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.
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THE WORSHIP OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Gentile missions 23. For example, with regard to the Matthean
relationship with formative Judaism, Élian Cuvillier states, “the best
place to explore the debate concerning Matthew’s identity and that of
his community is his interpretation of the Law†24. However, the
worship of Jesus is a very important but neglected element in the
discussion of the Matthean relationship with formative Judaism.
The worship of Jesus probably existed as a certain form of ritual.
Ritual is both a concrete embodiment of the central belief of the faith
community and an unambiguous demarcation that distinguishes one
community from another. The specific elements and the detailed form
of the worship of Jesus are not clearly presented in the Gospel of
Matthew. Nevertheless, we can identify at least a few elements in the
worship of Jesus 25. First of all, there was an open confession of Jesus
that proclaimed him not simply as a great person or the Messiah but
also as the true king having the authority of God. The situation may
well have resulted in an action, that is, kneeling down, just as the
literal meaning of proskunei/n indicates. Second, there were some
emotional reactions toward Jesus. For example, Matthew details
various moods of the worshipers at the worship of Jesus, such as joy
(2,10), fear (14,30; 28,5), doubt (29,17), and such emotional reactions
may have been expressed verbally at the worship of Jesus. Third,
there was the offering of gifts (2,11) as indicated by the story of the
Magi who offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Fourth, there was
a petition at the worship of Jesus. Petitions related to the worship of
Jesus can be classified into two categories in terms of content. There
are three petitions for healing: a man with leprosy asked for healing
(8,2), a leader supplicated for the resurrection of his daughter (9,18),
and a Canaanite woman pleaded for the exorcism of the demon that
possessed her daughter (15,25) 26. In another petition, the mother of
As for the study focusing on the relationship between the Matthean com-
23
munity and formative Judaism, see B. REPSCHINSKI, The Controversy Stories
in the Gospel of Matthew. Their Redaction, Form and Relevance for the Rela-
tionship Between the Matthean Community and Formative Judaism (FRLANT
189; Göttingen 2000).
É. CUVILLIER, “Torah Observance and Radicalization in the First
24
Gospel: Matthew and First-century Judaism: a Contribution to the Debateâ€,
NTS 55 (2009) 144-159. The quote is from 145.
Powell also explains the first three elements of worship that the present
25
writer suggests. POWELL, God with Us, 45-48.
Although somewhat outdated, A.C. WINN, “Worship as a Healing
26
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