The Pharisees in Matthew 23 Reconsidered

It has been a crux in New Testament studies whether the audience of the woes against the Pharisees in Matthew 23 is not traditional but is created by Matthew reecting only the conict between the Matthean community and Judaism of his time. In this book, Seng Ja, equipped with advance study in the Jewish and Rabbinic literatures, logical thinking and skillful exegesis, makes a thorough investigation of the issue and suggests that the Pharisees in Matthew 23 is historical. Her case is a strong one and nobody who would like to study the issue can overlook her contribution.

Simon Chow, DTh

Professor of New Testament Exegesis, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong

The twenty-third chapter in Matthew’s gospel is notorious for its polemic directed at “the Pharisees.” But who were these Pharisees and why are they so severely attacked in this text? Reading Matthew within Judaism and taking into account the diversity that existed within the Pharisaic group itself, especially the conflicts between the houses of Hillel and Shammai, Seng Ja takes on the dicult task of deciding whether these Matthean traditions reflect pre-Matthean realities or were designed to address the situation after the fall of the Jerusalem temple, or both: that Matthew was using traditional material to address contemporary concerns. Concluding the latter, Seng Ja’s study contributes further nuance to the conversation about the role of the Pharisees in the Gospel of Matthew. e Pharisees in Matthew 23 Reconsidered is a welcome addition to Matthean studies and will be of interest especially to those who seek to understand the relationship of this text to other forms of Judaism.

Anders Runesson, PhD

Professor of New Testament, University of Oslo, Norway

The Pharisees are probably Jesus’s most prominent opponents, prompting vicious debates on various occasions during his ministry. Most people think of them as “hypocrites” and “blind guides.” But is this a historically accurate picture? Is Matthew 23 in fact reflecting the time of Jesus or a much later time? In this extensive historical and literary study, Seng Ja competently argues that Matthew 23 provides an authentic portrayal of the Pharisees in Jesus’s time, but also reflects the turbulent post-70 period where Matthew’s Jewish-Christian community faced conflict from Pharisaic-Rabbinic Judaism. The study contains a wealth of historical information and literary insights, and presents a valuable voice from the Majority World. I warmly recommend this monograph.

Cornelis Bennema, PhD

Senior Lecturer in New Testament, Union School of Theology, Oxford, UK