Jesus – The immigrant Egyptian Jews in Matthew’s Sondergut: A migration perspective

Zorodzai Dube

doi:10.4102/hts.v75i4.5256

Abstract

Using pull and push factors inspired by the migration theory, this study explains Matthew’s Sondergut concerning Jesus’ flight to Egypt from the perspective of possible pull–push factors associated with Egypt and Palestine during the first century. Within early Christianity, two perception strands concerning Egypt existed: on the one hand, Jews such as Celsus depicted Egypt negatively as a place of magic and oppression. Yet another perspective portrays Egypt as a place of refuge, recuperation and recovery – a view reflected in Luke-Acts, Matthew and some parts of Mark. Not disregarding views that read the story as Midrash or allegory, this study focuses on Matthew’s Sondergut concerning Jesus’ flight to Egypt as narrative explainable from a positive migration perspective, and argues that the prosperity of Egypt and possible political turmoil in Palestine during the first century give plausible reconstruct for Matthew’s Sondergut regarding Jesus’ flight to Egypt as a place of refuge and sustenance.

Highlights

Theoretical perspectives are our subjective explanations through which we make meaning of events around us
Given that migration is a recurrent theme throughout the Bible, what new insights or questions does it give in understanding narratives such as Jesus’ flight to Egypt? In taking this direction of inquiry, I am less interested in the historicity of the story; instead, focus is on whether push and pull factors inspired by migration theory may make the story more plausible from the readers whose reading lens is informed by immigration issues
The term ‘legendary’ should not be mistaken for being untrue; instead, similar to many heroic stories, it refers to commonly mysterious stories about great people seen as superhuman. Those who advocate for the story as legendary compare the story with similar stories found in extracanonical writings such as the gospel of Thomas where an Angel talked to Joseph and rocks and trees talking to baby Jesus (Bourke 1960; France 1981:233). It is in the Infant Gospel of Thomas that we find most reference to legendary material associated with Jesus

Summary

Introduction

Theoretical perspectives are our subjective explanations through which we make meaning of events around us. Instead of starting with Matthew and questions about history, I am interested in possible push and pull factors associated with Egypt and Palestine that make the story plausible from the perspective of migration theory. Morten Hørning Jensen writes about both the political development and how local leaders such Herod Antipas would go to ruthless extent just to keep political peace for Rome (Jensen 2006:9) Such evidence gives indirect evidence to Matthew’s story that because of political violence, some families such as that of Joseph and Mary may have chosen to leave the region for safety among growing settlement of Jews in Alexandria. Immigration theory helps us to connect unwritten reality concerning that period Given this and using the migration theory, one can plausibly assume that Matthew’s time of writing coincided with a general fascination and appreciation of the political events in Alexandria, making Egypt a pull geographical region. Mary and Joseph, living in exile in Egypt to escape an evil king, are, for all times and all places, the models of protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee of whatever kind who, whether compelled by fear of persecution by want, is forced to leave [his] native land, [his] beloved parents and relatives, close friends, and to seek a foreign soil. (p. 7)

Conclusion

Data availability statement