In what sense does Matthew's Gospel reflect the colonial situation in which the community found itself after the fall of Jerusalem, and the subsequent humiliation of Jews across the Roman Empire? To what extent was Matthew seeking to oppose Rome's claims to authority and sovereignty over the whole world, to set up alternative systems of power and society, to forge new senses of identity? If Matthew's community felt itself to be living on the margins of society, where did it see the centre as lying? In Judaism or in Rome? And how did Matthew's approach to such problems compare with that of Jews who were not followers of Jesus Christ, and with that of others -, Jews and Gentiles -, who were followers?
Author Biography
John Riches was formerly Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. David Sim is Professor of New Testament Studies, Australian Catholic University, and author of The Gospel of Matthew and Judaism.
