Israel's Last Prophet

Jesus' words of indictment and judgment in the Gospel according to Matthew have fueled centuries of Christian anti-Judaism. But what did those words originally mean within Matthew's narrative? David L. Turner examines how Matthew has taken up Deuteronomic themes of prophetic rejection and judgment and woven them throughout the Gospel, culminating in Matthew 23:32. Matthew was engaged in a heated intramural dispute with other Jewish groups, Turner argues. The legacy of Christian anti-Jewish violence reflects a gross misunderstanding of Matthew by generations who have failed to recognize the author's worldview and allusions.