Overview

The Gospel of Matthew opens with a patrilineal genealogy of Jesus that intriguingly includes five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, 'she of Uriah', and Mary. In a gospel that has a strongly Jewish and male-orientated outlook, why are women incorporated? Particularly, why include these four Old Testament women alongside Mary? Rejecting traditional as well as feminist views, E. Anne Clements undertakes a close literary reading of the narratives to discern how each woman is characterised and presented. All are significant scriptural figures on the margins of Israelite society. From this intertextual world established by Matthew, Clements explores why Matthew may have named these women in the opening genealogy and what implications their inclusion may have for the ongoing gospel narrative. Mothers on the Margin? argues that Matthew's Gospel contains a counter narrative focused on women. The presence of the five women in the genealogy indicates that the birth of the Messiah will bring about a crisis in Israel's identity in terms of ethnicity, marginality, and gender. The women signal that Matthew's Gospel is concerned with the construal of a new identity for the people of God.

Full Product Details

Author:   E. Anne Clements
Publisher:   James Clarke & Co Ltd
Imprint:   James Clarke & Co Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 15.30cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.457kg
ISBN:  

9780227174746

ISBN 10:   0227174747
Pages:   308
Publication Date:   28 August 2014
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgment Part 1: The Five Mothers of Matthew's Genealogy 1 Introduction: The Genesis of a Thesis Why Women? Hermeneutical Stance and Reading Strategy Methodology 2 Matthew's Genealogy The Genealogy The Women of the Genealogy 3 Tamar Preliminary Remarks Narrative Analysis of the Hebrew Stories A Narrative Reading of Tamar's Story Androcentric and Feminist Perspectives Tamar's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy 4 Rahab Preliminary Remarks A Narrative Reading of Rahab's Story - Joshua 2:1-24 A Narrative Reading of Rahab's Story - Joshua 6:15-25 The Contrast with Achan ??? and ??? Feminist Perspectives Rahab's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy 5 Ruth Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar A Narrative Reading of Ruth's Story Feminist Perspectives Ruth's Inclusion in Matthew's Genealogy Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth 6 She of Uriah Bathsheba in the Old Testament Bathsheba's Story in 2 Samuel 11-12 A Narrative Reading of Bathsheba's Story The Inclusion of she of Uriah in Matthew's Genealogy 7 Mary Mary's Relationship to the Four Foremothers Mary in Matthew 1:16-17 A Narrative Reading of Mary's Story Feminist Perspectives Mary in Matthew's Gospel Mary's Relationship with she of Uriah The Five Women of the Genealogy: Their Relationship to One Another and Matthew's Gospel Narrative Part 2: The Collective Significance of the Women for the ongoing Gospel Narrative 8 Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth: Aspects of Matthean Discipleship Righteousness in Matthew Faith in Matthew Mercy in Matthew Conclusion 9 Others on the Margin in Matthew's Gospel Marginality in Matthew The Women as Representative of the Marginalized in Matthew's Gospel Outsiders in Matthew's Story Marginalized Jews The Gentile Outsiders Conclusion 10 Women in Matthew's Narrative Life Introductory Comments A Gendered Reading Characters in Matthew's Story Matthew 3-25: Women in the Main Narrative Section Matthew 26-28: Women in the Passion and Resurrection Narrative A Positive Gynocentric Counternarrative 11 Conclusion: Mothers on the Margin? Matthew's Call to Conversion Bibliography

Reviews

...there is much to admire in this book - particularly Clements' careful reading of the text, and her attention to narrative structures and details... -Marika Rose, Theology & Sexuality, Vol. 21 No. 3, 2016

Author Information

E. Anne Clements is an Associate Tutor at Spurgeon's College, London, and Minister of West Kingsdown Baptist Church in Kent. She is the author of Wrestling with the Word (2011).

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