He first discusses the context of the question, including a distinction between obligatory and non-obligatory fasts and the nature of piety. Kee then moves forward to discuss the nature of Jesus' reply, which has been written and referred to as the parable of the Bridegroom and the Wedding Guests. Kee suggests that the interpretation of the reply depends upon whether certain portions were added later by the emerging church.
For Kee, the most important aspect of this text is whether the reply is compatible with the views of Jesus or whether it is a comfirmation of the traditions of the early church. He contrasts the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount with evidence from the Didache and comes to the conclusion that the reply to the question, the parable of the Bridegroom and the Wedding Guests, is an addition from the early church and is in conflict with the views of fasting taught by Jesus.
"'Your fasts must not be with the hypocrites. They fast on Mondays and Thursday; but you should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.' This is immediately followed by teaching on prayer, and the Lord's Prayer. As in the Sermon on the Mount, the instruction is prefaced by a condemnation of the 'hypocrites'. Yet on closer examination the teaching of the two sources could hardly be more divergent."
Readable, with a clear focus, this article was most interesting to me for giving an example of how to look at one specific account as an amalgamation of Jesus' teachings and early church traditions.
Reviewer: Jesscia Moore
Date: 11-7-07
Przybylski, Benno: Righteousness in Matthew and His World of Thought (New York- Cambridge, UK-London: Cambridge University Press, 1980). 22.2 P958r
Benno Przybyski is currently a Professor of Biblical Studies at Carey Theological Seminary. This book was his dissertation project at McMaster University.
Przybylski notes the lack of scholarly agreement regarding the Matthaean concept of righteousness. Is righteousness a gift from God? (which is consistent with the Pauline understanding) or is righteousness a demand from God? (which is not consistent with the Pauline understanding). The importance here is how the concept of righteousness relates to the nature of salvation (i.e. righteousness as a gift = grace/ righteousness as a demand =works). He believes this lack of agreement comes from both an unconscious reading of Matthew through a Pauline lens and a faulty understanding of the background materials used to interpret the Gospel of Matthew. It is common only to use the Old Testament, but this is not enough. He posits (and defends) two arguments for the indirect influence of the Old Testament on Matthew. First, there was a change in the usage of righteousness from the time of the Old Testament to the time of the Gospel of Matthew (As seen through the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Tannaitic literature). Second, the concept of righteousness is consistent (in the Gospel of Matthew) if interpreted through the use of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Tannaitic literature. Concluding, that righteousness as a demand from God.
Przybylski examines the overall concept of righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Tannaitic literature by studying the use of the Hebrew words with the root ts-d-q (tsedeq, tsedaqah, and tsaddiq). In order to draw a conclusive understanding of the concept of righteousness in Matthew; he then relates this to the meaning of the Greek words dikaisoyne, eleemosynary, and dikaios. He concludes that words refer to the doing of righteousness, as demanded by God.
It is difficult to find a single example because the majority of the book is made up of a systematic listing of lexical samples; from a breakdown of each scroll to the various parts of speech the root ts-d-q can occur. This is an example from the Tannaitic literature: Suppose one comes out of the court acquitted (zakka’i) and after a while they find evidence of his guilt. I might understand that they should bring him back for a new trail. But it says: ‘And the righteous (tsaddiq) slay thou not.’ You might think that just as he came out acquitted (zakka’i) from your court, he also came out acquitted from My court. It says however: ‘For I will not justify the wicked (’atsiq rasha’). In this passage a distinction is made between the one whom man declares to be righteous and the one whom God declares to be so. As far as man is concerned a person is considered innocent, i.e. zakka’i and tsaddiq, if he is acquitted by the court even though he is later found to be guilty. God, however, does not consider such a person to be tsaddiq but declares him rasha’.(pg49) I picked this passage because it gave the actual text and his argument follows easily from the text.
When I first looked at this book, I was afraid it would be very dry; and, in a certain respect, it is dry. However, his language is clear and his logic easy to follow. The subject matter, is juicy, and can have interesting soteriological implications. The dry bits are found in his examination of the data. Unfortunately, he doesn’t write out many of the passages from the Dead Sea Scrolls; he cites them, but without the text it is difficult to actively participate in his argument.
