Passion Narratives and Gospel Theologies: Interpreting the Synoptics Through Their Passion Stories

by Frank J. Matera

Book Overview

Although the passion narratives of the synoptic gospels can be read as free standing narrative, each one of them is the goal and climax of the Gospel story that precedes it. In Passion Narratives and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080912775X
• ISBN13: 9780809127757
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Paulist Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Matthew's Gospel, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 1987

'The Plot of Matthew's Gospel," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 2/April 1987, pp. 233-253.In this article Matera, a Professor of New Testament at the Catholic University, shows that the Gospel of Matthew has a plot. His arguments for this conclusion are 1) a plot consists of events placed in a timely and orderly fashion, 2) the events in Jesus' life are placed in a timely and orderly way in Matthew. By the term 'plot' Matera means "the arrangement of incidents." (p. 235). Having defined 'plot', Matera is ready to uncover the arrangement of events in the gospel of Matthew. First he makes a distinction concerning two kinds of arrangements. Second he identifies the kernels in Jesus' life. Third he applies both kinds of arrangements to Matthew. As a result, this scholarly study of a plot in Matthew is expertly investigated and convincing. Matera writes that the plot according to time shows that it is possible that Israel will reject Jesus as the Messiah. By the middle (11:2-16:12), it is probable that Israel will reject Jesus as the Messiah. By the end, it becomes necessary that Israel rejects Jesus as the Messiah (21:1-28:15) (p. 239).