The Gospel of Matthew in its Roman Imperial Context

Edited by

John Riches

David C. Sim

Copyright © 2005 T&T Clark International

A Continuum imprint

Published by T&T Clark International

The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX

15 East 26th Street, Suite 1703, New York, NY 10010

www.continuumbooks.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0567084485 (hardback)

0567084582 (paperback)

Contents

List of Contributors

Abbreviations

Introduction

John Riches

Rome in Apocalyptic and Rabbinic Literature

Philip F. Esler

A Reluctant Provincial: Josephus and the Roman Empire in Jewish War

James S. McLaren

Empire: Theories, Methods, Models

Dennis C. Duling

A state of tension: Rome in the New Testament

Peter Oakes

Rome in Matthew’s Eschatology

David C. Sim

‘Thus You Will Know Them By Their Fruits’: The Roman Characters of the Gospel of Matthew

Dorothy Jean Weaver

Matthew’s Missionary Strategy in Colonial Perspective

John Riches

Matthaean Christology in Roman Imperial Key: Matthew 1.1

Warren Carter

Conclusions

David C. Sim

Bibliography

Index of References

Index of Authors

Contributors

Warren Carter—St Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri

Dennis C. Duling—Canisius College, Buffalo, New York

Philip Esler—St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews

Philip Esler—St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews

James S. McLaren—Australian Catholic University, Melbourne

Peter Oakes—University of Manchester

John Riches—University of Glasgow

David C Sim—Australian Catholic University, Melbourne

Dorothy Jean Weaver—Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Abbreviations

AB Anchor Bible

ANRW Hildegard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase (eds.),
Aufstieg unci Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung (Berlin: W. de Gruyter, 1972–)

ABR Australian Biblical Review

BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CIL Corpus inscriptionum latinarum

FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments

HeyJ Heythrop Journal

HTR Harvard Theological Review

HTS Hervormde Teologiese Studies

ICC International Critical Commentary

JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JJS Journal of Jewish Studies

JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism

JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament

JSNTSS Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

JTS Journal of Theological Studies

LCL Loeb Classical Library

NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NTAbh Neutestamentliche Abhandlungen

NTS New Testament ...

Content not shown in limited preview…
GMIRIC

About The Gospel of Matthew in Its Roman Imperial Context

This collection of scholarly essays tackles a number of questions based on Matthew’s gospel. In what sense does Matthew’s Gospel reflect the colonial situation in which the community found itself after the fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent humiliation of Jews across the Roman Empire? To what extent was Matthew seeking to oppose Rome’s claims to authority and sovereignty over the whole world, to set up alternative systems of power and society, to forge new senses of identity? If Matthew’s community felt itself to be living on the margins of society, where did it see the centre as lying? In Judaism or in Rome? And how did Matthew’s approach to such problems compare with that of Jews who were not followers of Jesus Christ and with that of others, Jews and Gentiles, who were followers?

Support Info

gospmattroim

Table of Contents