Biblica - Vol 90 (2009) Crowe, Brandon D., The Song of Moses and Divine Begetting in Matt 1,20 (2009)

It is argued in this article that the imagery of Israel’s divine begetting from the Song of Moses (Deut 32,18) is in view in the account of Jesus’ divine begetting in Matt 1,20. To establish the plausibility of this claim, the characteristics and widespread knowledge of the Song of Moses are surveyed first, followed by the rationale for positing its presence in Matthew. The allusion to Deut 32,18 in Matt 1,20 is one component of a larger Matthean pattern by which the Evangelist portrays Jesus as the obedient Son of God in contrast to Israel as God’s disobedient son. This reference also highlights the imagery of new creation that Matthew associates with the birth of Jesus.

Biblica - Vol 92 (2011) Stettler, Hanna, Die Gebote Jesu im Johannesevangelium (14,15.21; 15,10) (2011)

The article addresses the controversial interpretation of the phrase «my commandments» (plural) in the mouth of Jesus, in John’s Gospel. It is to be understood against the threefold background of the new covenant according to Jer 31,31-34 and Ezek 36,26-27, the tradition of the eschatological Prophet like Moses in Deut 18,15-19, and the intrinsic connection between loving God and keeping his commandments in Deut 6,4-5. The expression implies a very high Christological statement: Only he, who is one with the Father, can demand obedience to his own commandments as a sign of his followers’ love for him.