RT Article
T1 Critical Independence versus Christian Catholicity in Hugo Grotius’s Annotations on Matthew 23:2–3
JF Journal of Early Modern Christianity
VO 11
IS 1
SP 189
OP 215
A1 Mohr, Philip Thomas
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1887920293
AB This article examines the Annotationes in Novum Testamentum of Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) at Matt 23:2-3, both to understand more about Grotius’s exegetical method and to generate additional data for the effects and uses of those verses. The following are general findings from the examination. First, Grotius shows a degree of independence to make text-critical decisions that affect translation. Second, Grotius’s interpretation of Jesus’s command to the scribes and Pharisees "who sit on the chair of Moses" depends upon an understanding of jurisprudence, eschews speculation about divine institution of the teaching office, and cuts off redeployment of Jesus’s command in contemporary polemics among Christians. Third, Grotius puts Jesus’s statements in conversation with the received wisdom from "pagan" antiquity. Fourth, Grotius demonstrates an awareness of options in the history of interpretation and desires, maybe naïvely and with some self-contradiction, to show himself in harmony with ancient Christian traditions.
K1 Gospel according to Matthew
K1 Hugo Grotius
K1 Rezeptionsgeschichte
K1 Wirkungsgeschichte
K1 chair of Moses
K1 Hermeneutics
DO 10.1515/jemc-2024-2009