Hak Chol Kim, «The Worship of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew», Vol. 93 (2012) 227-241
The Gospel of Matthew can be characterized by its special emphasis on the worship of Jesus. In the scenes where Jesus is worshiped, Jesus was depicted as the king of the Jews, Christ/Messiah, the «I am» (e0gw/ ei0mi), and the Divine Being holding authority both in heaven and on earth, thus being worthy of worship. Matthew employed both Jewish and Gentile traditions in abundance so that both Jews and Gentiles of the Greco-Roman world might understand the religious and socio-political implications of the worship of Jesus. The worship of Jesus, practiced by the Matthean community, led to the community’s isolation from formative Judaism centered in the synagogues and facilitated the community’s position in relation to Roman imperial propaganda.
234 HAK CHOL KIM
only reads, “[For the hea]ven and the earth shall obey his Messiahâ€
(wxyXml w[mXy #rahw ~ym[Xh yk]). According to Jewish tradition, since
the heaven was the place where God resides and rules 15, Jesus’ claim
to ‘all’ authority in ‘heaven’ was so peculiar that the declaration was
practically tantamount to claiming the same authority as God’s. Such
a declaration of authority is even more salient in his repetition of the
traditional promise of YHWH to YHWH’s people, that is, “I will be with
youâ€. Likewise, Jesus promised to his disciples “I am with you alwaysâ€
(egw. meqV u`mw/n eivmi, 28,20b). The authority declaration and the
v
promise of Jesus, both of which were reminiscent of God’s authority
and promise, manifest the divinity of Jesus all the more evidently 16.
In the last scene of the worship of Jesus, Matthew intends that
even the Gentiles who were not familiar with Jewish tradition
understood the divinity of Jesus. W. Cotter criticizes the limitations
of previous discussions that have dealt with the resurrection
epiphany of Jesus in the context of Judaism. According to Cotter,
the theme of the commission of a hero who returned from the dead
was radically new for contemporary Judaism. She states that such
a story should be understood from the perspective of Greco-Roman
religious tradition in which one would become a god after death,
especially in relation to the apotheosis of the Roman emperors 17.
Of course, Cotter also points out the differences between the
resurrection epiphany of Jesus and the apotheosis tradition of the
Roman emperors. In terms of the scope of authority, Jesus claimed
authority both in heaven and on earth, which had never been given
to the Roman emperors despite the exaggerations of their praise.
Cotter’s explanation is persuasive. Even Gaius and Domitian, who
wanted to be called god in their lifetime, could not claim all authority
in heaven. It is not difficult to assume the reason since heaven was
the territory of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman religion. The
“whole world†(orbis terrarum) was the favorite expression of the
Roman Empire to exaggerate its territory 18. And in Greco-Roman
G. von RAD, “ouvrano,jâ€, TDNT V, 502-509.
15
It can be called “Matthew’s high Christologyâ€. Cf. HURTADO, Lord Jesus
16
Christ, 316-340.
W. COTTER, “Greco-Roman Apotheosis Traditions and the Resurrection
17
Appearance in Matthewâ€, Gospel of Matthew in Current Study. Studies in Memory
of William G. Thompson, S.J. (ed. D.E. AUNE) (Grand Rapids, MI 2001) 127-153.
S.P. MATTERN, Rome and the Enemy. Imperial Strategy in the Principate
18
(Berkeley, CA 1999) 169.
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