The Dreams of Matthew 1:18-2:23: Tradition, Form, and Theological Investigation

241 Pages·2011·3.464 MB·English

by  William J. Subash

Subash_DD hardcover:Greek.qxd 11/10/2011 11:19 AM Page 1
149
The Dreams
S
The Dreams of Matthew 1:18–2:23: Tradition, Form, and Theological Investigation U
critically examines the five dream passages of Matthew 1:18–2:23 to demon- B Matthew
A
strate that Matthew employed dream narratives to defend allegations con- OF
S
cerning Jesus’ birth and to provide etiological reasons both for why Jesus
H
went to Egypt and how Jesus happened to live in Nazareth. A diachronic
survey of dream records in the Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Jewish, 1:18–2:23
Greco-Roman, and Second Temple writings reveals that dream narratives
fall into two major categories: message dreams and symbolic dreams. Every
dream carries a distinct narrative function according to the objectives of the
user. Typically, symbolic dreams appear in epic-like literature, and message T
h
dreams appear in narratives such as historical and religious writings.
e Tradition, Form,
The present analysis of the five dream accounts of Matthew 1:18–2:23
D
reveals that they fall into the message dream category. Each dream has at
r and Theological Investigation
least one narrative function. In other words, Matthew does not merely e
a
record the dream experiences of the individuals but uses dreams to achieve m
his narrative objective.
s

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f

M
a
WILLIAM J. SUBASH earned his Ph.D. in New Testament studies from tt
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Dallas Theological Seminary. Currently, he serves as the founding lead
e
pastor of the Crossroad Church in Dallas, Texas. In addition, he is an w W I L L I A M J . S U B A S H
Adjunct Professor of New Testament Studies at Liberty University Online.
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Studies in Biblical Literature 149
www.peterlang.com
Subash_DD hardcover:Greek.qxd 11/10/2011 11:19 AM Page 1
149
The Dreams
S
The Dreams of Matthew 1:18–2:23: Tradition, Form, and Theological Investigation U
critically examines the five dream passages of Matthew 1:18–2:23 to demon- B Matthew
A
strate that Matthew employed dream narratives to defend allegations con- OF
S
cerning Jesus’ birth and to provide etiological reasons both for why Jesus
H
went to Egypt and how Jesus happened to live in Nazareth. A diachronic
survey of dream records in the Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Jewish, 1:18–2:23
Greco-Roman, and Second Temple writings reveals that dream narratives
fall into two major categories: message dreams and symbolic dreams. Every
dream carries a distinct narrative function according to the objectives of the
user. Typically, symbolic dreams appear in epic-like literature, and message T
h
dreams appear in narratives such as historical and religious writings.
e Tradition, Form,
The present analysis of the five dream accounts of Matthew 1:18–2:23
D
reveals that they fall into the message dream category. Each dream has at
r and Theological Investigation
least one narrative function. In other words, Matthew does not merely e
a
record the dream experiences of the individuals but uses dreams to achieve m
his narrative objective.
s

o
f

M
a
WILLIAM J. SUBASH earned his Ph.D. in New Testament studies from tt
h
Dallas Theological Seminary. Currently, he serves as the founding lead
e
pastor of the Crossroad Church in Dallas, Texas. In addition, he is an w W I L L I A M J . S U B A S H
Adjunct Professor of New Testament Studies at Liberty University Online.
1
:
1
8
–
2
:
2
3
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
Studies in Biblical Literature 149
www.peterlang.com
The Dreams
Matthew 1:18–2:23
OF
Studies in Biblical Literature

Hemchand Gossai
General Editor

Vol. 149

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
William J. Subash

The Dreams
Matthew 1:18–2:23
OF

Tradition, Form,
and Theological Investigation

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Subash, William J.
The dreams of Matthew 1:18–2:23: tradition, form, and theological
investigation / William J. Subash.
p. cm. — (Studies in biblical literature, v. 149)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
1. Bible. N.T. Matthew I, 18–II, 23—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
2. Dreams in the Bible. 3. Literature, Ancient—History and criticism.
4. Dreams in literature. I. Title.
BS2575.6.D74S83 226.2’06—dc23 2011044033
ISBN 978-1-4331-1625-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-0260-8 (e-book)
ISSN 1089-0645

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.

© 2012 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
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All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
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Printed in Germany
To my wife, Alice, and our
children, Jonathan and Judith

EDITOR’S PREFACE

More than ever the horizons in biblical literature are being expanded beyond
that which is immediately imagined; important new methodological,
theological, and hermeneutical directions are being explored, often resulting
in significant contributions to the world of biblical scholarship. It is an
exciting time for the academy as engagement in biblical studies continues to
be heightened.
This series seeks to make available to scholars and institutions,
scholarship of a high order that will make a significant contribution to the
ongoing biblical discourse. This series includes established and innovative
directions, covering general and particular areas in biblical study. For every
volume considered for this series, we explore the question as to whether the
study will push the horizons of biblical scholarship. The answer must be yes
for inclusion.
In this volume, William Subash explores the dream passages in the
Gospel of Matthew with a particular focus on their role as a distinct narrative
in the context of the other Matthean narratives. Subash argues that Matthew
uses dreams as a literary device to answer questions surrounding the birth of
Jesus and etiological rationale and justification for Jesus journey to Egypt
and his return to Nazareth. Matthew’s use of dreams all of which focus on
Jesus sought to clarify the birth of Jesus particularly given that the birth and
infancy narrative of Jesus lent themselves to various conspiracy theories.
This volume makes a tangible contribution to Matthean scholarship in two
important ways. The author places the Matthean dreams in the wider Ancient
Near Eastern and Greco-Roman contexts, outlining both the commonalities
in their historical roles and the distinctive nature of the Matthean dreams as
propaganda. This study is certain to expand the scholarly discourse on the
Birth and Infancy Narrative of Jesus.

The horizon has been expanded.

Hemchand Gossai
Series Editor