Matthew's Trilogy of Parables: The Nation, the Nations and the Reader in Matthew 21:28-22:14 (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)

Publisher description: Wesley Olmstead examines the parables of the Two Sons, the Tenants and the Wedding Feast against the background of the wider Matthean narrative. He explores Matthew's characterization of the Jewish leaders, assessing the respective roles of Israel and the nations in the plot of Matthew's Gospel. Against the current of contemporary Matthean scholarship, Olmstead argues that these parables indicate the future inclusion of other nations in the "nation" that God had promised to raise up from Abraham Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 CONTENTS......Page 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 11 PART ONE Prolegomena......Page 13 1.1 On reading the Gospel narratives......Page 15 Integrity vs. fragmentation......Page 16 History vs. Fiction......Page 17 Author vs. reader......Page 20 The pursuit of an author-oriented agenda......Page 24 The legacy of Jülicher, Dodd and Jeremias......Page 25 Redaction criticism and the parables......Page 26 The Jülicher tradition......Page 27 Ernst Fuchs and the ‘New Hermeneutic’......Page 28 B. B. Scott and the American discussion......Page 30 Reader-response criticism......Page 31 Conclusion......Page 32 2.1 Forschungsgeschichte: the trilogy in twentieth-century Matthean studies......Page 34 Early twentieth-century approaches to the trilogy......Page 35 Wolfgang Trilling......Page 36 Sjef Van Tilborg......Page 37 Eduard Schweizer......Page 38 Akira Ogawa......Page 40 Ivor H. Jones......Page 41 Ulrich Luz......Page 42 Warren Carter......Page 43 Conclusion......Page 44 Triads in Matthew......Page 45 The narrative framework......Page 51 The relevant seams......Page 52 Conclusion......Page 58 PART TWO The trilogy in narrative-critical perspective......Page 59 3 JESUS’ ENCOUNTER WITH ISRAEL: THE NATION, ITS LEADERS AND THEIR PEOPLE......Page 61 Matthew 2.1–23......Page 62 Matthew 9.2–8......Page 63 Matthew 9.32–34......Page 64 Matthew 11.16–19......Page 65 Matthew 12.22–32......Page 66 Matthew 19.1–9......Page 67 Matthew 21.23–27......Page 68 The impact of the preceding narrative on the reception of the trilogy......Page 69 Matthew 23.1–7......Page 70 Matthew 23.29–39......Page 71 Matthew 26.47–56......Page 72 Matthew 27.20–26......Page 73 Matthew 28.11–15......Page 76 Blind guides......Page 77 Mortal enemies......Page 78 ‘But from the one who has not...’......Page 79 3.4 Conclusion......Page 80 4.1 The view at the end: the nations and the narrative conclusion (28.16–20)......Page 83 Matthew 1.1–17......Page 85 Matthew 2.1–12......Page 86 Matthew 4.12–16......Page 87 Matthew 6.7, 32......Page 88 Matthew 8.5–13......Page 89 Matthew 10.5–6......Page 90 Matthew 12.15–21......Page 91 Matthew 15.21–28......Page 92 Matthew 20.24–28......Page 93 Matthew 24.9–14......Page 94 Matthew 24.29–31......Page 95 Matthew 26.28, cf. 20.28......Page 96 Jesus before Pilate......Page 97 Jesus and the soldiers......Page 98 4.3 Summary......Page 99 The parable of The Two Sons (21.28–32)......Page 100 The parable of The Tenants (21.33–46)......Page 101 The parable of The Wedding Feast (22.1–14)......Page 107 4.5 Conclusion......Page 108 5 A NARRATIVE-CRITICAL READING OF THE TRILOGY......Page 110 The parable proper......Page 111 The parable’s application......Page 113 The way of righteousness......Page 114 Characterisation and reader response: the marginal characters and the Baptist......Page 117 The initial charge (21.33a)......Page 121 The setting: a vineyard, its owner, and his tenants (21.33b)......Page 122 The tenants and the servants: rebellion and murder (21.34–36)......Page 123 The tenants and the son: rebellion and murder (21.37–39)......Page 124 The tenants and the owner: reprisal (21.40–41)......Page 125 The parable’s interpretation: transferral (21.43)......Page 128 5.3 The Wedding Feast (22.1–14)......Page 130 Rejection and reprisal: Matthew 22.5–7......Page 131 The invitation redirected: Matthew 22.8–10......Page 136 The inspection at the feast: eschatology and ethics (22.11–14)......Page 137 5.4 Conclusion......Page 140 PART THREE The trilogy in redaction-critical perspective......Page 143 The Two Sons......Page 145 Links to the other parables in the trilogy......Page 147 Links to the wider Matthean narrative......Page 150 The use of a Q saying?......Page 151 Conclusion......Page 152 Its relationship to the Lucan parable of The Great Supper......Page 153 The wedding garment: the origin of 22.11–14......Page 155 The Two Sons......Page 156 The Tenants......Page 158 The Wedding Feast......Page 161 The theocentric rewriting of the trilogy......Page 162 The Tenants......Page 165 The Wedding Feast......Page 166 The Tenants......Page 168 6.3 Conclusion......Page 171 7.1 Method......Page 172 The nation......Page 173 The nations......Page 175 The reader......Page 176 Reading 3......Page 179 Readings 1 and 2......Page 182 Conclusion......Page 187 1 Introduction: of authors, readers and approaches to the parables......Page 189 2 Matthew’s trilogy of parables: 21.28–22.14......Page 196 3 Jesus’ encounter with Israel: the nation, its leaders and their people......Page 202 4 Jesus and the nations: characterisation, plot and the reception of Matthew 21.28–22.14......Page 211 5 A narrative-critical reading of the trilogy......Page 223 6 The trilogy in redaction-critical perspective......Page 241 Appendix The text of the parable of The Two Sons......Page 253 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 257 INDEX OF PASSAGES......Page 274 INDEX OF SELECTED TOPICS AND MODERN AUTHORS......Page 292 Wesley Olmstead examines the parables of the Two Sons, the Tenants and the Wedding Feast against the backdrop of the wider Matthean narrative. He explores Matthew's characterization of the Jewish leaders, the people and the nations, and assesses the respective roles of Israel and the nations in the plot of Matthew's Gospel. Against the current of contemporary Matthean scholarship, Olmstead argues both that the judgement this trilogy announces falls upon Israel (and not only her leaders) and that these parables point to the future inclusion of the nations in the nation that God had promised to raise up from Abraham. Bringing both literary-critical and redaction-critical tools to bear on the texts at hand, Olmstead not only elucidates the intended meanings of this parabolic trilogy but also attempts to determine the responses they elicited from their first readers. Transcending Matthean scholarship, this book has implications for all Gospel studies.