Divine Shepherd Christology in the Gospel of Matthew

Wayne Baxter

doi:10.5771/9781978704480

Summary

In this book, Wayne Baxter explores and unpacks the Shepherd Christology in the Gospel of Matthew. By examining Matthew's shepherd motif against the backdrop of the metaphor's appropriation in the biblical tradition, in the writings of Second Temple Judaism, and in the New Testament, Baxter's analysis reveals important convergences and divergences between Matthew and these three groups of authors. One the one hand, the Evangelist's shepherd motif closely echoes that of the Jewish Scriptures; on the other hand, at points Matthew's motif aligns with the trope's usage by Christ-believers over and against its deployment by Second Temple Jewish authors. Sometimes he agrees with the Second Temple writers over and against Christ-believers, and at other times he stands alone, deviating from both Second Temple Jews and Christ-believers. Baxter argues that the reason for these convergences and divergences is Matthew's high Shepherd Christology: In Jesus the messianic Shepherd, YHWH has personally returned in a dramatic way to shepherd his people, Israel.

Keywords

Search publication

Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-0447-3
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-0448-0
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 206
Product type: Book Titles

1. Contents No access
2. Abbreviations No access
1. What and Why? The Subject and Its Significance No access
2. Surveying the Land: A Brief Sketch of Previous Scholarship No access
3. Matthew’s Shepherd: Much Ado about Nothing? No access
4. Getting There: Methodological Approach and Procedure No access
5. Notes No access
1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. 1. YHWH as Shepherd No access
  3. Summary and Conclusion No access
  4. Notes No access
2. 1. Introduction No access
  2. Survey of the Shepherd Metaphor No access
  3. Summary and Conclusion No access
  4. Notes No access
3. 1. Introduction No access
  2. Survey of the Shepherd Metaphor No access
  3. Summary and Conclusion No access
  4. Notes No access
1. 1. Introductory Matters No access
  2. Following the Shepherd No access
  3. Matthew’s Shepherd as a Sign of YHWH’s Fidelity to his Royal Promises No access
  4. Notes No access
2. 1. Matthew’s Shepherd as YHWH’s Royal Agent of Mercy and Compassion No access
  2. Excursus: Shepherd Imagery in the Discipleship Discourse No access
  3. Notes No access
3. 1. Matthew’s Shepherd as the Eschatological Judge No access
  2. Notes No access
4. 1. The First Occurrence No access
  2. Matthew’s Shepherd as the Atoning Sacrifice and Resurrected Gatherer of God’s Flock No access
  3. The Second Occurrence No access
  4. Matthew’s Shepherd as the Rejected King No access
  5. Notes No access
1. 1. Introduction No access
  2. Matthew and the Scriptures No access
  3. Matthew and Christ Believers versus Second Temple Jews No access
  4. Matthew and Second Temple Jews versus Christ Believers No access
  5. Matthew versus Second Temple Jews and Christ Believers No access
  6. Conclusion No access
  7. Notes No access
2. 1. Introduction No access
  2. Jesus Becoming God: Low Christology No access
  3. God Becoming Jesus: Shepherd as High Christology No access
  4. Conclusion No access
  5. Notes No access
3. 1. Notes No access
Works Cited No access Pages 185 - 188
Index of Modern Authors No access Pages 189 - 190
Index of Ancient Texts No access Pages 191 - 204
About the Author No access Pages 205 - 206