Reviewer: Kathlee Maclachlan
Date: 11-6-2007
Donahue, John R. "Tax Collectors and Sinners, An Attempt at Identification." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 33 (1971) 39-61. (This journal is not in the holdings of Bangor Theological Seminary.)
This article was written by John R. Donahue, S.J., who formerly taught at Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, Berkeley, California and is now the Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor emeritus of New Testament Studies at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. He has authored numerous articles and books including The Gospel of Mark, Liturgical Press, part of the Sacra Pagina multi-volume commentary. He authored America's Word column from 1999 - 2002 and was the 2005 editor of Life in Abundance: Studies of John's Gospel in Tribute to Raymond E. Brown, Liturgical Press.
This article represents an attempt to identify who the sinners were who are written of in the New Testament. Using numerous references dating over the course of the last century, Donahue focuses his discussion on the differences between the job descriptions of a tax collector and a toll collector in New Testament times. From there, he develops how the role of each could create different situations which could lead to the tax collector or the toll collector being ritually unclean. Finally, Donahue discusses the idea that it was not simply the role of each man which marked him as a sinner; it was how he comported himself within that role, often tainted by dishonesty.
This article relies heavily on linguistic interpretation and Donahue has referenced a wide variety of scholars. Using his knowledge of Greek, he takes issue with many New Testament translations which do not differentiate between tax collectors and toll collectors, including the NRSV.
"The word telones is never used independently in Mk, and in Mt only to designate Matthew in the disciple list (10:3). Luke uses the word absolutely, that is, not in conjunction with another term, in those references to the telonai who came to be baptized by John.... The word is never found outside the Synoptic Gospels and, in them, only in the preJerusalem setting of Jesus' ministry, usually in the framework of controversy stories. Thus from a source critical viewpoint, 'toll collectors and sinners,' is found as a set phrase in mark and Q."
I found this article to be challenging, primarily because some of the foreign words were not translated. Much of it was obscure, but presented in a way that made it interesting and accessible IF taken in small pieces. I learned quite a bit from this article and suspect that with each rereading, would glean more.
Reviewer: Lynn Briggs
Date: 11/3/07
Brown, Raymond E.: The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New York: Doubleday, 1977, 1993). 226.2 B814b 1993.
Raymond E. Brown wrote this classic work in 1977. Because of the popularity of the book in academia, this spawned several other scholars to write on the subject of the infancy narratives; a topic without great interest prior to this point. In the early 90's, Raymond Brown was asked by Doubleday books to update his work. The updated version added an additional 150+ pages to the work that remains a classic in biblical scholarship. The book was written in New York after teaching courses on the infancy narratives a number of times at Union Theological Seminary as well as in Rome. His foreword to the original edition was written during Advent of 1976. The original publication was in 1977. The later edition was published after updating the material in 1993. Concerning the audience he intended to reach, Ramondy Brown said in his foreward, "The commentary is meant to be both scholarly and intelligible and to reach a variety of audiences: fellow scholars, students of theology and of the Bible, and interested Christians." (p. 7) In my opinion he was successful in reaching this wide range of audience.
The book is a commentary on the infancy narratives in both the gospel according to Matthew and also to Luke. Part one is devoted to Matthew's infancy narrative, part two is devoted to Lukes. Each segment begins with a segment of scripture followed by commentary verse by verse. Following this the author explores historical likelihood and literary examples that illustrate parallels to the text from outside sources. Several theological themes are explored within the narratives. The most time is spent on exploring these themes and relating them to the overall theology of each gospel.
The Greek is explored in depth as well as Old Testament passages explored in both the Hebrew (MT) and the Greek (LXX). The author explores the historical background of the texts as well as any particular issues that were facing the communities that the gospels were written for. In the case of Matthew, astronomical phenomena of the time period are explored also. Geography is noted in detail (for example, the author discusses at length the two different locations within various traditions for Rachel's grave) as it pertains to scriptural references to locations within the narrative. Overall, though, the most emphasis is placed on the history of theological thought. An example of this follows.
