The New Testament in Its Literary Environment - Report Example

Matthew 17 13. Christianity is one of the most popular religions in the world though ified differently. Many denominations have recently emerged though the use of the bible is universal. When it comes to interpretation, there is no uniformity with the Protestants, Catholics and Pentecostals all interpreting it differently. In this paper, the purpose is to provide a comprehensive exegesis of the above scripture using two sections. The first part comprises of the structure, reduction criticism, form criticism and keywords where has been critically analyzed. Secondly, Theological analysis of the scripture has been done comprehensively. 1. Literary Criticism The aforementioned scripture tells of the transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain that Mathew does not name. Interestingly, prior to this event, chapter 16 records some very significant events, which are definitely related to the occurrence at the mountain. Firstly, Jesus had encountered a group of Pharisees and Sadducees who demanded a sign to ascertain Jesus’ validity as a son of God. However, Jesus did not give one and instead rebuked them for having knowledge in interpreting physical events but failure in doing the same in spiritual matters. Secondly, Jesus had sought to test the disciples’ perception towards him thus testing them on what people said about his identity. Unfortunately, none of his disciples had the correct revelation. Holy Spirit (Black, 1972) attributed in fact even Peter’s declaration of Jesus as the Christ to a revelation. Earlier, Jesus had warned the disciples against the yeast of Sadducees but they failed to comprehend until he explained that it meant heretic teachings advocated by the said group. Finally, Jesus- before leading three of his twelve disciples into ascending the mountain- had prophesied of his death. Further, he added that those who desired to follow him needed to prepare for the same. While it is not clearly stated in the bible, the decision to select three disciples could be attributed to reaction by the others who may have feared. Once the transfiguration event was over, Jesus warned the disciples against telling others about it (BeDuhn, p.19). Upon descending from this mountain, Jesus found the rest of disciples struggling to cast out a demon that had possessed a man’s son since childhood a) Form criticism In this passage, it can only be assumed that Mathew translated oral words into text since the bible does not record of his presence in the mountain. In fact, among the disciples that accompanied Jesus onto the mountain, only John wrote a gospel book. Koester (p.122) noted that while in the Old Testament the bible may not have used the exact word in Moses’ shining face (Black, 1972), the event involving Jesus could historically be traced back to Moses. Hence, it could be argued that the events at the mountain may have been different from the way expressed in the gospels. Firstly, the bible talks of a cloud that covered the disciples, just as a cloud went with the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt (Koester, p.30) b) Parallelism within the book of Matthew Yamasaki (p. 2) noted that there is a definite parallelism within the book of Mathew involving the wise and the foolish builders (Matthew, 7: 24-27). In this particular passage, the author uses the words ‘acts on Jesus’ words’ to talk about the wise builder. As for the foolish builder, ‘does not act’ have been used in reference to the person. Further, the use of ‘wise man’ and ‘foolish man’ are used to show the character of the two individuals. When the wind came, the writer used words ‘it did not fall’ and ‘it fell’ to show the outcome of the two builders. Additionally, in Matthew 12:35, the writer uses another parallelism to teach where about the fruits bore by two people whose hearts are different. Yamasaki quoted that “the good person out of a good treasure brings forth good things and an evil person out of an evil treasure brings forth evil things” (p.183). In this particular scripture, the words used vary from ones used by the other writers but the meaning and the context remains the same. In short, though the author used different words from the others, the primary message is not lost. Elsewhere, the author uses yet another parallelism in trying to drive a point home. This occurs concerning character. Yamasaki (p.184) reported that Matthew wrote, “either make the tree good and its fruit good or make a tree bad and its fruits bad” (Matthew 12:33). Evidently, Mathew has used parallelism in this passage as well as other parts of his work just like the other authors. According to Jones (p.122), using this method is imperative in trying to make readers understand the keywords. For instance, in this passage the repetition of the words ‘tree’ and ‘fruits’ indicate the heart and the result respectively. In other words, whatever outcome ones would be greatly attributable to habit. c) Redaction criticism In the gospel of Matthew, Yamasaki (p.130) noted that both Luke and Mathew did not alter anything pertaining to the transfiguration occurrence. In fact, Mark’s gospel uses similar words as those used by the two authors. Having said that, it is worth noting that Mathew and Luke states different days as to when Jesus went to the mountain. While to many this would seem like a contradiction, (Aune, p.33) states that probably Luke’s reason for saying eight days unlike Mathew’s six would as per what events. Additionally, Aune (p.5) claimed that the book of Matthew was erroneously thought to be an arrangement of oracles done in a Hebrew dialect, and different individuals interpreted that it differently. Actually, this is comprehensive proved an error by critically examining the structure of this gospel. Nevertheless, the central message of Matthew is not diluted by this fact; instead, it is just words that tend to be replaced. For instance, earlier it was stated that one writer- Luke to be precise- stated that the events took place after eight days. d) Key words: A scrutiny on this passage reveals some words whose theological importance is vital in Christian’s faith. Firstly, the mention of the phrase ‘transfigured before them’ (Mathew 17: 2) evokes Moses’ face seen by the Israelites who – just like the disciples -were afraid of the glow. However, on this occasion, the words are somehow different from Moses’ experience because the all the garments worn by Jesus ‘became as white as the light’ (Mathew 17: 2). Unlike Moses whose clothes are not mentioned to have glowed, Jesus’ face and the entire body garments became white. In essence, these words means, there was an illumination of Jesus face and body in the presence of the disciples. Additionally, the appearance