Matthew 1-7: A Commentary

482 Pages·2007·18.249 MB·English

by  Ulrich Luz

Matthew 1–7
Hermeneia
—A Critical
and Historical
Commentary
on the Bible
Old Testament Editorial Board
Peter Machinist, Harvard University, chair
Klaus Baltzer, University of Munich
Sidnie White Crawford, University of Nebraska
Paul D. Hanson, Harvard University
Thomas Krüger, University of Zurich
S. Dean McBride Jr., Union Theological Seminary in Virginia
Frank Moore Cross, Harvard University, emeritus
New Testament Editorial Board
Helmut Koester, Harvard University, chair
Harold W. Attridge, Yale University
Adela Yarbro Collins, Yale University
Eldon Jay Epp, Case Western Reserve University
Hans-Josef Klauck, University of Chicago
James M. Robinson, Claremont Graduate University, emeritus
Matthew 1–7
A Commentary
by Ulrich Luz
Translated by
James E. Crouch
Edited by
Helmut Koester
Fortress
Press Minneapolis
Matthew 1–7
A Commentary
Copyright © 2007 Fortress Press, an imprint of Augsburg
Fortress
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in
critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may
be reproduced in any manner without prior written
permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions,
Augsburg Fortress, Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN
55440.
Images on endpapers: facing pages from Codex
Schøyen (MS 2650) from the Schøyen Collection
(Oslo and London), containing Matthew 6:5-19
(front) and Matthew 6:19-31 (end).
Cover and interior design by Kenneth Hiebert
Typesetting and page composition by
The HK Scriptorium
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Luz, Ulrich.
[Evangelium nach Matthäus. English]
Matthew 1-7 : a commentary / by Ulrich Luz ;
translated by James E. Crouch ; volume editor,
Helmut Koester. — [Rev. ed.].
p. cm. — (Hermeneia—a critical and historical
commentary on the Bible)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8006-6099-4
ISBN-10: 0-8006-6099-4
1. Bible. N.T. Matthew I-VII—Commentaries.
I.Koester, Helmut, 1926- II. Title.
BS2575.53.L8913 2007
226.2'077—dc22
2006026161
The paper used in this publication meets the mini-
mum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48–1984.
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
11 10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
■ For Salome
The Author
Ulrich Luz was born in 1938, and he studied theology in
Zürich and Göttingen under Hans Conzelmann, Eduard
Schweizer, and Gerhard Ebeling. He taught at the Inter-
national Christian University in Tokyo (1970–1971), at
the University of Göttingen (1972–1980), and at the
University of Bern in Switzerland (1980–2003). Now he is
professor emeritus. He received honorary degrees from
the universities of Leipzig, Budapest, Sibiu, Lausanne,
Praha, and Nishinomiya and served as president of the
Societas Novi Testamenti Studiorum in 1998. He is the
author of numerous books, including Das Geschichts-
verständnis des Paulus (1968), Die Mitte des Neuen Testa -
ments: Einheit und Vielfalt neutestamentlich (1983), Matthew
in History: Interpretation, Influence and Effects (1994), and
The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew (1995). He and his
wife, Salome Keller, have three children.
vi
Contents
Matthew 1–7
Foreword xi
Editor’s Note xiii
Preface to the First Edition xv
Preface to the Hermeneia Edition xvii
Translator’s Preface xix
Reference Codes xxi
1. Sources and Abbreviations xxi
2. Text-Critical Sigla xxvii
3. Short Titles of All Commentaries and of Studies and
Articles Often Cited xxviii
■ Introduction 1
1 Structure and Basic Character of Matthew’s Story of Jesus 1
1.1 Basic Problems 2
1.2 Structuring Methods 5
1.3 Overall Plan 9
2 Genre and Intention of the Gospel 13
2.1 Genre 13
2.2 Matthew’s Narrative as Communication with the Readers 15
3 Sources 18
4 Style 22
4.1 Syntax 23
4.2 Matthew’s Preferred Vocabulary 25
4.3 Words Avoided in Matthew 39
