Showing papers in "Horizons in Biblical Theology in 1997"

Matthew's Infancy Narrative and the Nativity of an Emerging Community

Abstract: That Matthew's infancy narrative (1:1-2:23) was composed with OT materials in view is widely accepted. The evangelist's compositional use of formula quotations (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23) and his drawing upon OT stories about the birth and infancy of Moses, while telling of the birth and infancy of Jesus, stand out in particular.1 But beyond parallels to - or backgrounds in - texts and the person of Moses, there is a fascinating parallel between Matthew's infancy narrative and major narratives stretching from Genesis into Exodus (and to some extent even into Numbers)- narratives which set forth Israel's "national epic." When attention is given to those scriptural narratives as background, Matthew's infancy narrative can be understood as providing a script for the self-understanding of the origins of the Matthean community in the post-Easter setting - indeed, the nativity of an emerging community.

Forgiving and Retaining Sin: a Study of the Text and Context of John 20:23

Abstract: John 20:23 is a perplexing. text. While it records a statement of Jesus to his disciples on the first Easter evening, its interpretation has tended to divide his disciples through the Church's history. A proper understanding of the saying has been made more difficult because of methodological flaws of many interpreters. This paper hopes to overcome this problem by examining these flaws and offering a new interpretation of the text in light of its context in the Gospel of John.

The Infancy Stories of Matthew and Luke: an Examination of the Child as a Theological Metaphor

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the recovery of the theological import of the infancy stories and to show that they are in fact theological masterpieces. It challenges a prevalent view which treats the infancy accounts as prologues to the Gospel texts and therefore as marginal in theological importance. The infancy accounts of Matthew and Luke are examined in turn as sources of theological creativity and innovation. Since the recovery of the evangelists as redactors in more recent years within biblical scholarship, the unique role of the evangelists Matthew and Luke as distinctive shapers of the tradition is examined, with particular reference to the complex theological themes developed by them in their opening chapters. The complexity, subtlety and paradoxes of the web of allusions in the infancy narratives are explored, both with reference to Old Testament texts and to larger theological themes within each of the respective Gospels. This discussion is based on the premise that the infancy accounts of Matthew and Luke represent mature theological reflection, an alternative Christological horizon, which is retrojected from the passion narratives to the time of Jesus' conception. The paper raises issues of divine pregnancy and divine filiation. The frequency of the use by the evangelists of the metaphor of the child is indicated by specific reference to the texts and the complexity of the interaction of this motif with the overall intention of each of the Gospels is indicated. These themes include the Kingdom of God and the nature of the household of God, for which the motif of the child is both an ethical imperative and an exemplar. Some detailed exegesis by way of elaboration of these themes is provided. The paper concludes with some suggestions as to the bases on which an alternative hermeneutic could be constructed which takes as central the metaphor of the child. The motifs of miracle and parable are relevant, and the nature of the child metaphor as a universal and unitive symbol is explored.