The Suffering Messiah Complex in the Gospel of Matthew

Axis Mundi ◽

10.29173/axismundi87 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Gagliano

Keyword(s):

Jesus Christ ◽

Gospel Of Matthew ◽

Jewish People ◽

First Century

A Messiah who must suffer would have been a paradox for the Jewish people of the first century. However, in the Gospel of Matthew, even though the author notes that Jesus Christ is in fact the promised and awaited liberator of the Jewish people, the Messiah must suffer. The author prepares the disciples and his readers to anticipate this paradox by using comparisons between Jesus Christ and other characters who also suffer and by including explicit predictions of the suffering of Jesus. At the same time, the opportunity to doubt this phenomenon is permitted.

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Political And Religious Economic Factors In First-Century Jerusalem As A Background For Understanding The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

10.2986/tren.088-0038 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

Richard J. LIGTHART

Keyword(s):

Jesus Christ ◽

First Century ◽

Economic Factors

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Gesag as diens: Die rol van die dissipels in die Matteusevangelie

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v68i1.1064 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 68 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hermie C. Van Zyl

Keyword(s):

Gospel Of Matthew ◽

First Century ◽

The Poor

Authority as service: The role of the disciples in the Gospel according to Matthew. This article juxtaposes authority and service in the Gospel of Matthew. Firstly the article refers to the transfer of authority from Jesus to the disciples. Several relevant texts are discussed, including Matthew’s employment of proserchomai. Secondly the content of this authority is examined. The emphasis falls on the teaching authority of the disciples, especially to forgive sins. Thirdly the nature of authority is treated. It is not about lording it over people but to serve the believers in humility. In a last section all of the above is viewed against the backdrop of the first century Matthean community’s struggle to find its place within formative Judaism. The thesis is put forward that Matthew propounds a voluntary marginality, according to which the reader should take upon him- or herself the position of the poor.

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The Controversy Surrounding the 2008 Good Friday Prayer in Europe: The Discussion and its Theological Implications

Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations ◽

10.6017/scjr.v3i1.1483 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hans Hermann Henrix

Keyword(s):

Jesus Christ ◽

Jewish History ◽

Jewish People ◽

European Countries ◽

Negative Experiences ◽

Political Dialogue ◽

Public Discussion ◽

The Public ◽

Good Friday ◽

Friday Prayer

The Good Friday prayer “for the Jews” that was promulgated on February 4, 2008 triggered significant controversy. This article reviews how this controversy expressed itself in European countries in various ways and with differing intensity. It was eventually resolved at the level of political dialogue. Cardinal Kasper’s important commentary on the prayer, publicly approved by Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, calmed the public discussion. But this did not resolve the theological questions raised by the prayer, the focus of the second half of the article. When in today’s Church, the words of prayers that are in accord with Scripture call to mind negative experiences in the Christian-Jewish history, can they be used as the Church’s prayer? Can the two Good Friday prayers for the Jews co-exist, that of the 1970 missal and that of 2008? The fundamental theological problem raised by the two different prayers is not the issue of mission, but rather the question of salvation. How does one resolve the tension between the fact that God’s covenant with the Jewish people has not been revoked and the universal salvific significance of Jesus Christ? Is it possible to create a Christian-Jewish bridge by referring to Jesus Christ? These questions remain unresolved, but theologians are now addressing them.

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