| The purpose of the dissertation is to test a literary methodology appropriate for Matthew's gospel. It arises from a growing recognition of the limitation of the historical paradigm and moves toward a literary paradigm. The literary paradigm recognizes much more seriously that Matthew is a creative artist, who has radically reshaped the material he received from tradition into a coherent, unified vision of Jesus. The meaning of Matthew is not to be found in his relationship to his sources, but in the relationship of the parts to the whole, and his creative reinterpretation of the parts.; The eighth chapter of Matthew was chosen as the material upon which to test the method. This is the first major narrative block of material in Jesus' public ministry and consists of five miracles, interspersed with teaching of Jesus, an Old Testament citation, and a report of a general healing.; To perceive the story from an analytic point of view, a grid of questions was developed that dealt with the limits of each story in Matthew 8, its structure and rhetorical devices. From a synthetic point of view, questions of characterization, plot, point of view, and setting were asked. Finally, the theme of each story was isolated and the story retold to emphasize and synthesize the discoveries made. At the end of each story, a summary was made of how this story moved the plot forward.; The result of the study was that plot was seen as the unifying force in Matthew 8, and that the plot dealt with a gentile mission by Jesus. Matthew selected, arranged and emphasized material that contributed to this plot development. The most notable indicator of plot is Jesus' prophecy of eschatological reversal, namely, God will choose the gentiles, reject the Jews (Mt 8, 11-12). The remaining stories of Matthew 8 reveals that Jesus turns toward a gentile mission. When Jesus (and the disciples) cross the sea, the "earthquake" on the sea signifies God's verification of Jesus' direction. Gadara, a Hellenistic city, is "representative" of the gentile world. Two demons attempt to stop Jesus, and inform Jesus that he is coming "before the designated time." Jesus destroys the demons, but ultimately is rejected by the people of Gadara. The gentiles are chosen--Jesus has revealed that; yet, it is not yet the "time" for a gentile mission--the demons have revealed that! Thus Jesus returns to Israel, where immediately the theme of the rejection of Jesus begins (Mt 9, lff).; This view of plot development brings unity and cohesiveness to Matthew's gospel. Plot directions appearing in Matthew 8 control the development in the remainder of the gospel. Jesus predicts rejection for his disciples in Matthew 10. In Matthew 11-12, the ultimate break between Jesus and the Jews occurs. After Matthew 13, Jesus privately instructs his disciples and no longer "preaches the good news" to the Jews. This private instruction of the disciples prepares them for the mission that Jesus will appoint them to in 28, 18-20, namely, a mission to the gentiles.; The goal of the dissertation has been to present a different set of questions by which we can understand the gospel. If these questions are useful and fruitful in helping our understanding, they are to that degree valid. We maintain that many insights reveal their usefulness and fruitfulness, and that a more unified picture of Matthew is the result. |
