Matthew: The Mentor’s Gospel (2): Typology
Peter Leithart, our mentor to The
Mentor’s Gospel of Matthew, provides a detailed overview of his approach to
this gospel in an essay titled “Jesus as Israel: The Typological Structure of
Matthew’s Gospel.”[1]
But since typology is a relatively unfamiliar way of interpreting the Bible I
will let Leithart briefly introduce us to this practice.
Widely used by the early and
medieval church interpreters, typology felt into disrepute and disuse with the
rise of modern historical consciousness. Reading the Bible as a window we look
through to what is going on behind it as I called it in the first post in this
series. Typology is a species of reading the Bible as a piece of stained-glass
art. As Leithart says,
“Typological interpretation assumes that events and
institutions of the Old Testament present (to use Augustine’s terminology) ‘latent’ pictures of Christ, and
the Christ to whom the Old Testament testifies is the totus Christus:
Head and Body, Jesus and his Church. In this, the fathers and medieval
theologians fully agreed with Paul, who wrote that the history of Israel’s
wanderings in the wilderness were ‘things written for our instruction.’”[2]
In another place he says
“That
Matthew can say ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son’ is fulfilled in Jesus isn’t . .
. merely a hint about how to read the Old Testament. It’s a pointer to the
character of history and the nature of meaning. Texts mean the way Matthew says
Hosea’s text means; history’s contours are the contours that Matthew discerns
in Hosea’s reference to the exodus.”[3]
This is a sample of what reading
the Bible as a piece of stained-glass art looks like. Reading through the
window of the text to what lies behind, historically, raises all sorts of
questions about how Matthew can use a passage like this from Hosea, which is
not a prophecy, as if it were. He can do it by treating as a piece of stained
glass that can be put to a use it isn’t historically designed for in concert
with other pieces to form a coherent picture of what is really going on.
Peter Leithart’s
Typological Structure of Matthew
Leithart will read the whole gospel
in this fashion creating a piece of stained-glass art between the Old Testament
story and that of Jesus and the church that shows the meaning of the former in
the latter. I know this is a different way of thinking about reading the Bible
than many of you have known so I want to labor a little bit here in the
beginning to get you acclimated to it. We will go over each section in more detail
in the exposition to try and cement this way of thinking in your minds.
The
Beginning and Ending of Matthew
1. Mt.1:1
- “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ . . .”
Literally this is the
“book of genesis.” Matthew writes a new genesis, a new creation, new beginning
through Jesus Christ. This phrase is also used in the Septuagint (the Greek
translation of the Old Testament used by most New Testament writers) for the
Hebrew word “generations”, in Gen. 2:4,5:1. It introduces descendants or
offspring (even in Gen.2:4). Jesus had no “descendants,” of course. Matthew,
though understands the Christ as being before all things. Jesus Christ bring in
God’s new creation and he is at the same time the beginning or origin of all
things. Matthew also alludes to Jesus as the end of all things, because this
new “book of genesis” ends Jesus Christ in Matt.1:16. Matthew is pointing out
that Christ is the Alpha and Omega.
2. The
Hebrew Bible (i.e. the Old Testament) ends with 2 Chronicles, not Malachi. At
its end 2 Chr. has the Persian King Cyrus commission the Hebrews to return to rebuild
the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus says God has given him “all the kingdoms of
earth” and charged him to “build Him a house” in Jerusalem. For Matthew Jesus
is the Greater Cyrus. He is “given all authority in heaven and on earth” and
through discipling the world his disciples will build God’s temple, his house,
throughout the world.
Jesus the Christ, the beginning and origin of all things,
the beginning of new creation, and the end of all things, the One who has come
to bring heaven and earth back into harmony.
