Banished Messiah: Violence and Nonviolence in Matthew's Story of Jesus

by Robert R. Beck

Overview

By arguing that Matthew's Gospel can be read as a "homecoming story" according to the ancient formula of the "Banished and Returning Prince," Robert Beck offers a fresh and provocative reinterpretation of the Gospel. He exploits this understanding of the narrative to disclose new elements within the plot, to identify a fresh resolution to conflict development within the tale, and to arrive at an unprecedented explanation of the place of violence and nonviolence within Matthew's text. The traditional roles of Usurper, Impostor, and Mentor are examined for insight into what Matthew's narrative achieves as well as, perhaps more importantly, what it excludes in the way of cultural expectations of violent reprisal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498271516
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	222
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Robert Beck is a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Loras College in Dubuque. Beck has been involved with peace and justice issues, including co-founding the Catholic Worker in Dubuque, and is the author of Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of Mark. He currently publishes a column, "Sunday's Word," on the Sunday lectionary.
Robert R. Beck (DMin, Catholic University of America) is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, IA, and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Loras College in Dubuque. His publications include Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of Mark (1996) and Banished Messiah: Violence and Nonviolence in Matthew's Story of Jesus (2010). He also publishes a column, "Sunday's Word," on the Sunday lectionary in the Dubuque Archdiocesan newspaper, The Witness. Beck is currently in his thirteenth year as chaplain at the Franciscan Motherhouse in Dubuque.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Preface ix

Part 1 Constructing A Narrative 1

1 The Homecoming Story 5

Conspicuous Entrances

The Circle in the Text

A Village, a Town, and a City

2 Discourses in Conflict 33

A Clash of Discourses

Two Hills

Mark-in-Matthew: The Markan Intertext

3 The Return of the King 57

The Films

The Formula in Literature: The Odyssey and Hamlet

Studies of the Ancient Classics

Mapping the Formula Story onto Matthew

Part 2 Banished King; Exiled Nation 81

4 Usurper 87

The Wicked Uncle

Matthew's Genealogy (Matt 1:1-17)

Joseph's First Dream: The Hero's Mandate (Matt 1:18-25)

The Magi Come and Depart (Matt 2:1-12)

5 Impostor 109

Impostors

Hypocrites

Matthew as Postcolonial Text

Conclusions: Conflict in the Narrative Plot

6 Mentor 139

Mentors

From Desert to Garden

Retribution

Transcendence

Part 3 The Reckoning 163

7 Nostos 167

Temple and Garden

Innocent Blood

Go Forth to All Nations

Bibliography 193

Subject/Name Index 201