Literary Approaches and the Gospel of Matthew

Abstract

L iterary criticism of the gospels is a broad field that encompasses a variety of approaches derived fromthe modern study of fiction and other works of narrative literature. This does not mean that literary critics regard the Gospels as works of fiction or that they lack appreciation for the historical witness of the Gospels. It does mean that literary critics focus more intentionally on the art of storytelling and on the manner in which the Gospels engage their readers than do most other academic approaches to the New Testament. Scholars use literary approaches to answer certain questions about the Gospels (e.g., “what accounts for this story affecting its readers in particular ways?”). They recognize that literary approaches do not shed much light on other questions (e.g., “did what is reported here actually happen?”). Accordingly, there is a strong tendency for scholars who use literary approaches to view those methods as supplemental, as one way of sometimes studying the Gospels rather than as the only way of ever studying the Gospels. The Bible is written literature and so, strictly speaking, all methods for studying it could be called “literary approaches.” All exegetical methods involve reading and reflecting on literary texts. In practical terms, however, literary approaches are usually contrasted with historical ones based on the primary focus of the scholar's interest. It has sometimes been said that historical approaches treat the Bible as though it were a window – the main interest is not in the written literature itself but in what it reveals about the world it portrays.