The Overall Typological Structure
Matthew The Pentateuch
1-2 Exod
1:1-2:10 infancy narrative
3:13-17 Exod 14:10-13 crossing
of water
4:1-11 Exod
16:1-17:7 wilderness temptation
5-7 Exod
19:1-23:33 mountain of lawgiving
11:25-30 Exod 33:1-23 reciprocal
knowledge of God
17:1-9 Exod
34:29-35 transfiguration
28:16-20 Deut 31:7-9
commissioning of successor
Josh 1:1-9
Echoes,
allusions, or similarities to the Pentateuch (Genesis – Deuteronomy) run from
beginning to end in Matthew as the chart above shows. And Moses, of course, is
the major figure in the Pentateuch. Thus many interpreters propose that Matthew’s
major interest lies in picturing Jesus as a new Moses. Yet the chart also shows
that these Pentateuchal/Mosaic echoes cluster primarily in the first half of
the gospel and give way to other echoes and allusions in the second half. Leithart
comments,
“Given the fact that Joshua is himself typologically compared to
Moses, it is not surprising that traces of Mosaic typology continue into
chapter 10, but these traces become faint because Matthew has brought another
typology to the forefront and allowed the Mosaic typology to recede to the
background. As Matthew’s story moves on, he makes similar transitions at
various points, moving sequentially through the history of Israel with the five
discourses, and the surrounding narrative, marking out major periods of
Israel’s history.”[4]
Matthew OT
1:1: Book of
genesis Gen
2:4; 5:1
1:1-17: son of Abraham Gen
12-26
1:18-25: Joseph the dreamer Gen
37
2:1-12: Magi Nations to
Egypt for Joseph; promise to Abraham
2:13-15: Herod kills children Ex.1-2: Pharaoh kills children
2:14: Jesus rescued, flees Ex.2:
Moses rescued, flees
2:19-23: Jesus returns to Israel Ex.3-4: Moses
returns to Egypt
3:1-12: John announces judgment Ex.5-12: Moses/Aaron
bring judgment
3:13-17: Jesus passes through waters Ex.16: exodus
4:1-11: temptation in wilderness Ex.17-19: travel to
Sinai
4:18-22: Jesus calls disciples Ex.18: Moses appoints rulers
1st
Discourse: chs. 5-7 Sinai and the giving of Torah Ex.19-20
8:1:
leave mountain with crowds Num.10:11:
Israel leaves Sinai, following cloud
8:2-4: heal a leper Num.12:1-16:
Miriam cleansed of leprosy
(healings
Wilderness with overlay of Isaiah 35)
10 miracles Num.14:22: 10 rebellions
9:34: opposition from Pharisees Num.16:
opposition from Korah, Dathan, Abiram
9:36: sheep without shepherd Num.27:27: “sheep without shepherd”
10:1f: authority to apostles Num.27:18-24:
glory to Joshua
12 sent into land Double
overlay: 12 spies of Numbers 13-14)
2nd
Discourse: ch. 10: discourse on mission Deuteronomy: instructions for conquest
11:1-19: “this generation” Num.13-14:
Exodus generation fails to enter rest
11:25-30: Jesus offers rest Josh.11:23:
Joshua achieves rest
12:1-8: Jesus as David 1
Sam.21: David and showbread
12:7: compassion, not sacrifice 1 Sam.15:22-23:
obedience not sacrifice
(Jesus
persecuted by leaders David persecuted by Saul)
12:14: Pharisees plot murder 1 Sam.27:1: Saul
plots to kill David
12:15: Jesus withdraws 1 Sam.27:2:
David withdraws to Philistia
12:23: “Son of David” David
as warrior
12:27-28: exorcisms by Spirit 1 Sam16: David
calms Saul because of Spirit
12:34: mouth speaks from heart 1 Sam.24:13:
wickedness comes from wicked
12:42: Greater than Solomon 1 Ki.3-4:
Solomon’s wisdom
3rd Discourse: ch 13: Parables of
kingdom 1 Ki. 4:32: “Parables” of Solomon
14:1-12: Herod
kills John 1
Ki.19: Jezebel tries to kill Elijah; 1 Kgs21: Naboth
John’s death 2 Ki.2:
Elijah’s departure
Herod v.
