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The argument of this thesis is that Israel’s history is utilised within Matthew’s christology, serving a key role in the story of Jesus as narrated by Matthew. The term most apt in describing the utilisation of Israel’s history in Matthew is recapitulation.  In the first chapter, it is argued that the genealogy (1:1-17) recapitulates Israel’s history in a narratological and teleological manner to focus upon Jesus Christ as the fulfilment of Israel’s history.  In the second chapter, it is argued that in Matthew 2:1-23 Jesus passively recapitulates Israel’s history, reliving primarily the exodus experience of Israel.  In the third chapter, it is argued that in Matthew 3:1-4:11, Jesus actively recapitulates Israel’s history as the representative embodiment of Israel. Every possible interpretive aspect is utilised to ascertain the use of Israel’s history in Matthew.  This requires an eclectic combination of critical approaches, retaining the strengths and overcoming the weaknesses within each.  Methodologically this includes, a textually focused approach, observing literary components, utilising historical and comparative parallels and environment, and a theological orientation that recognizes the Evangelist’s principal focus is Christological.  Discovering and describing the recapitulation of Israel in Matthew 1:1-4:11 is the cohesive and distinctive viewpoint throughout this thesis. The christology of Matthew and the use of the Old Testament in Matthew are essential ingredients toward unfolding the use of recapitulation in Matthew.

In the search for Matthean theology, scholars overwhelmingly approach the Gospel by way of Sitz im Leben. Whether arguing from a perspective that Matthew wrote from a cloistered Jewish community, perhaps as the master of a rabbinic-type school, or arguing from the other extreme, that Matthew is writing as the leader of a Gentile rebellion against such a Jewish community, scholarship appears unable to avoid the question of Matthew's and his community's relationship to Judaism. While this is undoubtedly an important and necessary question for understanding the Gospel, it often assumes too much about the relationship between Judaism and Hellenism. Scholars with such a sharp focus on this question tend to neglect Matthew's provenance in a thoroughly Hellenistic culture and first-century Judaism's thorough Hellenization. Part 1 of this dissertation (chapters 2-5) argues for a hybridized perspective in which Matthew's attention to Jewish sources and ideas is not denied, but in which echoes of Greek and Roman sources and ideas from Antiquity can be observed. This argument includes a survey of recent scholarship on the Judaism/Hellenism divide, consideration of several aspects of the Gospel (e.g. language, sources, provenance, genre), a discussion of rhetorical methodologies, and a survey of relevant ancient education practices. In Part 2 of this dissertation (chapters 6-8), I explore two facets of Matthew's Gospel as examples of the kind of Hellenistic contextual reading I am proposing. First, I specifically explore the Sermon on the Mount in the context of ancient Greek historical and philosophical writings (particularly of the Socratics). Second, I explore the possibility of Homeric resonances throughout the Gospels. I conclude that Matthew's Gospel has a rich Greco-Roman backdrop-one that will only help us as we seek to interpret the text of the Gospel and learn how it was understood by its first audience.

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This thesis seeks to establish the inadequacy of readings of the Gospel of Matthew as intended for, and a reflection of, a local audience or community. Despite repeated challenges, the local audience thesis continues to dominate a large proportion of Matthean scholarship, and, as such, the issue of determining the Gospel's audience remains an open question. This thesis posits four main critiques. First, the assumptions which underpin the text- focused process of identifying the Gospel's audience, whether deemed to be local, Jewish, or universal, lack clarity. Literary entities such as the implied reader, the intended reader, or the authorial audience, prove inadequate as a means of identifying the Gospel's audience. Second, local audience readings necessarily exclude plot-related developments and are both selective and restrictive in their treatment of characterisation. Much is lost or ignored, as a coherent and simplified audience context is derived from the complex narrative world of the Gospel. Third, this thesis argues that many in an audience of the Gospel would have incorporated their experience of hearing Matthew within pre-existing mental representations shaped by Mark or other early traditions. Thus, they would have understood the Gospel as relating to events and settings distinct from their own context, regardless of the degree to which they identified with characters or events in the Gospel. Fourth, this thesis argues that early Christian audiences were largely heterogeneous in terms of ethnicity, age, sex, wealth, familiarity with Christian traditions, and levels of commitment. As such, the aural reception of the Gospel would have resulted in a variety of impacts. A number of these critiques extend beyond the local audience option and for this reason this thesis does not posit a particular audience for the Gospel.

This thesis seeks to move beyond the impasse in Matthean scholarship that posits the reason for conflict in Matthew 23 with the authorial community. A framework is developed that allows the possibility that the gospel was received and understood by a widespread, general audience that itself was not necessarily embroiled in conflict. Multiple complementary methods are used to analyze how an ancient audience might expect conflict and work through its development in the narrative. Analysis of comparative biographical literature and of Old Testament references and allusions shows that readers could expect in literature the type and intensity of conflict exhibited in Matthew 23. The gospel's internal narrative development provides unity to the conflict episodes in Matthew 9-23. It also offers rationale for the escalation of conflict for which Matthew 23 is the summary. Chapter One: The Shape of the Discussion surveys representative works including redaction, social scientific, socio-historical, narrative and genre critics, to understand the options for studying conflict in Matthew. Reader-response oriented genre criticism provides language for framing reader expectations. Chapter Two: Expecting Conflict examines expectations that can be associated with Matthew's use of the Old Testament and by comparison with ancient biographies. Chapter Three: The Conflict Builds works systematically through each of the points of contact between Jesus and the leaders of Israel in chapters 9-22 organized by three topics: legal interpretation, the identity and authority of Jesus, and the character of the leaders. Chapter Four: Woe to You takes up the task of examining Matthew 23. The analysis of Matthew 23 identifies three components in the summary of conflict: Jesus presented as the model for his audience, Jesus' final denunciation of the leaders, and the presentation of Jesus as God’s representative. The multi-methodological approach used in this study of Matthew 23 suggests a narrative that invites the reader to rethink how one knows and understands God. The study thereby provides an alternative to the assumption that conflict reflects the immediate experience of a narrowly conceived authorial community.

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The function of the Son of Man in the Gospel of Matthew is not settled. The majority of the research on the Son of Man in Matthew has been focused on the latter part of the Gospel, that is, Matt 21‒25. A gap still needs to be filled in the research—a consistent, theological understanding of the role of the Son of Man throughout the entire Gospel. This thesis argues that Jesus the Son of Man serves as the mediator of God’s will to his genuine disciples. The primary research method used is new redaction criticism, together with literary and social-scientific emphases. All thirty Son of Man logia are studied in their respective literary contexts and in relationship to the entire Gospel. In chapter one, a general review of Son of Man research is provided along with a sketch of representative literature on the Son of Man in Matthew. In chapter two, the Son of Man logia that relate to Jesus’ earthly life are studied (Matt 8‒12). In these passages, the Son of Man mediates God’s revealed will to his genuine disciples through his message and works. In chapter three, the Son of Man logia that relate to the Son of Man’s suffering, death, and resurrection are analyzed. The Son of Man’s journey to the cross demonstrates his obedient response to his Father’s will, which mediates for his disciples the self-denial and sacrificial allegiance to God’s plan necessary in genuine followership. In chapter four, the Son of Man logia that relate to Jesus’ parousia are investigated. The purpose of the Son of Man’s parousia will be to mediate promised vindication and reward disciples who have proven their fidelity to Jesus and God’s will. In chapter five a conclusion of research findings are addressed.

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