A much-overlooked aspect of the Gospel of Matthew is the theme of heaven and earth. Rather than being a reverential circumlocution for God, ‘heaven’ in Matthew is part of a highly developed discourse of heaven and earth language. Matthew’s idiolectic way of using heaven language consists of four aspects: 1) a distinction in meaning between singular and plural forms of ouranos; 2) frequent use of the heaven and earth word pair; 3) regular reference to the Father in heaven; and 4) the recurrent use of the Matthean expression, kingdom of heaven. This book examines the historical precedents for each of these aspects and shows in Matthew how they serve one overriding theological purpose: to highlight the tension that currently exists between heaven and earth or God and humanity, while looking forward to its eschatological resolution.

Novum Testamentum, Supplements, 126

Jonathan T. Pennington, Ph.D. (2005) in New Testament Studies, University of St Andrews (Scotland), is Assistant Professor of NT Interpretation at Southern Seminary. He has published a number of academic articles and reviews as well as assorted textbook resources for Greek and Hebrew.

The concept of Wirkungsgeschichte is gaining ground in New Testament Studies. It involves the gathering of diverse interpretations of a text, but can it offer significant exegetical results or is it merely a form of cultural stamp collecting? This book explores the background of Wirkungsgeschichte in the philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer and applies the theory to a single pericope, Mt 14:22-33. Traditional historical and literary examinations of this story are brought into conversation with six works of art and a number of nineteenth century theological texts. The result is an enriched interpretation which fruitfully alerts us to the narrowness of the vision of our own time and place.

Table of contents

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgements

Matthew 14:22-33 —Nestle-Aland 27th Edition and NRSV

Chapter One: Introduction to the Project and a Description of Wirkungsgeschichte

Chapter Two: A Historical Critical Examination of Mt 14:22-33

Chapter Three: A Literary Critical Examination of Mt 14:22-33

Chapter Four: ‘Effects’ of Mt 14:22-33 in some Nineteenth-Century Theological Texts
Chapter Five: Some Visual ‘Effects’ of Mt 14:22-33

Chapter Six: Conclusion

AbstractBibliography

Biblical Interpretation Series, 90

Rachel Nicholls, Ph.D. (2005) in New Testament Studies from the University of Cambridge is a priest in the Church of England. She regularly gives papers on the place of Wirkungsgeschichte in New Testament exegesis.

This is a republished edition of Sigal’s pioneering work with a new preface by Eugene Fisher of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and an updating epilogue by Thomas Kazen of the Stockholm School of Theology. Sigal argues that, from a halakhic perspective, Jesus’ teachings on Sabbath and divorce in the Gospel of Matthew use the same methods of interpretation as those of his proto-rabbinic contemporaries. The Jesus of the Gospel of Matthew should thus be seen as a charismatic prophetic first-century proto-rabbi— independent in his halakhah and frequently anticipating later rabbinic positions—rather than as transcending proto-rabbinic halakhah or as an adherent of a particular school. Sigal concludes that, had it not been for the expulsion of Christian Jews from the synagogues after 90 C.E., Jesus could have been remembered as one of the rabbis of the Mishnah and that neither Christology nor halakhah were decisive for the break.

Phillip Sigal (1927–1985) was director of the University of Pittsburgh Jewish University Center; secretary of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis; and rabbi of congregations in New Jersey and Michigan. He taught at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, University of Michigan, and Duquesne University and authored numerous books including The Emergence of Contemporary Judaism (three volumes, Pickwick Press) and Judaism: The Evolution of a Faith (Eerdmans).

Hardback edition available from Brill Academic Publishers (www.brill.nl)

Contesto letterario e storico, terminologia concettuale ed espressioni matteane

L’Autore esamina i passi di Matteo 5 - 7 - il Discorso della montagna - nell’intento di riscoprirne il messaggio autentico e l’attualità, anche politica, a partire dal loro contesto letterario e storico.

(more..)

The birth narrative, the baptism and temptation of Jesus, the beginnings of his Galilean ministry, and the Sermon on the Mount are all brilliantly illumined by Ulrich Luz’s expert textual and historical-critical analysis and theological commentary. Luz brings special attention to the subsequent history of Christian appropriation of Matthew in homiletical and artistic interpretation, and addresses the terrible legacy of Christian anti-Judaism.

“This volume is vintage Luz in its high-quality interpretive material. The textual engagement is astute, the theological exploration is insightful, and the history of interpretation material is unmatched.”
—Warren Carter, Pherigo Professor of New Testament, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City

Features:

• Expert criticism and commentary from a leading New Testament scholar
• Includes images and discussion of the Gospel of Matthew in Christian art
• Explores the legacy of Christian interpretation of Matthew, including Christian anti-Judaism

This volume completes Luz’s three-volume commentary on the Gospel of Matthew in the Hermeneia series.

Comunico, a chiunque fosse interessato, l’avvenuta pubblicazione della mia dissertazione di dottorato:

N. GATTI,  Perché il «piccolo» diventi «fratello». La pedagogia del dialogo nel cap. 18 di Matteo, TGr.T 146, Roma 2007.

Fino al 30.05 sarà in vendita presso la libreria della Gregoriana al prezzo di € 21 anziché 28. Di seguito, riporto la breve presentazione riportata sulla quarta di copertina:

Il cap. 18 del primo Vangelo ha assunto un ruolo cruciale nel processo di auto-comprensione della Chiesa, imponendosi come il «discorso ecclesiale» per antonomasia. Tale connotazione lo ha reso inevitabilmente terreno di scontro tra le diverse denominazioni cristiane, suscitando un ampio dibattito teologico. Lo studio intende inserirsi in questo dibattito, proponendo una lettura diversa del capitolo, dinamica ed esperienziale insieme, scaturita dall’incontro tra la pragmatica del testo ed il metodo retorico semitico. Lo scopo è l’analisi del potenziale pragmatico di Mt 18, delle spinte operative insite in esso e che il processo di lettura può attivare. Il capitolo è concepito come un dialogo didattico. Attraverso l’implemento di tecniche letterarie diverse, Matteo, pedagogo sapiente, trasforma il suo lettore in allocutore, conducendolo in un processo di «destabilizzazione» dalle proprie sicurezze socio-culturali e religiose, per «ricollocarlo» in un universo valoriale nuovo, segnato dalla sequela del Figlio e dall’assunzione della «logica» del Padre. Il percorso non avviene in un solipsismo intellettuale: ripetutamente il Padre gli affida l’altro, un «piccolo» che attende di essere riconosciuto come «fratello». Grazie per la vostra attenzione. Nicoletta

Vangelo di Matteo

Ulrich Luz

edizione italiana a cura di Claudio Giannotto

Volume I: Introduzione e Commento ai capp. 1-7

COMMENTARIO PAIDEIA

Nuovo Testamento

I: Ulrich Luz Vangelo di Matteo

I: Introduzione. Commento ai capp. 1-7

Paideia editrice, Brescia

ISBN: 88 394 07 308

€ 63,70

Finalmente anche in italiano uno dei migliori commentari non solo al Vangelo secondo Matteo: un’opera veramente significativa, che può essere di aiuto soprattutto a coloro che  lavorano, studiano o ricercano a un livello approfondito.