The Construction of and Negotiation with the Roman Military in Matthew's Gospel

Download or read book The Construction of and Negotiation with the Roman Military in Matthew's Gospel written by John E. Christianson and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using an empire-critical approach to read the Gospel of Matthew, I argue that the gospel writer constructs and negotiates Roman military power in a variety of ways. Matthew's narrative is filled with scenes that feature Roman military personnel (including soldiers, centurions, and allied rulers) and expressions of imperial power (including requisitioned labor and the threat and use of state-sanctioned violence against dissenting civilians). Matthew also portrays Jesus and his followers negotiating the Roman imperial context by avoidance, compliance, mimicry, non-violent resistance, and envisioning divine judgment/retribution and eschatological restoration. The result of this portrayal is a message of hope for those whom must cope with daily experiences of living under Roman rule: that in the work, message, resurrection, and eschatological return of Jesus God is already at work to establish an alternative and preferred reality, the Kingdom (Empire) of God.