Craig S. Keener - A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

CRAIG S. KEENER

In this volume Craig Keener focuses on two aspects of the interpretation of Matthew. First, he analyzes the social-historical-rhetorical contexts of both Matthew and his traditions. Second, he examines the nature of Matthew's exhortations to his Christian audience pericope by pericope. Since it is impossible to reconstruct the precise social situation of Matthew, Keener casts a wider net and considers the general eastern Mediterranean, perhaps Syrian, Jewish context of Matthew. A close comparison of the issues raised in the Gospel with what we know elsewhere of late first-century Jewish-Christian relations provides the basic picture of the issues faced by the Matthean community.

Furthermore, Keener's rereading of Jewish and Greco-Roman materials from Matthew's milieu leads to an abundance of fresh perspectives on the text, including many insights not found in any other Matthew commentary. Applying data from more than 10,000 primary references and 2,000 secondary sources, Keener goes beyond many other socio-historical approaches; his work is based more on social history anchored in concrete data, with less focus on theoretical models. As a result, like Matthew's Gospel itself, this commentary is an excellent teaching tool for scholars, seminarians, pastors, and serious students of the Bible.

( continued on back flap )

A COMMENTARY

on the

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CRAIG S. KEENER

WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.

1999 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 /

P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

04 03 02 01 7 6 5 4 3 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Keener, Craig S., 1960

A commentary on the Gospel of Matthew / Craig S. Keener,

p. cm.

Includes indexes.

ISBN 0-8028-3821-9 (cloth: alk. paper)

1. Bible. N.T. Matthew Commentaries.

2. Bible. N.T. Matthew Socio-rhetorical criticism.

I. Title.

BS2575.3.K43 1999

226.2'077 dc21 98-53605

CIP

To my parents,
John and Gail Keener
With love and gratitude

I appreciate the academic and faith communities that have afforded me the opportunity to explore Matthew with them, especially the students in my Matthew seminars at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, the Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia, and Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC, and the members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Salisbury, NC. I am grateful to Ben Witherington of Asbury Seminary and John Simpson of Eerdmans for their guidance and support. I owe much gratitude to my copyeditor Milton Essenburg, who patiently and cheerfully worked through a long manuscript containing sometimes tedious notes. I am also grateful to Eerdmans and InterVarsity for allowing me the opportunity to present a much more academic version of my much more popular commentary published by the latter (1997a).

General Abbreviations

A.D. anno Domini, in the year of our Lord

Aram. Aramaic

b. Babylonian (Talmud)

bar. baraita

B.C. before Christ

bib. bibliography

bk. book

ca. circa, around

cf. confer, compare

ch. chapter

cm. centimeter

col. column

comm. commentary

DSS Dead Sea Scrolls

ed. edition

e.g. exempli gratia, for example

Ep. Epistle

fig. figure

fr(g). fragment

ft. feet

Gk. Greek

i.e. id est, that is

incant. incantation

inscr. inscription

intro. introduction

KJV King James Version

lit. literally

LXX Septuagint

m. Mishnah

Midr. Midrash

MSS manuscripts

MT Masoretic Text

n. note

NIV New International Version

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NT New Testament

OT Old Testament

p. Palestinian (Talmud)

par. paragraph

pp. pages

pq. pereq.

pref. preface

prol. prologue

Q Quelle ("sayings" source for the Synoptic Gospels)

Rec. Recension

rev. revised

t. Tosefta

trans. translated by

UBS United Bible Societies

v. volume

vs. versus

Bar Baruch

1-2 Esdr 1-2 Esdras

4 Ezra 4 Ezra

Jdt Judith

Ep Jer Epistle of Jeremiah

1-2-3-4 Macc 1-2-3-4 Maccabees

Pr Azar Prayer of Azariah

Pr Man Prayer of Manasseh

Sir Sirach

Sus Susanna

Tob Tobit

Wis Wisdom of Solomon

Old Testament Pseudepigrapha

Ahiqar Ahiqar

Apoc. Abr. Apocalypse of Abraham

Apoc Elijah Apocalypse of Elijah

Apoc. Ezek. Apocalypse of Ezekiel

Apoc. Mos. Apocalypse of Moses

Apoc. Sedr. Apocalypse of Sedrach

Apoc. Zeph. Apocalypse of Zephaniah

Asc. Isa. Ascension of Isaiah

Ass. Mos. Assumption of Moses

2-3-4 Bar. 2-3-4 Baruch

1-2-3 Enoch 1-2-3 Enoch

Ezek. Exag. Ezekiel Exag g

Jos. and Asen. Joseph and Aseneth

Jub. Jubilees

Mart. Is. Martyrdom of Isaiah

Odes Sol. Odes of Solomon

Ps-Philo Pseudo-Philo

Ps-Phocyl. Pseudo-Phocylides

Pss. Sol. Psalms of Solomon

Sib. Or. Sibylline Oracles

Test. Abr. Testament of Abraham

Test. Adam Testament of Adam

Test. 12 Patr. Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Test. Reub. Testament of Reuben

Test. Sim. Testament of Simeon

Test. Levi Testament of Levi

Test Jud. Testament of Judah

Test. Iss. Testament of Issachar

Test. Zeb. Testament of Zebulun

Test. Dan Testament of Dan

Test. Naph. Testament of Naphtali

Test. Gad Testament of Gad

Test. Asher Testament of Asher

Test. Jos. Testament of Joseph

Test. Benj. Testament of Benjamin

Test. Mos. Testament of Moses

Test. Jacob Testament of Jacob

Test. Job Testament of Job

Test. Sol. Testament of Solomon

Tr. Shem Treatise of Shem

Acts of Jn. Acts of John

Acts Thom. Acts of Thomas

Apoc. Pet. Apocalypse of Peter

Apocr. Jn. Apocryphon of John

Apost. Const. Apostolic Constitutions

Athen. Athenagoras

Barn. Barnabas

1 Clem. 1 Clement

Clem. Alex. Strom. Clement of Alexandria Stromateis

Did. Didache

Ep. Arist. Epistle of Aristeas

Ep. Diogn. Epistle to Diognetus

Epiph. Haer. Epiphanius Haereses

Euseb. Eusebius

H.E. Historia Ecclesiastica

Onom. Onomastica

P.E. Praeparatio Evangelica

Gos. Nic. Gospel of Nicodemus

Gos. Peter Gospel of Peter

Gos. Thom. Gospel of Thomas

Herm. Hermas

Com. Commands (Mandates)

Sim. Similitudes

Vis. Visions

Ign. Ignatius

Eph. Ephesians

Magn. Magnesians

Rom. Romans

Trall. Trallians

Iren. Haer. Irenaeus Adversus Omnes Haereses

Jerome Com. in

Ep. ad Eph. Jerome Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians

Justin Justin

1 Apol. First Apology

Comm. Matt. Commentary on Matthew

Dial. Dialogue with Trypho

Mart. Pol. Martyrdom of Polycarp

Origen De Princ. Origen De Principiis

Pol. Phil. Polycarp Letter to the Philippians

Sent. Sext. Sentences of Sextus

Tert. Tertullian