Jesus and the Sabbath in Matthews Gospel

353 Pages·19.104 MB·English

by  Yong-Eui Yang

l i b r a r y o f n e w t e s t a m e n t s t u d i e s
JeSuS ANd The
SAbbATh iN
MATThew’S GoSpeL

Yong-Eui Yang
JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
139
Executive Editor
Stanley E. Porter
Editorial Board
David Catchpole, R. Alan Culpepper, Margaret Davies,
James D.G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans, Stephen Fowl, Robert Fowler,
Robert Jewett, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Robert W. Wall
Sheffield Academic Press

Jesus and the Sabbath
in Matthew's Gospel
Yong-Eui Yang
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 139
To my mother, Nam-Soon Shin
and
my wife, Hyun-Ja Park
Copyright © 1997 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
Mansion House
19 Kingfield Road
Sheffield SI 19AS
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
EISBN 9781850756545
CONTENTS
Preface 9
Abbreviations 11
Introduction 13
Chapter 1
THE SABBATH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
BACKGROUNDS (I) 21
1. Pentateuch 22
Excursus 1: The Etymology of ratf 25
2. Historical Books 34
3. Prophets 40
4. Summary 50
Chapter 2
THE SABBATH IN JUDAISM TO THE FIRST CENTURY CE:
BACKGROUNDS (II) 53
1. Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha 53
2. The Qumran Scrolls 62
3. Josephus 69
4. Philo 74
5. References to Judaism in Graeco-Roman Literature 80
6. Rabbinic Literature 83
7. Summary 97
Chapter 3
JESUS AND THE SABBATH IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS 100
1. Working Assumptions 100
2. Jesus and the Law in Matthew's Gospel 106
Excursus 2: 'Pharisees' in Matthew's Gospel 134
6 Jesus and the Sabbath in Matthew's Gospel
Chapter 4
JESUS AND THE SABBATH IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
TEXTS, CO-TEXTS AND CONTEXTS (I) 139
1. Co-texts of the Sabbath Controversy Pericopes 140
2. God's Revelation and Jesus' Yoke * 151
3. Plucking Grain on the Sabbath 161
4. Healing the Man with a Withered Hand on the Sabbath 195
5. Jesus the Servant 214
6. Conclusion: Significance and Implication of the
Two Sabbath Controversy Pericopes 222
Chapter 5
JESUS AND THE SABBATH IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
TEXTS, CO-TEXTS AND CONTEXTS (II) 230
1. Various Views on Mt. 24.20 230
2. 'And Not on the Sabbath'—My Proposal 234
3. Conclusions 241
Chapter 6
JESUS AND THE SABBATH IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
COMPARATIVE STUDIES 242
1. Jesus' Teaching and Healing on the Sabbath 242
2. Jesus' Preaching in the Synagogue in Nazareth 251
3. Jesus' Further Healings on the Sabbath 257
4. The Sabbath Rest of the Women from Galilee 268
5. Conclusions 271
Chapter 7
JESUS AND THE SABBATH IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
ITS SIGNIFICANCE AND INFLUENCE IN THE EARLY CHURCH 275
1. Ignatius 276
2. The Letter of Barnabas 284
3. The Didache 289
4. The Letter to Diognetus 292
5. Conclusions 295
Contents 7
Chapter 8
JESUS AND THE SABBATH IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 299
1. Summary 299
2. The Theological Significance of Jesus' Fulfilment of the
Sabbath for Matthew 305
3. The Practical Implication of Jesus' Fulfilment of the Sabbath
for Matthew and his Community 307
Bibliography 309
Index of References 330
Index of Authors 347

PREFACE
It is my privilege to express my deep gratitude to those many persons
and institutions without whom this work would never have come to
completion. My special thanks go, first of all, to my doctoral supervisor,
the Revd Dr R.T. France, who has enabled me to look into the precious
world of Matthew's Gospel and to appreciate it. In spite of many other
things he must have taken care of as the Principal of Wycliffe Hall,
Oxford, he has devoted countless hours to reading and responding to
every piece of my work. Without his judicious criticism and timely
encouragement the present form of the work could not have existed.
I am also grateful to my second supervisor, Professor G.N. Stanton of
King's College, University of London, who has offered valuable sug-
gestions about the overall structure of the thesis, especially regarding
Chapters 2 and 7. His comments with encouragement have helped me
to carry on my project with some confidence. Dr J.G. McConville kindly
offered insightful suggestions for Chapter 1 even before I shaped it, and
has read the chapter and given very helpful comments on it. I have been
also privileged to discuss my subject with Dr R. Mohrlang; his com-
mitted attitude to the study of the Scripture has challenged me a lot. My
sincere gratitude also must be extended to Dr M.M.B. Turner of London
Bible College and Dr M. Bockmuehl of the University of Cambridge,
who, as my external advisors, offered insightful comments on the
general structure of my thesis; their comments helped me to shape my
thesis in a more balanced way. Special thanks are due to my two
examiners, Professor I.H. Marshall of the University of Aberdeen and Dr
D. Wenham of Wycliffe Hall, who have offered not only helpful criti-
cisms but also encouragement to seek publication. I am very grateful to
Professor S.E. Porter for accepting this work into the JSNT Supplement
series.
I am financially obliged to a number of Korean churches and a schol-
arship fund founded by Asian Mission in Seoul. More than one third of
the financial resources have been provided by an unknown Christian