The Body of Jesus: A Spatial Analysis of the Kingdom in Matthew (The Library of New Testament Studies, 555)

"Little attention is usually given to the space or place of the kingdom. Yet Matthew employs the distinctive phrase "kingdom of heaven" and also portrays Jesus as Immanuel (God with us). In this volume Patrick Schreiner argues that by expanding one's view of space one can see that Jesus' purpose is to reorder the space of the earth in Matthew as the heavenly king. Jesus pierces the barrier between the two realms in his incarnation, and the spaces of heaven and earth begin to collide in his ministry. Therefore, in Matthew, Jesus does not just promise a temporal or ethereal kingdom, but one that is located, one that has a sense of rootedness. Jesus is granted authority over this space and inspires people to follow him in this construction project. The spatial kingdom begins in his body, and he extends it to his church by promising his presence"-- Provided by publisher FC 1 Library of New Testament Studies 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Tables 10 List of Figures 11 Preface 12 Foreword by Jonathan T. Pennington 13 Abbreviations 14 Part 1 Space: The Final Frontier 16 Chapter 1 The Eclipse of Space 18 The View From Nowhere 18 A Spatial Turn and Biblical Studies 26 Thesis 29 Outline of Argument 33 Chapter 2 The Presence of Jesus and The Spatial Kingdom 36 Introduction 36 Immanuel 36 The Spatial Kingdom in Matthew 43 Conclusion 51 Chapter 3 Spatial Theory 54 Think Different 54 Critical Spatiality 64 Conclusion 69 Part 2 Jesus vs. Beelzebul 72 Chapter 4 Lord of Heaven and Earth 74 The Body and Space 74 Beelzebul and the Baal Cycle 77 Conclusion 90 Chapter 5 If by The Spirit: The Spirit, The Spatial Kingdom, and The New Exodus 92 Exorcisms as Spatial and Body Oriented 92 The Spirit in Matthew 95 Excursus: Contesting the Devil in the Temptation 103 Conclusion 106 Part 3 World-Building with Words 108 Chapter 6 Salt, Light, Dust, and Fields 110 World-Building 110 The Sermon on the Mount and Spatial Practice 111 The Mission Discourse 118 Parables of the Kingdom: The Field and Seed Parables of Jesus 122 Conclusion 134 Chapter 7 The Meek Community and The Temple 136 Expanding Territory 136 Community Discourse 137 The Last Discourse and the Unfinished Temple 140 Conclusion 149 Part 4 People, Presence, and Place 152 Chapter 8 A New World and The Community 154 Introduction 154 Παλιγγενεσία and Resurrection 154 Where Two or Three Are Gathered 159 Conclusion 165 Chapter 9 The Kingdom as Thirdspace 168 Other-Worlds 168 Kingdom as Thirdspace 172 Critical Spatiality: A Reflection 176 Conclusion 178 Bibliography 180 Index of Authors 194 Index of Scriptures 198