Reading Matthew from the Margins

Finding Faith and Hope in Challenging Texts

Abstract

Can the Gospel of Matthew resonate with contemporary religious and public life despite our temporal distance from the Gospel's historical community (c. 90 CE)? Guest Editor Eunyung Lim and the scholars she invited to contribute to this issue demonstrate how, when contextualized historically and approached from various interpretive angles, the physical violence, political and economic oppression, and social prejudices that Matthew’s Gospel documents speak to the grief, pain, and lived experiences of many people in our time.  These essays aid interpreters to teach and preach this Gospel with deeper theological nuance and cultural sensitivity.  They offer fresh perspectives on Matthew for today's civic, religious, and congregational life.