Fortuitous Timing
February 12, 2008
As I am sitting and preparing my first lecture on Matthew for my NT class tomorrow, a fortuitously timed post came across my RSS reader. Chris Weimer’s latest thought on antiquity addresses the issue of ἡ βασιλεια του θεου vs. των οὐρανων in the gospel of Matthew.
While he promises that his argument will be continued, Chris’ post is enough to give one who had been taught that Matthew uses ἡ βασιλεια των οὐρανων as a circumlocution for the divine pause.
Indeed, early this evening I was musing on this very issue and unsure as to whether bring it up in class. That Matthew is using a different phrase is clear. Why he’s using it is the key. I look forward to seeing Chris’ further thoughts.
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Ketuvim: the Writings of James R. Getz Jr. 
Good luck tomorrow! Sorry I didn’t include an answer yet. Here’s a hint, I think it has to do with the soteriology. Don’t steal my ideas! 😉
All the best,
Chris Weimer
Luckily class was cancelled due to inclement weather. You have till Friday to finish your post! 😉
An excellent dissertation was recently written on the ἡ βασιλεια των οὐρανων in Matthew by Jonathan Pennington at the University of St. Andrews. It was just published as Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew. He argues that the traditional explanations for the phrase are unsatisfying, and proposes a different view that fits the evidence much better. It’s worth checking out.
Yummy. Thanks for the reference.