the structure of the prologue to st. matthew's gospel

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The Structure of the Prologue to St. Matthew's GospelAuthor(s): Helen MiltonReviewed work(s):Source: Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 81, No. 2 (Jun., 1962), pp. 175-181Published by: The Society of Biblical LiteratureStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3264753 .

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JOURNAL OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE

historians point to the building of the temple as the central point in

Israel's history.Can it be that readers were expected to grasp in this opening pericope

allusions to the Torah, to Chronicles, and, perhaps, to the Former

Prophets? Christians convinced of the fulfillment in Christ of God's

promises, who were also serious students of the scriptures, might well be

expected to do so. A convincing case for a milieu involving just such

students has been made for this gospel by Dr. Stendahl in The School ofSt. Matthew.6 By schematizing Israel's history the OT historians declared

their faith that history is the sphere in which God works out his purpose.The Matthean genealogy reiterates this faith in even more ringing tones

as it is united with the declaration that Jesus is the fulfillment of the

scriptural hopes and promises.Within the genealogy special emphasis is laid upon Jesus' relation to

David and to Abraham. It is generally recognized that he is considered

the anointed son of David foretold by the prophets. This means he is

also the fulfillment of the covenant with David, recorded in II Sam 7,

the son of David whose throne is to be established forever. Is he also

the fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham? In Gen 12 2 f. and 18 18,

generally assigned to the "J" strand, Abraham is told he will become

"a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless

themselves by him," and in Gen 1819 it is stated that he is known of God,"that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the

way of the LORDby doing righteousness and justice."In Matt 28 18the resurrected Christ declares, "All authority in heaven

and on earth has been given to me." Thus speaks the son of David, in

whom the covenant with David is fulfilled. In the following verses he

commands, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing ...

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."7 In the struc-

ture of this gospel Jesus' teaching is presented as the New Torah. The

last clause of thiscommand, therefore, might

well be understood as

synonymous with "keeping the way of the LORDby doing righteousnessand justice," especially when those to be taught are 7r&vra ra Wv0r,

identical with those who are to bless themselves by Abraham. A scrip-tural basis is thus indicated for the missionary outreach of the church,

which is commanded to become involved in fulfilling that which has been

God's purpose since the call of Abraham. That such an allusion is

intended is indicated by the inclusion of the foreign women, Tamar, etc.,

in the genealogy.8

6 Krister Stendahl, The School of St. Matthew.7 I do not believe the problem of the authenticity of the Trinitarian baptismal

formulato be affected by this linkingof Matt 28 19with Gen 18 t9.

8 Cf. Eusebius, Gospel Questions and Solutions (Migne PG 10, 901 ff. and 11, 967 ff.,

Q 5 and 6); also Heffern, JBL, 31 (1912), pp. 31 f. It is not certainthat Bathshebawas

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MILTON: STRUCTURE OF THE PROLOGUE TO MAT'lHEW

The grouping of the generations in three fourteens, or six sevens, is,in itself, meaningful, as Austin Farrer has noted. The seventh seven, the

jubilee, the universal Sabbath, is to follow.9 The incomplete state of the

third fourteen remains a puzzle.In the following pericope, Joseph's dream, the whole emphasis seems

to be on the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isa 7 14in its Septuagintal form.

As such it is an important witness to the early Christian belief in the

supernatural character of Jesus' birth,Io whether the prophecy accounts

for the rise of the virgin birth tradition or was attached to it as a prooftext. But the announcement of the virgin conception of Jesus seems to

negate the significance of the genealogy just traced through Joseph.I have argued that Matt 1 1 is intended to imply the fulfillment of

God's covenants with David and Abraham in Jesus Christ. Each ofthese covenants includes the promise of a son. In II Sam 7 God's promiseto David includes, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son." The

announcement of Jesus' conception "of the Holy Spirit" declares this

promise to be realized uniquely in Jesus," the unique character of this

relationship being made clear by the quotation from Isaiah. The cov-

enant with Abraham includes the promise of Isaac, a wonder-child, born

when Sarah was ninety years old, the greatest birth miracle in the OT.

This miracle is recalled and superseded by the birth of Jesus, the son of

Abraham infinitely greater than Isaac.12Many have considered Matt 1 16, "and Jacob the father of Joseph the

husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ," an

attempt to smooth out the discrepancy between the genealogy and the

virgin birth narrative as accounts of Jesus' origin. Actually, it only calls

attention to it, as John Knox has said.I3 I suggest that it deliberatelycalls attention to a discrepancy which exists because the two pericopesare structured in juxtaposition, that the purpose of this juxtaposition is

to confront the reader with a paradox, in the ancient sense of a marvel

foreign, but she is listed in the genealogy as "the wife of Uriah" rather than by name,which seems to point to foreignnesssince he was Uriah the Hittite. It can, of course,be

argued equally well that this points to the more usual explanationfor the inclusion ofthese womenin the genealogy,that they wereinserted because of stories circulatedaboutthe mother of Jesus. According to the OT narratives Boaz and Ruth were marriedbefore the conception of Obed, as were David and Bathsheba before the conception ofSolomon. It might be said that both explanationsfor the presenceof these women inthe genealogy point to God's overrulingof the usual and the expected.

