The Gospel of Matthew in its Roman Imperial Context

Description

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?

John Riches was formerly Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. David Sim is Professor of New Testament Studies, Australian Catholic University, and author of The Gospel of Matthew and Judaism.

"...most readers will find something of interest. The book is well written, gives a snapshot of current positions, and provides a useful addition to any library. Its material is not only useful to specialists but also accessible to undergraduates. Furthermore, the book succeeds in bringing focus to a topic that has been perhaps somewhat neglected."- Robert K. McIver, The Society of Biblical Literature, January 2006 -- Robert K. McIyer Review ~ International Review of Biblical Studies. vol. 51, 2004/05 "Most studies of Matthew's gospel have understandably focused on the Matthean community's relationship to Judaism. Some more recent studies have begun to examine this community's interaction with the wider Roman world in which it also existed. That is the focus of this collection of essays. The editors provide helpful bookends to the volume, with Riches discussing the overall state of Matthean studies and Sims drawing conclusions from the essays in the collection" - The Bible Today, Nov/Dec 2005 * Bible Today, The * "Certainly this volume is worth reading... it usefully reflects on a fair bit of the growing literature on the interactions of early Christianity with the Roman Empire, applying the findings to one NT book, the Gospel of Matthew but also to those interested in empire theory and in the history of nascent Christianity."- D. A. Carson, Journal of Biblical Literature, Winter 2005 * Journal of Biblical Literature *