John the Baptist and the Jewish Setting of Matthew

by Brian C Dennert

Overview

Although recent discussions on Matthew have emphasized the document's setting within Judaism, these studies have not analyzed how the Jewish figure of John the Baptist functions within this setting. Brian Dennert steps into this gap, arguing that Matthew presents Jesus to be the continuation and culmination of John's ministry in order to strengthen the claims of Matthew's group and to vilify the opponents of his group. By doing this he encourages Jews yet to align with Matthew's group (particularly those who esteem the Baptist) and to gravitate away from its opponents. The author examines texts roughly contemporaneous with Matthew which reveal respect given to John the Baptist at the time of Matthew's composition. The examination of Matthew shows that the first Evangelist more closely connects the Baptist to Jesus while highlighting his rejection by Jewish authorities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783161540059
Publisher:	Mohr Siebeck
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Series:	Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2.Reihe , #403
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.06(h) x (d)

Editorial Reviews

"Dennert put in the hard work of interacting with Matthean studies and studies of John the Baptist. For this, readers will be rewarded. Researchers of these topics now have a resource that can assist them in studying either one or both of these fields while providing plenty of leads — both in the content and in the documentation — for further exploration. This book is a solid contribution to the library of anyone who hopes to understand better the Gospel of Matthew and/or the figure of John the Baptist." —Brian Le Port, Trinity College Bristol (UK), Review of Biblical Literature 12.1.16

From the Publisher