9Farrer,op. cit., p. 189.

-oAttention is drawn to this by Vincent Taylor in ThePerson of Christ,p. 220.

" Admittedly, this interpretationmust ignore the second half of II Sam 7 14;butthis seems possiblesince neither part of the verse seems truly applicableto Solomon.

I2 The analogy of the births of Isaac and Jesus is noted by Austin Farrer,op. cit.,

p. 182, but no connection is made with the covenant.

'3 John Knox, Christ heLord,p. 16.

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or wonder. This is the paradox of the person of Jesus Christ, son of

Abraham and of David, whose advent is in continuity with the past

history of the people of God, who is also the unique Son of God, in whom

God's covenants with Abraham and David are fulfilled. By this structur-

ing of the two pericopes a paradoxical Christology is presented which

denies any attempts to reduce Jesus Christ to a mere inspired prophet, or

to a pagan demigod, or to a phantom. This interpretation is supported

by the fact that the virgin birth is announced to Joseph, who is addressed

by the angel as "son of David," and also by the disassociation of the title

"Emmanuel" from the name "Jesus," which has been pointed out by

Stendahl, achieved by the use of KaXeaovolv against the second person

singular of the LXX and MT.I4

The translation of Emmanuel, /uIE' /yc&v6 OE6s,is echoed in thefinal clause of this gospel. Before Jesus' birth Joseph is told, "They will

call his name Emmanuel (e.60' ?jUOv6 0OE6)." The risen Christ, son of

David, son of Abraham, unique Son of God, declares his authority, com-

mands the eleven to make disciples of all nations, and assures them,

"e7dC) iEO' V/itCVeLL7Ltlra as r rJspas Ewco ?is avvreXElas rTO alw'-

0vo." It seems possible that the missing generation, that of the gene-

alogy's third section, wcosro XppLrov, is this age of the resurrection,in which Jesus is Emmanuel for the Christians.

Chapter one, then, can be regarded as tightly structured to presentthe paradox of the person of Jesus Christ, in whom and through whom the

covenants with David and Abraham and God's purpose in electing

Abraham, father of Israel, as well as the prophecy of Isa 7 14are fulfilled.

Stress is laid upon the continuity and certainty of God's purposeful

activity in history from Adam and, especially, from Abraham, but also

upon the radically different character of this activity in Jesus Christ.

In the words of II Isaiah, God is doing "a new thing," and this extends

into the present in which this paradoxical Jesus Christ reigns as Em-

manuel, after which will dawn the seventh seven, the universal Sabbath.In chapter two the visit of the magi, the flight into Egypt, the

slaughter of the innocents, and the return to Nazareth are recounted as

a chronological sequence. In the first, interest seems to center on the

prophecy that the eschatological ruler will come from Bethlehem, orig-

inating in Mic 5 1, 3 with an assimilation to II Sam 5 2 in the last clause,another connection with Davidic claims.15The star may be significant in

terms of Num 24 17,16 and the magi intended to recall the astrologers of

Isa 47 13 or the wise men of Isa 44 25, whose knowledge is made foolish

by God. Certainly, however, they are from tr&vrara OWvr,hose who

I4 Stendahl, op. cit., p. 98.

's Stendahl argues that Matthew's interpretation is in accordance with the specific

object of pointing out the fulfillment in Christ (op. cit., p. 100).I6 See in particular Stendahl, op. cit., p. 136.

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MILTON: STRUCTURE OF THE PROLOGUE TO MATTHEW

are to bless themselves by Abraham and whom the eleven are com-

manded to make disciples. They offer gold and frankincense in accord-

ance with Isa 60 6. In their acknowledgement of the kingship of the

wonder-child the final fulfillment of the covenants with David and Abra-ham is prefigured. Continuity with chapter one is maintained.

The reminiscence of Moses' infancy has long been recognized in the

two narratives which follow. The infant Jesus escapes from the wrathof a new Pharaoh through the care of God though the other infants perish.But more is implied. This is a new and infinitely greater Moses who

will deliver his people from a slavery more fundamental than that of

Israel to the Egyptians, who will declare the New Torah from the

mountain, who will lead his people to the promised land of the age to

come.The quotations, from Hos 11 i, "Out of Egypt have I called my son,"

and from Jer 31 15, "a voice was heard in Ramah, wailing...," are

intended, I suggest, to be more than proof texts. They imply that Jesus

recapitulates the history of Israel. The former, which follows the flightinto Egypt, recalls the exodus; the latter recalls the deportation to

Babylon, upon which stress was laid in the genealogy. They are followed

by the story of the return to "the land of Israel" (Matt 2 21), this struc-

ture suggesting the second exodus, that from Babylon, completing the

recapitulation of the history and so deepening the significance of 1 17.This final pericope includes the troublesome citation, "He shall be

called a Nazarene." Stendahl's treatment of this and his conclusion thatthe reference is to nt3 in Isa 11 x seems to be convincing. He suggests,too, that NacpaTos must have been intelligible without explanationand points to its use in Acts as a term for Jesus and for the Christians.17

Here, then, is more than an explanation for the fact that Jesus was knownas a native of Nazareth. There is another allusion to the fulfillment ofthe Davidic covenant and an indication of the unity of the Christianswith Christ

who, after his exodus from the tomb, assures the eleven thathe is with them to the close of the age, Emmanuel and first of the

Nazarenes.

