The Poetics of Matthew 1
The Five References to Mothers and Other Patterns
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
The Poetics of Matthew 1 is about seeing what has not previously been seen in the first chapter of Matthew by explaining key literary patterns. What is the reason for the five references to mothers in the Messiah's genealogy? How can the genealogy be called Jesus's lineage if it is not Jesus's biological lineage? What kind of "genesis" is the Messiah's kind of genesis in verse 18? Why is Joseph labeled as "righteous" in verse 19? Why does verse 22 say "This has all happened" seemingly before it has all happened? Questions such as these were not previously thought to have answers within the text. The Poetics of Matthew 1 employs an underestimated method of answering text-based questions with text-based answers.
Endorsements (2)
“Here is a crucially new approach to the interpretation of Matthew 1, with significant potential for impacting Matthean studies more broadly and enriching biblical studies overall. Timothy Lewis’s use of ‘text-based’ questions in the search for ‘text-based answers’ opens intriguing new insights into long-debated questions concerning the literary role of the women within Matthew’s genealogy (1:1–17) and results in a strikingly new assessment of Joseph’s marital dilemma (1:18–25). An important read for students of Matthew’s Gospel.”
“This is a standout work, and its thesis is meticulously argued. Timothy Lewis forges a clearly articulated method that focuses on what he calls the poetics of the text. The prioritization of a text-driven framework is a key component. He puts his method to work on Matthew 1 with special attention to the five references to mothers and their significance for the portrayal of Joseph. The approach generates rich veins of insight.”
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