Entering the Kingdom of Heaven Not like the Sons of Earthly Kings (Matthew 17: 24–18:5)
Despite its having some significant redactional features distinctive from the Synoptic parallels, Matthew’s story about little children (18:1-5) and its relation to the temple tax episode (17:24-27) have received little attention in NT scholarship. Focusing on Matthew’s redaction, which creates a st...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Catholic Biblical Association of America
2021
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| In: |
The catholic biblical quarterly
Year: 2021, Volume: 83, Issue: 3, Pages: 425-445 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Kingdom of God
/ King
/ Son
/ Temple
/ Tax
/ Bible. Matthäusevangelium 17,24-27
/ Bible. Matthäusevangelium 18,1-5
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| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
temple tax
B Children B Kingdom of Heaven B Herod B Gospel of Matthew |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Despite its having some significant redactional features distinctive from the Synoptic parallels, Matthew’s story about little children (18:1-5) and its relation to the temple tax episode (17:24-27) have received little attention in NT scholarship. Focusing on Matthew’s redaction, which creates a stark contrast between the children of the earthly kings and little children for the kingdom of heaven, this article analyzes the meaning of childlikeness in the post-70 c.e. imperial context of Matthew’s community. I interpret the contrasting images of children in light of the implications of taxation and royal kinship, drawing on historical and archaeological data such as Josephus’s Jewish Antiquities and the Ara Pacis Augustae. This contextualization highlights that the children of the earthly kings evoke the imagery of foreign princes, including the Herodian sons, who represent both economic privilege and political subjugation to Rome. Offering the little child Jesus called in Capernaum as a counterexample to the Herodian heirs, Matthew invites hearers to position themselves lower, to turn to the least of their society, and to seek out an alternative religious and political community that anticipates the kingdom of heaven. |
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| ISSN: | 2163-2529 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The catholic biblical quarterly
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/cbq.2021.0083 |