The example I would like to highlight that explores a theological theme is the connection between the Balaam Narrative in Numbers and the Magi in Matthew. I have chosen this example because it was so surprising to me! Never would I have associated on my own a connection between Balaam and the Magi. I found it fascinating. Balaam's story is found in Numbers 22-24. He is summoned by the evil king Balak who seeks Balaam who is known as a "magos" in hopes that he will call a curse upon the Israelites whom he fears. This "magos", like the magi in Matthew are non-Israelite occult visionaries and practitioners of enchantment. (p. 193) In both the Balaam account and the Matthew account, the "magos" or magi are seen as both evil and good. (p. 193) Balaam comes "from the East" and is accompanied by two servants (Num. 22:22) making a party of three. Christian tradition, likewise came to an agreement of three magi resulting from the three gifts brought to the baby Jesus. (p. 193) King Balak was an evil king who sought to destroy the Israelites much like Herod wishes to destroy his potential threat to his throne. Balaam foils the plans of the evil King Balak by being overcome by the Spirit and pronouncing a blessing for the Israelites rather than a curse. Like the magi in Matthew, this non-Israelite who shouldn't understand God's plan is able to see, he outwits an evil king and pays homage to Israel's God by blessing the Israelites. The magi in Matthew's gospel, like Balaam receive a revelation from God and will frustrate the evil king. (p. 194) Additionally, the author quotes a text from Philo written from a similar time period of the gospel according to Matthew that supports the term "magi" being used to describe the "learned men" of Pharaoh's court in Egypt (Ex. 7:11), making strong evidence that the term "magi" was not unfamiliar to this original audience concerning the Exodus event. (p. 194)
I highly recommend this book. I loved it not only for its insightfulness and thorough scholarship, but also because of its readability. Most commentaries put me to sleep, but this one was a light read resembling more a novel than a scholarly work. Yet, at the same time it was filled with information, more than you could ever need. I also loved the outline which was helpful in locating quickly specific portions I wanted to look at in depth. I would go back to the author's comment in his foreward to illustrate who would profit from this book: a variety of audiences including scholars, students of theology and the Bible, and interested Christians. This book is a fabulous resource for anyone who either is interested in the infancy narrative stories of these two gospels or who teaches or preaches. It would enhance any scholarly library, and is truly viewed as a classic.
Reviewer: Dave Mullin
Date: 11/02/07
Griffith-Jones, Robin: The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, The Rabbi, The Chronicler, and The Mystic (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco,2000). 226.06-dc21,(currently on reserve at BTS--Johnston, BS1501).
Robin Griffith-Jones wrote The Four Witnesses in 2000 in John Wesley's study at Oxford University. At that time, Griffith-Jones served as a Chaplain and Professor of New Testament Studies at Lincoln College at Oxford. Currently, he serves as the Master of Temple Church in London, "one of the most influential positions in the Anglican Church" (bookjacket). Griffith-Jones states that he wrote this book for an audience ranging from those who "have never opened the gospels themselves" to those who "know the story of Jesus like the back of their hands". He says that this work is for those "intrigued by the question 'Who do you say that I am?'" (p.3)
Following an extensive prologue that gives an overview of the four gospels, Griffith-Jones explores each of the four "stories", both independently and in coversation with each other. He opens discussion of each with an insightful introduction. He then moves thematically throughout each gospel, all the while centered on the text. He closes each segment with a chapter transitioning one Gospel to the next. The work concludes with an epilogue. His discussion of the four Gospels revolves around the question "Who do you say that I am?". Griffith-Jones portrays the uniqueness of each author's different image of Jesus by interweaving colorful historical, cultural and social information with the text itself.
Griffith-Jones sets each Gospel within the context of the time of its composition. All scriptural references from the Old Testament are from either the Revised Standard Version or the Jerusalem Bible. New Testament references are drawn from Griffith-Jones' own translation of the original Greek. He demonstrates vast knowledge of the historical, theological, political and cultural issues of the early church and Ancient Israel. The inclusion of this information (told often as stories) brings the sights and sounds of the time period to life. This enables readers to gain deep insight into the complexities and humanity involved in the text of each author.
In discussing Matthew's Beatitudes, Griffith-Jones writes: "Not that Matthew's Jesus is a bland or easygoing figure. As we have already heard, "I have not come to cast peace, but a sword". Within Matthew's figure of Jesus, lies a stern figure. Those around Jesus must make hard and divisive decisions. Matthew does not lull his readers into soft sentiment. This Jesus stirs enmity; his opponents will secure his death. And it will be death unrelieved by any obvious hope; he dies, as Mark's Jesus had before, with apparent despair in his closing words" (pp.119-120). I selected this example as a snapshot of Griffith-Jones' ability to humanize and bring the Gospel of Matthew to life. He frequently draws parallels and contrasts among the voices of the authors of each Gospel. We see yet another face of Jesus revealed here. A face that is not a "warm fuzzy". The honesty and authenticity of this quoted passage is represented throughout this work. It seeks to uncover, challenge and reveal the Gospels' innumerable responses to the question, "Who do you say that I am?".
