Salvation in Continuity: a Reconsideration Of
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SALVATION IN CONTINUITY: A RECONSIDERATION OF MATTHEW’S SOTERIOLOGY by Mothy Varkey BSc (Physics), BD, MTh (New Testament) This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Murdoch University 2014 ii DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. Mothy Varkey iii ABSTRACT This reconsideration of Matthew’s soteriology argues that Matthew understands salvation in continuity. It employs a sequential treatment of the Gospel, which enables it to avoid the danger which characterises many previous studies of limiting the discussion of salvation in Matthew to certain texts, where the theme of salvation is more direct and explicit. To this end, the study is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the need for a reconsideration of Matthew’s soteriology, and Chapters 2 and 3 furnish, respectively, a brief literature survey and the method of approach. Chapters 4–6 examine Matthew’s depiction of Jesus’ saving roles as teacher and judge, healer and helper, and the significance for Matthew of Jesus’ death and resurrection––especially in Matthew 1–7, 8–25 and 26–28 respectively, but also within the Gospel as a whole. On the basis of the findings from Chapters 4–6, Chapter 7 shows that Matthew understands salvation in continuity. The study argues that Matthew does not understand salvation as something achieved only by Jesus’ death, and nor does he limit salvation to Jesus, because Jesus’ saving does not replace or abrogate the repertoire of salvation in the past such as the Torah and the temple. Instead, for Matthew, Jesus’ saving is the fulfilment of God’s saving plans and promises for his people and the continuation of God’s saving in the past. For Matthew, Jesus’ vicarious death is soteriologically comparable with the vicarious suffering of the righteous in the past, though much wider in its reach, and like theirs does not call the temple and the Torah into question. Matthew’s understanding of salvation in continuity is also to be seen as his response to the historical and theological questions of post-70 C.E. Judaism. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS viii ABBREVIATIONS AND STYLE x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 16 CHAPTER 3 METHOD OF APPROACH 63 CHAPTER 4 THE SAVIOUR AS TEACHER AND JUDGE: MATTHEW’S INITIAL DEPICTION OF JESUS SALVIFIC ROLES IN CHAPTERS 1–7 76 4.1 Introduction 76 4.2 Genealogy, Fulfilment Citations, and Typologies: Affirmation of Historical and Soteriological Continuity 76 4.2.1 Genealogy 77 4.2.2 Fulfilment Citations 83 4.2.3 Typologies 84 4.3 The Status of Jesus the Saviour 86 4.3.1 Christ 87 4.3.2 Son of David 88 4.3.3 Son of Abraham 95 4.3.4 The Virginal Conception, Son of God, Emmanuel, and Other Christological Claims 98 4.4 Jesus Saves from Sins (1:21) 108 4.5 John-Jesus-Ecclesia in Continuity 112 4.6 Description of Jesus’ Salvific Role as the Judge to Come 120 4.7 The Saviour as Teacher and Judge in Matthew 5–7: Promise, Law, and Continuity 129 4.7.1 Salvation in Beatitudes (5:3–12): Promise, Reward, and Continuity 131 4.7.2 Salvation, Law, and Continuity (5:17–48) 139 4.7.3 Jewish Piety (6:1–18) 156 v 4.7.4 Salvation: Law, Judgement, and Continuity (7:1–27) 160 4.8 Teacher and Judge: Promise, Law, and Continuity elsewhere in Matthew 163 4.8.1 Controversies and Conflict Stories 163 4.8.1.1 Sabbath Laws 164 4.8.1.2 Purity Laws 169 4.8.1.3 Temple 173 4.8.1.4 Marriage and Divorce 179 4.8.1.5 The Greatest Commandment 182 4.8.2. Discourses/Teachings, Kingdom Parables, and the Judgement Scenes 185 4.8.2.1 The Second Discourse: The Commissioning of the Disciples (Matthew 10) 186 4.8.2.2 The Third Discourse (Matthew 13) 189 4.8.2.3 The Fourth Discourse (Matthew 18): The Parable of the Wicked Servant (18:21–35) 190 4.8.2.4 The Rich Young Man (19:16–22) 191 4.8.2.5 The Parables of the Kingdom and Judgement Scenes (21:23–22:46) 195 4.8.2.6 Jesus’ Critique of the Scribes and the Pharisees (23:1–39) 202 4.8.2.7 The Fifth Discourse (Matthew 24–25) 208 4.8.3 The Last Commandment of Jesus (28:18-20) 210 4.9 The Saviour as Teacher and Judge: Concluding Comments 215 CHAPTER 5 THE SAVIOUR AS HEALER AND HELPER: MATTHEW’S DEPICTION OF JESUS’ SALVIFIC ROLES IN CHAPTERS 8–25 221 5.1 Introduction 221 5.2 Supplementing John the Baptist’s Role Description of Jesus as the Judge to Come (11:2–5) 221 5.3 The Saviour as Healer and Helper in the Present of His Ministry 226 5.3.1 Healings 226 5.3.1.1 Leper Cleansed (8:1–4) 227 5.3.1.2 Centurion’s Servant (8:5–13) 228 vi 5.3.1.3 The Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (8:14–17; cf. Mark 1:29–34) 232 5.3.1.4 Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic (9:2–8; cf. Mark 2:1–12) 233 5.3.1.5 Two Blind Men (9:27–31; 20:29–34; cf. Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43) 240 5.3.1.6 The Healing of the Disabled Man (12:9–14; cf. Mark 3:1–6; Luke 6:6–11) 243 5.3.1.7 The Epileptic Boy (17:14–21; cf. Mark 9:14–29; Luke 9:37–43) 244 5.3.2 Exorcism 248 5.3.2.1 The Gadarene Demoniacs (8:28–34; cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–37) 248 5.3.2.2 The Mute Demoniac (9:32–34; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:14–45) 251 5.3.2.3 Jesus and Beelzebul (12:22–37; cf. 9:32–34; Mark 3:22–30; Luke 11:14–23) 253 5.3.2.4 The Encounter with the Canaanite Woman (15:21–28; cf. Mark 7:24–30) 260 5.3.3 The Feeding Accounts 264 5.3.3.1 The Feeding of the Five Thousand (14:13–21; cf. Mark 6:32–44) 267 5.3.3.2 The Feeding of the Four Thousand (15:32–39; cf. Mark 8:1–10) 270 5.3.4 Jesus’ Authority over Nature 275 5.3.4.1 Stilling of the Storm (8:23–27; cf. Mark 4:36–41; Luke 8:22–25) 275 5.3.4.2 Walking on the Sea (14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52) 278 5.3.5 The Raising of the Dead (9:18–26; cf. Mark 5:21–43) 282 5.3.6 Conclusion 284 5.4 Authorising the Ecclesia and Issues of Continuity 284 5.5 The Saviour as Healer and Helper: Concluding Comments 292 vii CHAPTER 6 THE SAVIOUR IN DEATH AND RESURRECTION: MATTHEW’S DEPICTION OF JESUS’ SAVING IN CHAPTERS 26– 28 296 6.1 Introduction 296 6.2 Matthew’s Depiction of Jesus’ Saving in His Death in the Context of “For the Forgiveness of Sins” in 26:28 and the Relation between 26:28 and Chapters 1–25 297 6.3 What else is Salvific in Matthew’s Depiction of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection? 331 6.4 The Saviour in Death and Resurrection: Concluding Comments 345 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS 351 BIBLIOGRAPHY 374 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I stood at the foothills of the enormous mountain and gazed sheepishly at the summit covered by the floating clouds. The road to the summit seemed tortuous and lonely. As my feet stood rooted on the ground, I felt the soft gentle breeze beckon me to move forward. I felt an affectionate hand guide me, I heard a tender voice whisper to me and saw a bright light shimmering in front of me, helping me to trace my path and commence my journey to the summit. As I reach my zenith and submit my thesis, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the breeze, the hand, the voice, and the light, without whom this journey would have remained only a dream. First and foremost, I thank God, the source of my being and in whom I exist, the Eternal One whose amazing grace, unfathomable mercy, and incredible providence, have guided, and moulded me all my life, especially during this research. It was in joyful obedience to that divine calling that this research was undertaken, and it is a testimony to God’s faithfulness that I have endured the winding roads and reached the summit. This thesis is completed under the capable supervision of Revd Emeritus Professor Dr William Ronald George Loader FAHA (popularly known as Dr Bill Loader). I am deeply grateful to him for his proficient supervision, incisive comments, constructive evaluations, wholehearted affection, and unreserved encouragement throughout the course of this study. I could not have wished for a more unassuming guide in this journey, as he patiently corrected my oversights and fallacious reasoning. Not only has his gracious and insightful supervision informed my research on Matthew’s Gospel, but his honest and unparalleled scholarship, done at the highest level, has been a formative example for me. He was decisively influential toward the crafting of my arguments with care and precision. More significantly, Dr Bill Loader ix has left an indelible imprint on me, both as a NT scholar and as a genuine and wonderful human being.