and mentioned of Moses’ and Elijah’s names is significant because were Old Testament prophets who represented law and prophecies respectively. The importance of having Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration meant that the prophecy concerning Jesus birth and subsequent death was real. On the other hand, Moses had given the Israelites the law to follow in order to walk with God. Since Jesus’ death would see the end of the oppressive laws, Moses had to be there (BeDuhn, p.88). Coincidentally, the laws Moses had left to the Israelites proved too hard to observe thus becoming oppressive just as if the government of the day oppressed them. In addition, the word ‘mountain’ has a lot of significance in this passage for several reasons connected to the salvation of humankind. Firstly, Moses’ mandate was to deliver the Israelites from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, which he did. When the task was given, Moses was herding Jethro’s livestock (Exodus, 3:1) near a mountain. Moreover, when his face shone, he was from a mountain to meet God. In this passage, Jesus met God with a similar duty of saving humankind from the spiritual oppression. Concerning the usage of this word, there is no difference between the first time it was used in Moses’ case and that of Jesus. As for the meaning, the mountain could be described severally depending on the trend of the events that took place there. For instance, on the mountain Moses received instructions and enablement on how to deliver the Israelites. A correlation exists here between Jesus and Moses in terms of weaknesses. Moses considered himself too weak to carry out the mandate while Jesus desired to honor God by dying but the body dictated otherwise (BeDuhn, p.66) as a place of meeting God. However, after leaving the mountain, both of them carried out their missions successfully hence could also be viewed as a place of strength. Finally, the cloud visible at the mountain was and still is a vital symbol in a Christian’s life. When Pharaoh pursued the Israelites to the wilderness, God sent protection in form of a cloud that guided them on the way to follow (Exodus, 14:19). While in this scripture the cloud is used differently from the Old Testament scripture, the implication is similar. In the Old Testament, it meant protection while in this passage it demonstrates God’s glory. In other words, the disciples were allowed to share in the God’s glory as was Jesus hence strengthening their faith. 2. Theological Analysis Concerning relationship with God, this scripture provides some precious lessons. Firstly, a strong relationship with God guarantees foreseeing events prior to their happening. Evidently, Jesus knew of his death through the Holy Spirit. Additionally, preparation for greater ministerial duties is another lesson to borrow from this scripture. This is because, the inevitable death Jesus faced was not an easy task yet had to be accomplished. In order to be successful in it, Jesus needed divine strengthening (BeDuhn, p. 45). Therefore, it is appropriate to conclude that one of the most reasons for maintaining a relationship with God is to be strengthened when need be. Furthermore, the reason Jesus allowed the disciples to witness the magnificent event was to strengthen their relationship with God (BeDuhn, p.89). Had Jesus gone to the mountain alone, it would not have been easy for the disciples to believe it. Consequently, this would obviously be a big blow to the ministry Jesus sought to establish. Once dead, risen and ascended to heaven, Jesus needed people who would bear of his witness hence the need to have the three disciples. Therefore, even though it seemed hard for them comprehend the essence of the transfiguration event, they needed to witness it happening. By confirming Jesus to be his son, God sought to reveal himself even as the validity of Jesus’ testimony was confirmed. From the scripture, it is important to realize that this time it is not Jesus who claimed to be God’s son. On the contrary, God himself proved by uttering the words, “this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him” (Matthew, 17:5). BeDuhn (p.37) argued that the voice heard by the disciples was meant for them more than it was for Jesus. This is because Jesus did not need a confirmation of his identity and mission. Again, it is imperative to realize that relationship with God does not exempt one from temptations or suffering. Instead, walking with God at times is a source of suffering especially when the reasons for suffering are destiny-connected. Sharing these sentiments is BeDuhn, (p.122) who stated that Jesus had to suffer despite of being a son of God since it was for that reason he came. However, suffering as part of God’s plan sees the enabling through grace and power, which is why this transfiguration occurred. In this passage, the Israel community could have benefited a lot had it not remained private. This is because, for a long time the Israelites eagerly anticipated savior. With expectations, the nation of Israel longed and desired a messiah. Additionally, it is evident from the scriptures that they believed in God but still viewed him from the Old Testament perspective. According to Aune (p. 21) the transfiguration of Jesus would have helped the Israelites understand that the messiah they had for a long time waited for was Jesus. Further, it would have helped them interpret the old testaments’ prophesies especially ones by Prophet Isaiah who had foretold of Jesus coming. Moreover, the Israelites had reacted positively to the message of John the Baptist who they highly respected for prophesying about Christ. At the baptism, a similar voice confirming the authenticity of the Jesus claims to be the messiah and son of God was heard. Listening to Jesus in his teachings, many of the Israelites acknowledged that he taught differently from the Pharisees but had failed to recognize his real identity (Koester, 43). Therefore, had the community taken this record of events as seriously as they ought to, it would have solved the question of who and when Christ would come. However, as Jones (p.44) noted, Israelites had a perception of a national political king who would rescue them from the dictatorship of Rome. Work Cited Aune, David. The New Testament in Its Literary Environment. BeDuhn, David J. Truth in Translation. University Press of America, 2003. Jones, A. The Gospel According to St. Mark. New York: Sheed and Ward. Koester, H. History and Literature of the Hellenistic Age. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982. Yamasaki, Gary. “Broken Parallelism in Matthew’s Parable of the Two Builders”. Direction Journal. Vol. 33 No. 2. pp. 143–149  Black, M., ed. Peakes Commentary on the Bible. London: Nelson, 1962. Read More