Reading The Four Witnesses was an incredible experience for me. The ease of Griffith-Jones writing style, his ability to connect passages and frame them within their original context, and his thorough understanding of the Old Order and New Order invite all readers deeply into his work. The work is scholarly and articulate, yet down to earth and very readable. I find The Four Witnesses an excellent resource for exegetical study, sermon preparation or anyone with an interest in gaining vivid insight into the landscape and words of the four Gospels.
Reviewer: Patti Rutka Stevens
Date: 11/2/07
Kingsbury, Jack Dean: Matthew As Story. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986). 226.2K6llms 1988 c.1
Matthew As Story was written by Jack Dean Kingsbury, the Aubrey Lee Brooks Professor of Biblical Theology at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. It is narrative (literary) criticism intended for theological scholars as well as seminary students. The text is based entirely on the 1946 RSV.
The text is divided into ten chapters. The first chapter explains how the book will look at Matthew through the lens of narrative criticism, as opposed to using historical/biographical-critical or redaction-critical or form-critical approaches; the final chapter summarizes the text. Eight chapters in between explicate the three parts of Jesus’ life: preparation for ministry, ministry, then the journey through Jerusalem, the Passion, and the Resurrection. With this story line, Matthew delivers a riveting theological assertion: that God has imprinted himself, through the person of Jesus, on the people of Israel at the beginning of the close of the age, and the reader, like the disciples, will now understand through the narrative who Jesus is. Matthew identifies for the reader that Jesus is the protagonist. Using the device of genealogy, and the designation “Son of God,” Matthew makes clear to the reader that Jesus is the Messiah. Next, John ushers in Jesus’ ministry, and after Jesus triumphs over Satan, Matthew moves into the second part of the plot line: Jesus’ actual ministry, accompanied by Israel’s response – Israel consisting of the religious leaders, the people, and the disciples. A narrative tension exists between these three: the leaders reject him as a false messiah, the people believe he is a sort of prophet, and the disciples confess him as Son of God but have to remain quiet about his identity. In the third part of the plot, Matthew employs the literary device of a journey for Jesus, a journey which culminates in the Resurrection, and, “In the final analysis, therefore, God vindicates Jesus in his conflict with Israel” (93). Looking beyond the narrative sequence, Kingsbury addresses some other literary devices in the gospel. He explains that Jesus’ speeches, while they fit within the plot, are not a climax of the story, though they do “comprise the bulk of Jesus’ teachings” (113). The author also treats other characters in the narrative, examining Jesus’ antagonists, his disciples, and the Matthean community. The religious leaders serve as chief counterpoint to Jesus the protagonist; this tension moves the plot forward. As for the disciples, “As Jesus Son of God calls disciples to live in the sphere of God’s end-time Rule, he forms a new community” (144) and gives them a ministry with which to move forward. And of the Matthean community, Kingsbury paints a picture from an historic standpoint, commenting that “…it knew the exalted Son of God to reside in its midst”(160).
(as above -the text is based entirely on the 1946 RSV)
Kingsbury also looks at Jesus’ self-referential term “Son of Man.” I particularly liked the chapter devoted to Jesus’ use of this label because I find its meaning difficult without closer examination. It is “…the designation Jesus employs so as to refer to himself as ‘the (this) man’ (earthly, suffering, vindicated)” (95), but it is not used to identify who Jesus is, such as Son of God; Kingsbury calls it “technical” rather than “christological” (98) and notes Jesus alone uses it in public, or, the non-Jewish world. It draws attention to his humanity rather than his divinity. He refers to himself as a man, but is identified by others in the gospel as the Son of God (which could get into a lot of interesting questions about the nature of the Trinity and if Jesus knew who he was).
I enjoyed the book in a broader sense, beyond the chapter about Jesus’ title, because I’m fond of the perspective of literary criticism generally. While dry at times, the book is free of over-inflated pedantic language and is relatively user-friendly. Students in this class would benefit from reading it.