Matthew and the Roman Military: How the Gospel Portrays and Negotiates Imperial Power

The Gospel of Matthew portrays and negotiates Roman military power through strategies such as avoidance, accommodation, non-violent resistance, mimicry, and dreams of divine retribution and eschatological fulfillment.

Format: Hardback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

This captivating book delves into the intricate ways in which the Gospel of Matthew portrays and negotiates Roman military power. John E. Christianson, in his insightful analysis, argues that Matthew, writing in the years following the Jewish War, offers a range of strategies to help his audience navigate the challenges of life in Roman Syria. These strategies include avoidance, accommodation, non-violent resistance, mimicry, and dreams of divine retribution and eschatological fulfillment. By examining the ways in which military structures and networks of social power functioned to increase imperial control over people and territory, Christianson demonstrates how Matthew's strategies encompass ways to negotiate potentially dangerous encounters with Roman military personnel.

The book includes texts that address the possibility of state-sanctioned violence by Roman-aligned rulers such as Herod and Antipas, the abuse of requisitioned labor in Roman angaria, Jesus' response to the direct request of a centurion with opaque motivations, a vision of retribution on Roman eagles by the eschatological Son of Man, and the soldiers' response to Jesus' death and resurrection as a prelude to divine overthrow of Roman military power.

In each of these cases, the book showcases how interpretation of Matthew's narrative must account for the pervasive presence of the Roman military in the ancient world. Christianson's work provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Gospel of Matthew and its relevance to the historical context in which it was written. It sheds light on the ways in which individuals and communities negotiated the power dynamics of the Roman Empire and sought to find meaning and hope in the face of adversity.

Weight: 576g
Dimension: 227 x 160 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978712218