The Irony Of Power

This Volume Engages The Gospel Of Matthew In Full Awareness Of Its Inherently Political CharacterWeaver Situates Matthew's Version Of The ''good News Of The Kingdom'' Squarely Within The ''real World'' Of Firstcentury Palestine And Its Occupying Power, The Roman EmpireThe Essays Here Focus Prominently And Collectively On The Issues Of Power And Violence That Not Only Pervade The Historically Occupied Jewish Community Of Firstcentury Palestine, But Also Are Clearly Visible Throughout Matthew's Narrative AccountA''lowerlevel'' Reading Of The Matthean Text Offers ABleak Portrait Of The Overwhelming Power And Violence Exerted By The Roman Occupying Authorities And Their Upperechelon Jewish Collaborators Against The Wider Jewish Community Of Firstcentury PalestineBut An ''upperlevel''''god'seye'' Reading Of Matthew's Narrative Consistently Reveals The Fundamental Irony At The Heart Of The New Testament As AWhole, Of The Jesus Story Broadly Conceived, And Of Matthew's Narrative Account In SpecificThis Irony Overturns All Humanly Recognized Definitions Of ''power'' And Demonstrates The Astonishing ''politics Of God,'' Which Defeats Evident Power Through Apparent Powerlessness And Overcomes Violence Through Nonviolent Initiatives''this Is Committed Scholarship Of High QualityShaped By Her Mennonite Identity And Experiences In The Middle East, Dorothy Jean Weaver Reads Matthew's Gospel As AComplex Text Of Politics And Ironic PowerPerspectives From Above, From Below, And 'god's Eye' Produce Rich Analyses Of Considerable Insight.'' warren Carter, Brite Divinity School At Tcu Fort Worth ''for Over Thirty Years, Dorothy Jean Weaver Has Been Prominent Among AHandful Of Scholars Who Read The Gospel Of Matthew As ASocially And Politically Engaged Story About JesusMatthew's Narrative Is First And Foremost AStory About Powerwho Has It, What They Do With It, And What Happens As AResultWeaver Was Perhaps The First To Recognize The Extent To Which This Story Turns On Irony, Revealing The Ultimate Futility Of Coercive Power And The Triumph Of Vulnerable PowerlessnessThe Present Volume Collects And Synthesizes Her Work In This Area In AManner That Will Make It Accessible To ABroader And More General AudienceIt Is ABook That Could Transform Matthean Studies Andor Matthean StudentsAnyone Who Teaches Or Preaches On Matthew Will Want To Become Acquainted With This Humble But Powerful Volume.'' mark Allan Powell, Professor Of Ne
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