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Document Details : Title: The Matthean References to the Kingdom Subtitle: Different Terms for Different Audiences Author(s): MOWERY, R.L. Journal: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Date: December 1994 Pages: 398-405 DOI: 10.2143/ETL.70.4.556070 Abstract : The Gospel of Matthew contains thirty-two references to the kingdom of heaven but only four references to the kingdom of God (12,28; 19,24; 21,31.43) and only five references to the Father’s kingdom (6,10.33; 13,43; 25,34; 26,29). Scholars have frequently commented on the presence of the terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” in this gospel. M. Pamment has argued that “kingdom of God” refers to “God’s sovereignty, actualized and recognized in the past and present here on earth”, while “kingdom of heaven” refers to “a wholly future reality which is imminent but other-worldly”. A. Kretzer claimed a decade earlier that “kingdom of God” expresses one dimension of the Matthean understanding of the kingdom, namely, God’s personal reign over God’s people; however, he viewed this emphasis as merely one aspect of the overall Matthean understanding of the kingdom expressed by the more inclusive term “kingdom of heaven”. Most scholars have denied that Matthew defined these terms in different ways and have attributed the occasional use of “kingdom of God” to other factors. R.H. Gundry, for example, contends that Matthew retained the Q reference to the kingdom of God in 12,28b because he had referred to Satan’s kingdom in 12,26 and the Spirit of God in 12,28a. |
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