Inheritance, Identity and inclusion in Matthew's gospel and antecedent traditions

Abstract

Inheritance terms and concepts are ubiquitous throughout the Bible and the non-biblical Second Temple material. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites believed themselves to be the people of God uniquely chosen from among the peoples of the earth, and that this status as elected people guaranteed them certain privileges not granted to other peoples. One of these privileges was the right to an inheritance granted by God himself; a birthright that provided a sense of God s protection and an awareness of their relationship to God as a special people. Details regarding the nature of their inheritance what it is, who receives it, and how their inheritance is obtained appear in every strata and section of the Hebrew Scriptures, and in many Second Temple Jewish texts, and yet surprisingly little scholarly attention has focused on inheritance as a unique and crucial concept for Israelite and Jewish religious life and belief. This paucity of attention to inheritance concepts also extends to Matthew s Gospel, where inheritance terms appear on four occasions (Matt 5:5; 19:29; 21:38; 25:34). It is argued here that each of these passages has a vital role in Matthew s overall narrative, especially concerning Matthew s depiction of true discipleship and Jewish/Gentile relations, and inheritance concepts play an important role in each of these passages. Furthermore, it is argued that numerous Jewish traditions antecedent to Matthew s Gospel influenced the writer s theology and linguistic choices, often in ways not previously appreciated by interpreters. Inheritance traditions antecedent to Matthew s Gospel are analyzed and compared to Matthew s usage. It is argued that, in every strata of the literature discussed here, inheritance is a relational term that signifies the beneficiary s relationship with God: because God is a father, he gives an inheritance, and because he is an eternal father, the inheritance takes on eschatological connotations to provide a hope for his children into the future. In Matthew s Gospel, this inheritance belongs to the ideal disciple, who commits to Jesus and his vision for greater righteousness.