Matthew’s Gospel and Jewish–Christian Relations

What is it about?

Matthew’s Gospel is a minefield for Jewish–Christian relations, and the issues raised for preachers involve wider questions about reading and interpreting troubling scriptural passages. The article first examines the Gospel in its first century context (reading it historically), and then explores the interpretation of Matthew in today’s contexts (reading it theologically). In both halves, it focusses on two specific topics: the depiction of Pharisees, and the so-called ‘blood curse’ of Matthew 27:25. The article ends with a series of guidelines for avoiding anti-Judaism.

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