Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
17
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah,
*
fourteen generations.
THE VIRGIN BIRTH
Matthew’s rendering of the LXX’s
parthenos
from Isa 7.14 (“A virgin will conceive and bear a son” [Mt 1.23]) remains a site of popular piety and scholarly debate. The Hebrew word translated by
parthenos
in the LXX is
’almah
, which is used in the Tanakh in Isa 7.14 and six other times (Gen 24.43; Ex 2.8; Ps 68.26; Prov 30.19; and Song 1.3; 6.8) in the sense of “a young woman” but does not necessarily suggest “virgin.” The Greek
parthenos
does not, for the LXX, necessarily connote “virgin,” although that is the predominant translation. It appears in Gen 34.3 in reference to Dinah, who had just had intercourse with Shechem. The Hebrew term
betulah
, used more than fifty times, including several times in Isaiah, usually (but not always) carries the technical sense of “virgin.” Thus for the Hebrew text of Isa 7.14, and perhaps even the Greek text, the prophet is saying, “The young woman is pregnant. …” There is no reason to presume her pregnancy was miraculous.
Most biblical scholars date Isa 7.14 to the eighth century BCE, during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah (see Isa 7.1). Isaiah tells Ahaz about the birth of child who will be named “Immanuel,” “God with us.” The name is a sign for the king, just as Isaiah’s children have special names that indicate messages to the community (see Isa 7.3). The context of the passage indicates that a birth will occur soon. Some Jewish responses to Christian claims proposed that Isaiah was speaking of the birth of King Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah (see Justin,
Dial
. 43; contrast Rashi, who sees the reference to be to Isaiah’s own son; cf. Isa 8.1–3).
Traditional Christian readings favor a reference to a miraculous conception. However, some interpreters argue that Matthew was not speaking of a literal conception that took place apart from sexual intercourse. Others propose that Matthew borrowed from pagan traditions, in which a male god engages in intercourse with a human woman (cf. Gen 6.1–4); or that the tradition of miraculous conception arose in order to explain what would otherwise be seen as an illegitimate conception; still others see behind Matthew’s account a midrash similar to Jewish ones concerning the miraculous birth of Moses. He was supposed to have been born, as he was conceived, without pain (hence his mother was not subject to the punishment of Eve, Gen 3.16); when he was born the house was filled with light; and he was said to have been born already circumcised (
b. Sot
. 12a).
18
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah
*
took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
20
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
24
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
25
but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;
*
and he named him Jesus.
2
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men
*
from the East came to Jerusalem,
2
asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,
*
and have come to pay him homage.”
3
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;
4
and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah
*
was to be born.
5
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers
of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd
*
my people
Israel.’”
7
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men
*
and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.
8
Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
9
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,
*
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10
When they saw that the star had stopped,
*
they were overwhelmed with joy.
11
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
13
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14
Then Joseph
*
got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,
15
and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, a he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.
*
17
Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because
they are no more.”
19
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,
20
“Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”
21
Then Joseph
*
got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.
23
There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
3
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,
2
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
*
3
This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the
wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’”
4
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5
Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan,
6
and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8
Bear fruit worthy of repentance.
9
Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
10
Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes the concepts of obedience and righteousness (see 1.19; 3.15; 5.10–11; 6.1, 33; 9.13; 10.41; 13.43; 21.31–32; 22.14; 23.35; 25.46). Righteousness (Gk
dikaiosynē
; Heb
tzedakah
, as in the term
tzaddik
, a righteous person) means, for Matthew, obedience to the divine will, often through Jesus’ interpretation of the Jewish
mitzvot
(“commandments,” as seen in the Sermon on the Mount, 5.10–11). Joseph is a “righteous” man in his resolve to divorce Mary quietly (1.19) and so not create a scandal. Jesus himself models this higher righteousness in insisting that John baptize him (3.15) and so submitting himself to John. Adherence to Jesus’ teachings (being “righteous”) and living a moral life ensured admission into the kingdom of heaven. As the parable of the sheep and the goats (25.31–46) makes clear, proper action in terms of care for others is mandatory.
11
“I baptize you with
*
water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with
*
the Holy Spirit and fire.
12
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”