5 The Evangelist’s Relationship to His Sources 41
5.1 Matthew as Heir of Mark and the Sayings Source 41
5.1.1 The Linguistic Relationship to Mark and Q 41
5.1.2 The Theological Relationship to Mark and Q 41
5.2 Matthew as an Exponent of His Community 43
5.2.1 Grounding in Worship 43
5.2.2 Matthew and His Church’s Scribes 44
6 The Historical Situation of the Gospel of Matthew 45
6.1 The Gospel of Matthew—a Jewish Christian Gospel 45
6.2 The Position of the Gospel of Matthew in the History
of Jewish Christianity 49
6.3 The Position of the Matthean Churches in Judaism 52
6.4 The Situation within the Community 56
6.5 Place of Writing 56
6.6 Time of Writing 58
6.7 Author 59
vii
7 Text 60
8 On the Intention of This Commentary and on
the Hermeneutical Significance of the History of
the Text’s Influence (Wirkungsgeschichte) 60
■ Commentary 67
Heading (1:1) 69
I Prelude (1:2—4:22) 71
A Infancy Narratives (1:2—2:23) 74
1 Genealogy (1:2-17) 79
2 Birth, Endangerment, and Rescue of
the Messianic Child (1:18—2:23) 89
2.1 Immanuel (1:18-25) 89
2.2 The Gentiles before the King of the Jews (2:1-12) 101
2.3 Flight to Egypt and Move to Nazareth (2:13-23) 117
Excursus: The Fulfillment Quotations 125
B The Beginning of Jesus’ Activity (3:1—4:22) 132
1 John the Baptist (3:1-17) 133
1.1 The Baptist’s Call to Israel to Repent (3:1-12) 133
1.2 The Revelation of the Righteous Son of God (3:13-17) 140
Excursus: Righteousness (dikaiosuvnh) 142
Excursus: Son of God 144
2 The Authentication of the Son of God in Temptation (4:1-11) 147
3 The Beginning of the Community in Galilee (4:12-22) 154
3.1 Jesus in Galilee of the Gentiles (4:12-17) 156
3.2 The Call of the Disciples at the Sea of Galilee (4:18-22) 161
Excursus: Disciple (maqhthv~) 162
II Jesus’ Activity in Israel in Word and Deed (4:23—11:30) 165
Introductory Overview (4:23-25) 165
Excursus: Preaching, Teaching, and Gospel in Matthew 168
A The Sermon on the Mount (5:1—7:29) 170
1 Introduction (5:1-16) 182
1.1 Jesus Goes up onto the Mountain (5:1-2) 182
1.2 The Beatitudes (5:3-12) 184
1.3 “You are the salt of the earth . . .” (5:13-16) 203
viii
2 The Main Part (5:17—7:12) 210
2.1 Preface (5:17-20) 210
2.2 Better Righteousness, I: Antitheses (5:21-48) 226
2.2.1 First Antithesis: On Killing (5:21-26) 233
2.2.2 Second Antithesis: On Adultery (5:27-30) 242
2.2.3 Third Antithesis: On Divorce (5:31-32) 249
2.2.4 Fourth Antithesis: On Swearing (5:33-37) 260
2.2.5 Fifth Antithesis: On Nonviolence (5:38-42) 270
2.2.6 Sixth Antithesis: On Loving the Enemy (5:43-48) 283
2.3 Better Righteousness, II: Attitude toward God (6:1-18) 295
2.3.1 On Almsgiving, Praying, and Fasting (6:1-6, 16-18) 296
2.3.2 Against Babbling Prayer (6:7-8) 305
2.3.3 The Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13) 307
2.3.4 On the Forgiveness of Sins (6:14-15) 327
2.4 Guidance for the Community (6:19—7:11) 328
2.4.1 Do Not Accumulate Earthly Treasures (6:19-24) 330
2.4.2 Be Concerned with the Kingdom of God (6:25-34) 338
2.4.3 Do Not Judge (7:1-5) 349
2.4.4 Do Not Give What Is Holy to the Dogs (7:6) 354
2.4.5 Boldness in Prayer (7:7-11) 357
2.5 The Golden Rule (7:12) 362
3 Concluding Admonitions (7:13-29) 369
3.1 The Narrow and the Wide Gate (7:13-14) 370
3.2 Warning against False Prophets (7:15-23) 374
Excursus: False Prophets 376
3.3 Conclusion: Two Builders (7:24-27) 385
3.4 Conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount (7:28-29) 389
Summary: The Basic Message of the Sermon on the Mount 391
Conclusion: Reflections on the Praxis of the Sermon
on the Mount Today 395
Indices 401
1. Passages 401
a/ Old Testament and Apocrypha 401
b/ Old Testament Pseudepigrapha 405
c/ Qumran and Related Texts 406
d/ Other Jewish Literature 407
e/ Rabbinic Literature 407
f/ New Testament 410
g/ Early Christian Literature and the Ancient Church 414
h/ Greek and Latin Authors 420
2. Greek Words 423
3. Subjects 424
4. Authors 426
Designer’s Notes 431
ix