One Teacher: Jesus' Teaching Role in Matthew's Gospel Report

416 Pages·2004·11.466 MB·English, German

by  John Yueh-Han Yieh

John Yueh-Han Yieh
One Teacher
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Herausgegeben von
James D. G. Dunn · Carl R. Holladay
Hermann Lichtenberger · Jens Schröter
Gregory E. Sterling · Michael Wolter
Band 124
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Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
John Yueh-Han Yieh
One Teacher
Jesus' Teaching Role in
Matthew's Gospel Report
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DE
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
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ISBN 3-11-018151-7
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Printed in Germany
Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Berlin
For Su and Janet,
my beloved ones

Acknowledgements
This book is a slightly revised version of my Ph. D. dissertation submitted to
the Faculty of the Graduate School of Yale University in May, 2003. It is
supervised by Prof. Wayne A. Meeks and approved by Prof. Harold W.
Attridge, Prof. David L. Bartlett, and Prof. Adela Yarbro Collins. I thank
them all for their careful reading and kind affirmation for the work which I
have produced with much labor of love.
The writing of this dissertation has been a remarkably long journey
filled with bouncing surprises and sudden turns that could have easily
thwarted the trip. Yet, God's grace surpasses human imagination and many
wonderful teachers have proved to be God-sent Seelenfiihrerl Prof. Abraham
J. Malherbe and Prof. Steven D. Fraade prepared me well to embark on this
adventure. The George A. Barton Research Fellowship from the American
School of Oriental Research afforded me a rare opportunity to travel to the
W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem to do my
initial research for the chapter on the Teacher of Righteousness and the
Qumran Community. I will never have the joy of arriving at the destination,
however, if I have not been blessed with the critical guidance and patient
nurturing of Prof. Wayne A. Meeks who has been a wise teacher and, more
than he realizes, a kind Seelsorger to me all these years. My heart-felt thanks
go to him. I am also very grateful to my colleagues and students at the
Virginia Theological Seminary whose cheers and prayers have brought me
the strength from above to finish the arduous last stretch home. Their
friendship and generosity will never be forgotten.
Upon the publication of this book, I would like to thank in particular
Prof. Choon Leong Seow of Princeton Theological Seminary for his friend-
ship and encouragement and Dr. Claus-Jürgen Thornton of Walter de
Gruyter in Berlin for his professional judgment and courteous assistance. My
well-respected readers at Yale and the distinguished editors of BZNW have
offered valuable suggestions, which I have thankfully received and tried to
address in the revision, though any remaining mistakes are of course mine
to bear alone.
viii Acknowledgements
Most of all, I am truly and deeply indebted to my dear and faithful
companions on this journey, my wife Su and our daughter Janet. From the
start to the end, their unfailing love, constant support, and abundant
forbearance make it possible for me to pursue this scholarly endeavor and
still have a ministry and a life. To them, I dedicate my love and my
gratitude!
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
Chapter One: Jesus as Teacher in the Gospel of Matthew 7
I. Earlier Studies and Methods 9
II. Narration 13
A. Genre and Structure 13
B. Narratorial Remarks 15
1. The "Great Light" 15
2. The First Priority 17
3. The Prophet like Moses 17
4. Teaching with Authority 22
5. Healing and Teaching 22
6. "Finished saying all" 24
C. Compositional Patterns 25
1. Didactic Discourses 26
2. Thematic Line 28
III. Emplotment 30
A. Jesus' Origins and Preparation 31
B. Jesus' Public Career 33
1. Jesus in Galilee (4:12-9:34) 33
2. Jesus in the Vicinity of Galilee (9:35-18:35) 38
3. On the Journey to Jerusalem (19:1-20:34) 52
4. Jesus in Jerusalem (21:1-25:46) 53
χ Table of Contents
C. Jesus' Death and Lasting Significance 61
1. Preparation for Jesus' Death 61
2. Trials before Caiaphas and Pilate 62
3. Mockery, Crucifixion, and Burial 63
4. Resurrection and Appearance 67
IV. Characterization 71
A. Jesus' Self-References 72
B. Jesus' Statement of Mission 76
C. Jesus' Actions as Teacher 79
1. Calling Disciples 79
2. Instructing Disciples 81
3. Open Invitation 82
D. Jesus' Relationship with Other Characters 84
1. Outsiders 86
2. Insiders 88
V. Summary 89
Chapter Two: The Teacher of Righteousness
and the Qumran Community 95
I. Rationale and Sources 95
II. A (High) Priest Remembered as the Teacher 102
A. A High Priest? 105
B. A Zadokite Priest 107
C. The Teacher of Righteousness as Priest and the Temple Scroll 108
III. The Teaching Tasks of the Teacher of Righteousness 110
A. The Damascus Document Ill
B. Biblical Pesharim 116
C. The Thanksgiving Hymns 120
D. The Halakhic Letter 124
IV. The Teaching Authority of the Teacher of Righteousness 126
A. Divine Commission 127
B. Scriptural Sanction 128
C. Divine Revelation 129
D. Eschatological Relevance 130
E. More Than a Prophet 132