Metánoia (Repentance): A Major Theme of the Gospel of Matthew

ChoongJae Lee

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781725261068
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Estudios bíblicos

Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus's ministry with the summary words, "?????????? (repent/turn), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (3:2; 4:17). Why does Matthew use this command, ??????????, at the beginning of his ministry, and how does it relate to the rest of the Gospel? What do ???????? and ???????? mean? Scholars have stated that ???????? in 4:17 has critical value for understanding Matthew because the verse functions as a summary statement (or key phrase) of Jesus's public ministry and teaching. This book argues the thematic significance of ???????? (turning/repentance) in the Gospel of Matthew. The lexical idea of ???????? and ???????? involves a turning of mind (or heart, will, thinking) and behavior, and so in turn of one's whole being and life. This opening commandment of turning (????????), especially the concept, the essence, and the contents is fully revealed throughout the body of Matthew in various ways. Discipleship, the language of righteousness, doing the will of God, changing one's heart and mind, the Great Commission, and Matthean soteriological theme convey the essence of ???????? and the contents of the fruit worthy of ????????(3:2, 8; 4:17). The five major teaching blocks (5-7; 10; 13; 18; 23-25) teach the theme and the content of ????????.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with the summary words, Μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν (“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17). Matthew begins John the Baptist’s ministry with the exact same phrase, Μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν (3:2). Why does Matthew use this command μετανοεῖτε at the beginning of their ministry? What do μετανοέω and μετάνοια mean? How does this opening commandment μετανοεῖτε function in the Gospel of Matthew and how does it relate to the rest of the gospel? Scholars have stated that μετανοέω in 4:17 has critical value for understanding Matthew because the verse functions as a summary statement (or key phrase) of Jesus’ public ministry and teaching.1 This opening statement shows the thematic significance of μετάνοια (repentance) in the Gospel of Matthew. Even though Matthew locates μετανοέω and μετάνοια at the beginning as an important message of John the Baptist (3:2–12), and Jesus and some scholars recognize its critical importance, no work has been done on Matthean μετάνοια as a significant theme of the book.2 Even the general theme of μετάνοια (repentance) within biblical studies has not received sufficient scholarly interest over the last fifty years.3

The theme of μετάνοια (repentance) has not been sufficiently discussed in Matthean scholarship for three possible main reasons. First, the infrequent occurrence of μετανοέω and μετάνοια in Matthew limits one’s ability to recognize the theme of μετάνοια. Scholarship has not paid sufficient attention to the theme because the word group of μετανοέω and μετάνοια occur only seven times in Matthew (3:2, 8, 11; 4:17; 11:20, 21; 12:41).4 Does the small number of occurrences indicate Matthew forgets about μετάνοια right after this opening phrase? Or does Matthew express μετάνοια in other ways? The infrequent use of the terms and μετάνοια’s location as the opening summary in Matthew leads back to the question of how this phrase relates to the whole of Matthew.

A second reason the theme of μετάνοια has not been developed in Matthean study is due to the misunderstanding of the lexical idea of μετανοέω and μετάνοια. The common understanding of repentance based on the Greek terms μετανοέω and μετάνοια is to regret or feel remorse for past sins and stop doing them, or simply to change one’s mind. Therefore, μετανοέω and μετάνοια have been understood as an emotional event or just a change of mind. About a century ago, A. T. Robertson already noted the problem with the English translation “repent,” when it is understood to mean “to be sorry again.” He argues that instead μεταμέλομαι in Matthew 27:3 has the idea of “being sorry again”/“repenting,” and this is different than μετάνοια.5 Georg Strecker similarly argues that Luther mistranslated μετάνοια into Buße and notes that μετάνοια does not mean to feel remorse or intellectual change of mind.6 This misunderstanding of μετανοέω and μετάνοια hinders their being seen as a significant theme of Matthew and fails to emphasize the first phrase of Jesus’ public ministry (4:17) as a significant Matthean theme or message. The English translations of “repent” and “repentance” do not match the body of Matthew, because the body of Matthew communicates a deeper/bigger idea of turning one’s heart and life than just feeling remorse and changing one’s mind. The English translations “repent” and “repentance” should be reconsidered. What then do μετανοέω and μετάνοια exactly mean? How does their correct meaning govern the body of Matthew?

The third reason μετάνοια is underappreciated in Matthean studies is the insufficient recognition of the location of μετάνοια in Matthew’s narrative and structure. Mετανοέω and μετάνοια in summary statements (3:2, 8; 4:17) are powerful motivations for the rest of the Gospel of Matthew. Many scholars divide the introductory section from 1:1 to 4:23 or 25, naming it “Jesus’ early history” or “preparation for public ministry,” with Jesus’ public ministry beginning at 5:1.7 Some regard μετάνοια as a one-time entrance event to the Christian community since it appears at the beginning of the gospel.8 As a result, 4:17 is divided from Jesus’ public ministry and its close connection to the rest of the book is lost.

Thesis

This book will argue the thematic or even paradigmatic significance of μετάνοια in Matthew. Μετάνοια toward Jesus and the kingdom of heaven is a...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: History of Research
• Chapter 3: Meaning of μετανοέω and μετάνοια
• Chapter 4: John the Baptist’s μετάνοια Preaching (Matt 3:1–12)
• Chapter 5: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια Expressed in Matthew’s Discipleship, the Great Commission, and Gentile Inclusion
• Chapter 6: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια Expressed in Matthew’s Righteousness and Soteriology
• Chapter 7: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια in the Sermon on the Mount
• Chapter 8: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια in Matthew 10
• Chapter 9: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια in Matthew 13
• Chapter 10: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια in Matthew 18
• Chapter 11: The Thematic Significance of μετάνοια in Matthew 23–25
• Chapter 12: Conclusion
• Bibliography