Jesus Divided kingdom; Omrides v. prophets)
14:13-21: Jesus multiplies loaves 2 Ki.4:42-44 Elisha
multiples loaves
14:22-33: Jesus rescues Peter 2 Ki.6:1-7:
Elisha makes axehead float
15:14: blind leading the blind 2 Ki.6:8-23:
Elisha blinds/gives sight to Aramean soldiers
15:21-28: Syro-Phoenician woman 2
Ki.4:8-37: Elisha raises Shunammite’s son
15:23: disciples keep her away 2 Ki.4:27: Gehazi
pushes Shunammite away
(Syro-Phoenician
woman overlay with Elijah: raises son in Sidon, 1 Kings 17)
15:29-31: healing on mountain 2 Ki.4:27; 2 Kgs1:
15:32-39: 4000 fed 2
Ki.4:38-44: Elisha’s food miracles
16:5-12: leftover bread/leaven 2 Ki.4:42-44:
leftover bread
16:13-20: Peter’s confession Jesus
compared to “Elijah”
(announcement of death
Jesus suffers like prophets, Elijah and John)
16:16: “the Christ” Elisha
is only anointed prophet, 1 Ki.19:16
(“anointed for
entry to city Jehu is the only anointed N king)
16:24: “follow me” 2
Ki.2: Elisha following Elijah
16:28: “Son of Man” in glory 2 Ki.2:
ascension of Elijah
17:1-13: transfiguration 2 Ki.2:
Elijah’s departure; John as Elijah
(Elijah and Moses
outside the land - now on mountain inside the land)
17:1-13: transfiguration 2 Ki.6:15-19:
Elisha surrounded by angels
17:12: “do not fear” 2
Ki.6:16: “do not fear”
17:14-21: disciples fail to heal 2 Ki.4:29-31:
Gehazi fails to heal
17:24-27:
fish and tax money Elisha’s
odd miracles
4th Discourse: ch. 18:
community discourse rules for the “sons of the prophets”
19:1: into Judea Southern
kingdom
20:17: preparing for Jerusalem 2 Ki.11-12: Joash
cleansing temple
20:29-34: healing at Jericho 2 Ki.2:19-22:
heals waters at Jericho
21:1-11: triumphal entry 2 Ki.9:
Jehu rides on robes
21:12-13: temple action 2 Ki.10:
Jehu destroys temple of Baal; Joash;
21:13: robbers’ den Jer.7:11:
robbers’ den
21:18-21: withered fig tree Jer.8:13: “no
figs”; “leaf shall wither”
21:33-46: parable of vineyard Jer.12:10-11:
“ruined my vineyard”
21:35:
beaten servant Jer.20:2:
Jeremiah beaten
5th Discourse: ch 23: temple discourse, Jer.7, ch.24-25: Olivet Discourse,
Ez.8-11
26:28: blood of covenant Jer.31:27-40
(with Exod 24:8)
26:28: “remission of sins” Jer.31:34
26:50-66: Jesus falsely accused Jer.26:
Jeremiah falsely accused
27:3-10: Judas recants Jer.18,32
(with Zechariah 11): explicit
27:4, 24: “innocent blood” Jer. 26:15:
“innocent blood”
27:25: blood on heads Jer.
51:35: blood on Chaldea
27:34: gall Lam.3:19:
“wormwood and bitterness”
27:39:
abuse from those who pass Lam.2:15:
“all who pass . . . shake their heads”[5]
I know
this is a lot to take in as an unfamiliar way of reading the Bible. And we will
be looking at this forest again as we move tree by tree through it. But this
big picture look will orient us to the overall project we are undertaking in
this reading of Matthew.
Authorship, Date, and Place
Truth be told we
don’t know who wrote Matthew. The gospels in our New Testament are anonymous.
Tradition associates it with Matthew the erstwhile tax collector-cum-apostle.
This identification is a key factor in this gospel’s popularity. But it is a
guess. As are any other proposals one might make. A chief reason for doubting
this tradition is the majority theory that Mark was the first gospel written
and Matthew and Luke basically follow Mark’s outline. But would an apostle and
eye-witness follower of Jesus depend so substantially on the work of a Gentile
second-generation Christian? Maybe but it seems unlikely. We best admit we do
not know who wrote this gospel. We can say that the writer is a
Jewish-Christian, seeking to nurture his churches in a situation od significant
tension between the church and the Judaism from which it came.
Does that help us at
least get a fix on a date for this gospel? This is a complicated question but
many think it does. They believe this means a date in the mid-late 80’s of the 1st
century or later when Christianity was breaking away from Judaism. And that’s
possible. But another view is that the
failure of Matthew to mention the destruction of the temple in 70 a.d., which would
surely be a powerful argument for the evangelist in his polemics against his
Jewish opponents, places his composition before that happened, that is, before
70 a.d. I find this a persuasive consideration and thus would place Matthew’s
composition pre-70 a.d.
Again, the
uncertainties of author and date make determining a place of composition
guesswork as well. A number of suggestions have been made through the years. I
will not rehearse them here. Any good commentary or introduction to the gospels
will have that information if you want to follow up on it or the above issues
of authorship and date as well.
Fortunately, to
read typologically as we will be doing, does not require a firm conclusion on
these matters. If our interpretation were tied to a date, or a social situation
we believe the gospel was addressing, we would need to argue in more detail for
that date or social situation than we need to do here. All we need to recognize
is that this author intends to offer an understanding of Jesus as the
culmination and climax of Israel’s history. He will do it by plotting Jesus’
story in terms of the story he rounds off and brings to a finish. And that is
what we will track here.
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