The materials in chapter one are structured to present the paradoxof the person of Christ. There is also an element of paradox in chaptertwo. This is the paradox of the work of Christ. I have already mentionedhis exodus from the grave. At one and the same time the history of

Israel is recapitulated by OT references, and the life, death, and resurrec-tion of Jesus, the new and infinitely greater Moses, is prefigured. As aninfant he who was born king of the Jews narrowly escapes death, a death

I7Stendahl, op. cit., pp. 103, 104, 198f. He suggests that the allusion to Isa 11 lcould not be translated or elucidatedby a single phraseas was the case with Emmanuel;that it was issued, therefore,on Matthew's authority.

179




ordered by the ruler of the Jews. He lives and returns to Israel. The

gospel concludes with the risen Christ, Emmanuel to those who share

his name, Nazarene, following his acceptance of death as king of the

Jews, a death ordered by the then ruler of the Jews.I have argued that this prologue is structured in such as way as to

show, by interwoven OT references and allusions and by allusions to the

known gospel, that God's covenants and purpose are fulfilled in and

through Jesus Christ. In Matt 1 20 the linking of the two chapters is

explicit. The angel says, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary

your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" -

a summary of the subject of chapter one, the person of Christ. The

annunciation concludes with, "she will bear a son, and you shall call his

name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." In the explana-tion of the name is given a summary of the work of Christ, subject of

chapter two. The final clause of this explanation may be a free use of

Ps 130 s and thus cite as an authority David, regarded as psalmist-king.If so it is assimilated to Judg 13 5 in which the verb ys' occurs, as it does

not in the Psalm. This seems more than possible in view of the similar

assimilation of Mic 5 3 and II Sam 5 2 in Matt 2 6 and the subject matter

of Judg 13 2-5, which announces the birth of another wonder-child,

Samson, who was to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. This

work was completed by David, prefiguring the work of his infinitelygreater son.

There is an OT model for the structure of the body of this gospel. If

there is a similar model for the structure of the prologue, it is likely to be

found preceding Torah and closely connected to an epilogue. In Deu-

teronomy we find a prologue which is a summary of God's mighty acts

on behalf of Israel in the past and which holds out the hope of a gloriousfuture. It is prefixed to the deuteros nomos and it is closely connected

to the epilogue in which Israel, about to enter the promised land, is

exhorted to"obey

the voice of the LORDour God,

tokeep

his command-

ments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law" (Deut30 o0).Matthew's prologue also recalls God's mighty acts on behalf of

Israel in the past and, at the same time, announces the gospel of Jesus

Christ, in and through whom the covenants with Abraham and David

are fulfilled, the Christ who is Emmanuel to the Nazarenes until the

universal Sabbath dawns. It is closely connected to the final speech of

this risen Christ in the epilogue. In this speech he declares his authority,

transcending that of Moses as well as that of David. He commands the

Nazarenes to make disciples of all nations, to baptize ... to teach all he

has commanded.As the Christ transcends and supersedes Moses, so the command

transcends that of Deuteronomy: to teach "all that I have commanded

you" might be directly from Deuteronomy; but to make disciples of all

180



MILTON: STRUCTURE OF THE PROLOGUE TO MATTHEW

nations is antithetical to the Deuteronomic point of view. God's activityin Jesus Christ is continuous with his activity in the past. Yet it is also

discontinuous with this past activity, for it transcends it. He is doing a

new thing.

History has entered its final age - so declare the genealogy and the

final words of the risen Christ. The Law and the Prophets witness to

Jesus as the Christ who, in Matthew's prologue, recapitulates and

fulfills the past. The Law and the Prophets are to be fulfilled accordingto Matt 5 17. Deuteronomy ends with the death, on a mountain, of

Moses, through whom Israel had been saved from slavery to the Egypt-ians, through whom the Torah had been given for life in the promisedland. Matthew's gospel ends with the living Jesus Christ upon a moun-

tain, after he had given the New Torah to his people for life in the newage, after he had given his life to save them from their sins. There he

assures his people, the Nazarenes, that he is Emmanuel as they carryout this New Torah in fulfillment of God's ancient purpose. He is the

center of history. At the end of this age the genealogy will be completedand the Nazarenes will enjoy the universal Sabbath.

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the structure of the prologue to st. matthew's gospel

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