The Sheep and the Goats: A Matthean Teaching in Historical Context

Chad Venters argues that Psalm 80 (Psalm 79 LXX) is an important source for the composition of Matthew 25:31–46. Psalm 80 provides a religio-political background for understanding the devastation facing Israel at the hands of the Romans. Viewing Psalm 80 as a source for Matthew 25:31–46 accounts for the diversity of images found in the Sheep and the Goats and provides further insight into the meaning of the passage. Venters’s reading of the Sheep and the Goats contends that the story is not...