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An intriguing study of the women in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, revealing their importance for our understanding of the radical message of the gospel.
The Gospel of Matthew opens with a patrilineal genealogy of Jesus that intriguingly includes five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, 'she of Uriah', and Mary. In a gospel that has a strongly Jewish and male-orientated outlook, why are women incorporated? Particularly, why include these four Old Testament women alongside Mary? Rejecting traditional as well as feminist views, E. Anne Clements undertakes a close literary reading of the narratives to discern how each woman is characterised and presented. All are significant scriptural figures on the margins of Israelite society. From this intertextual world established by Matthew, Clements explores why Matthew may have named these women in the opening genealogy and what implications their inclusion may have for the ongoing gospel narrative. Mothers on the Margin? argues that Matthew's Gospel contains a counter narrative focused on women. The presence of the five women in the genealogy indicates that the birth of the Messiah will bring about a crisis in Israel's identity in terms of ethnicity, marginality, and gender. The women signal that Matthew's Gospel is concerned with the construal of a new identity for the people of God.
The Gospel of Matthew opens with a patrilineal genealogy of Jesus that intriguingly includes five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, 'she of Uriah', and Mary. In a gospel that has a strongly Jewish and male-orientated outlook, why are women incorporated? Particularly, why include these four Old Testament women alongside Mary? Rejecting traditional as well as feminist views, E. Anne Clements undertakes a close literary reading of the narratives to discern how each woman is characterised and presented. All are significant scriptural figures on the margins of Israelite society. From this intertextual world established by Matthew, Clements explores why Matthew may have named these women in the opening genealogy and what implications their inclusion may have for the ongoing gospel narrative. Mothers on the Margin? argues that Matthew's Gospel contains a counter narrative focused on women. The presence of the five women in the genealogy indicates that the birth of the Messiah will bring about a crisis in Israel's identity in terms of ethnicity, marginality, and gender. The women signal that Matthew's Gospel is concerned with the construal of a new identity for the people of God.
Price: $40.95
Pages: 308
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: James Clarke
Publication Date:
28 August 2014
Trim Size: 9.02 X 6.02 in
ISBN: 9780227174746
Format: Paperback
...there is much to admire in this book - particularly Clements' careful reading of the text, and her attention to narrative structures and details...
— Marika Rose
— Marika Rose
Preface
Acknowledgment
Part 1: The Five Mothers of Matthew's Genealogy
1 Introduction: The Genesis of a Thesis
Why Women?
Hermeneutical Stance and Reading Strategy
Methodology
2 Matthew's Genealogy
The Genealogy
The Women of the Genealogy
3 Tamar
Preliminary Remarks
Narrative Analysis of the Hebrew Stories
A Narrative Reading of Tamar's Story
Androcentric and Feminist Perspectives
Tamar's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy
4 Rahab
Preliminary Remarks
A Narrative Reading of Rahab's Story - Joshua 2:1-24
A Narrative Reading of Rahab's Story - Joshua 6:15-25
The Contrast with Achan
??? and ???
Feminist Perspectives
Rahab's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy
5 Ruth
Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar
A Narrative Reading of Ruth's Story
Feminist Perspectives
Ruth's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy
Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth
6 "She of Uriah"
Bathsheba in the Old Testament
Bathsheba's Story in 2 Samuel 11-12
A Narrative Reading of Bathsheba's Story
The Inclusion of "she of Uriah" in Matthew's Genealogy
7 Mary
Mary's Relationship to the Four Foremothers
Mary in Matthew 1:16-17
A Narrative Reading of Mary's Story
Feminist Perspectives
Mary in Matthew's Gospel
Mary's Relationship with "she of Uriah"
The Five Women of the Genealogy: Their Relationship to One
Another and Matthew's Gospel Narrative
Part 2: The Collective Significance of the Women for the ongoing Gospel Narrative
8 Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth: Aspects of Matthean Discipleship
Righteousness in Matthew
Faith in Matthew
Mercy in Matthew
Conclusion
9 Others on the Margin in Matthew's Gospel
Marginality in Matthew
The Women as Representative of the Marginalized in Matthew's
Gospel
Outsiders in Matthew's Story
Marginalized Jews
The Gentile Outsiders
Conclusion
10 Women in Matthew's Narrative Life
Introductory Comments
A Gendered Reading
Characters in Matthew's Story
Matthew 3-25: Women in the Main Narrative Section
Matthew 26-28: Women in the Passion and Resurrection Narrative
A Positive Gynocentric Counternarrative
11 Conclusion: Mothers on the Margin? Matthew's Call to Conversion
Bibliography
Acknowledgment
Part 1: The Five Mothers of Matthew's Genealogy
1 Introduction: The Genesis of a Thesis
Why Women?
Hermeneutical Stance and Reading Strategy
Methodology
2 Matthew's Genealogy
The Genealogy
The Women of the Genealogy
3 Tamar
Preliminary Remarks
Narrative Analysis of the Hebrew Stories
A Narrative Reading of Tamar's Story
Androcentric and Feminist Perspectives
Tamar's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy
4 Rahab
Preliminary Remarks
A Narrative Reading of Rahab's Story - Joshua 2:1-24
A Narrative Reading of Rahab's Story - Joshua 6:15-25
The Contrast with Achan
??? and ???
Feminist Perspectives
Rahab's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy
5 Ruth
Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar
A Narrative Reading of Ruth's Story
Feminist Perspectives
Ruth's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy
Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth
6 "She of Uriah"
Bathsheba in the Old Testament
Bathsheba's Story in 2 Samuel 11-12
A Narrative Reading of Bathsheba's Story
The Inclusion of "she of Uriah" in Matthew's Genealogy
7 Mary
Mary's Relationship to the Four Foremothers
Mary in Matthew 1:16-17
A Narrative Reading of Mary's Story
Feminist Perspectives
Mary in Matthew's Gospel
Mary's Relationship with "she of Uriah"
The Five Women of the Genealogy: Their Relationship to One
Another and Matthew's Gospel Narrative
Part 2: The Collective Significance of the Women for the ongoing Gospel Narrative
8 Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth: Aspects of Matthean Discipleship
Righteousness in Matthew
Faith in Matthew
Mercy in Matthew
Conclusion
9 Others on the Margin in Matthew's Gospel
Marginality in Matthew
The Women as Representative of the Marginalized in Matthew's
Gospel
Outsiders in Matthew's Story
Marginalized Jews
The Gentile Outsiders
Conclusion
10 Women in Matthew's Narrative Life
Introductory Comments
A Gendered Reading
Characters in Matthew's Story
Matthew 3-25: Women in the Main Narrative Section
Matthew 26-28: Women in the Passion and Resurrection Narrative
A Positive Gynocentric Counternarrative
11 Conclusion: Mothers on the Margin? Matthew's Call to Conversion
Bibliography