Wim J.C. Weren, «The Macrostructure of Matthew’s Gospel: A New Proposal», Vol. 87 (2006) 171-200
The weakness of the proposals concerning the macrostructure of Matthew’s
Gospel made by Bacon and Kingsbury is that they depart from rigid caesuras,
whilst a typical characteristic of the composition of this Gospel is the relatively
smooth flow of the story. On the basis of the discovery that the various
topographical data are clustered together by means of three refrains we can
distinguish three patterns in the travels undertaken by Jesus. This rather coarse
structure is further refined with the use of Matera’s and Carter’s distinction
between kernels and satellites. Kernels are better labelled as “hinge texts”. The
following pericopes belong to this category: 4,12-17; 11,2-30; 16,13-28; 21,1-17;
26,1-16. Each of them marks a turning point in the plot and has a double function:
a hinge text is not only fleshed out in the subsequent pericopes but also refers to
the preceding block. It is especially these “hinge texts” that underline the
continuity of Matthew’s narrative and should prevent us from focussing too much
on alleged caesuras.
196 Wim J.C. Weren
his brothers and sisters are mentioned. Around these are again two
longer parts (A: 12,1-45; A’: 14,1–16,12), in which Jesus is in dispute
with the Pharisees.
g) The structure of 17,1–25,46
The second part of the corpus (17,1–25,46) exhibits roughly the
same pattern as the first part. It also has two long sections (17,1–20,24
and 21,18–25,46), that are linked to one another by a hinge text (21,1-
17). In a schematic overview:
4,18–16,12 16,13-28 17,1–25,46
(hinge)
4,18–11,1 11,2-30 12,1–16,12 17,1–20,34 21,1-17 21,18–25,46
(hinge) (hinge)
That 17,1–20,34 is a continuous sequence is determined especially
by the new refrain that combines the various topographical information
to form a long journey to Jerusalem. The refrain is introduced in 16,21
to return in its most complete form in 17,22-23 and 20,18-19; parts of
it are also echoed in 17,9.12 and 20,28. In comparison with 4,18–16,12,
Jesus now travels in the opposite direction. This impression is
strengthened by the fact that stopping places are mentioned (a
mountain, the lake at Capernaum, his house) that were also mentioned
when he moved further away from Jerusalem and Judea. As from 19,1,
he leaves Galilee and continues his journey through Judea, with Jericho
being the last place he visits before arriving in Jerusalem. The journey
to Jerusalem is thus divided into two routes (17,1-27 and 19,1–20,34).
The first route brings him to Capernaum where he holds one of his
lengthy discourses. Summarized:
A 17,1-27 The first route: from the district of Caesarea Philippi to Capernaum
B 18,1-35 Discourse on the mutual relations within the community
A’ 19,1–20,34 The second route: from Capernaum in Galilee to Jericho in Judea
The journey’s destination is reached in 21,1-17. This part is a
textual unit, because it has unity of time. In Mt, the entry into
Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple both take place on the same
day (in Mark, this covers two days). It is not until 21,17 that Jesus
leaves the city to spend the night in Bethany (35). The passage also has
(35) Cf. GNILKA, Das Matthäusevangelium, II, 209: “Man könnte von einem
Tag Jesu in Jerusalem sprechen, der durch Einzug und Tempelprotest
gekennzeichnet istâ€.