"Son of Abraham" as Royal Title in the Gospel of Matthew
While previous interpretations have typically identified the phrase "son of Abraham" in Matthew 1:1 as an affirmation of Jesus's Jewish identity and/or as an allusion to the promise of blessing for all nations through Abraham's offspring, this article argues that the traditional...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 2024, Volume: 58, Issue: 2, Pages: 181-206 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Abraham, Biblical person
/ Jesus Christus
/ Matthew
/ Bible. Psalmen 72
/ Reader-response criticism
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HC New Testament |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | While previous interpretations have typically identified the phrase "son of Abraham" in Matthew 1:1 as an affirmation of Jesus's Jewish identity and/or as an allusion to the promise of blessing for all nations through Abraham's offspring, this article argues that the traditional readings overlook the phrase's royal connotations and its primary function as a royal title underscoring Jesus's regal identity and legitimate kingship as the true and final king of the Jews, being heir to the first Jewish king, Abraham. After a preliminary consideration of the possible referent(s) of the phrase in 1:1, the limitations of the standard interpretations are described, before the positive case for "Son of Abraham" being a royal title is made. This will be based on Genesis's presentation of Abraham as king and father of royal offspring, the Nachleben of the same notion in the Hebrew Bible, ancient historical, Second Temple and Rabbinic texts, as well as the immediate context of Matthew's Gospel. At last, some concluding remarks regarding the function of the phrase in relation to Matthew's overall ambitions are explicated |
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| ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/neo.2024.a962297 |