Abstract
The characterisation of the Matthean Jesus by the angel of the Lord
Highlights
Angels played a significant role in the Second Temple Jewish1 and early Christian cosmology (Sullivan 2004:1)
On the basis of their participation in both the heavenly and earthly realms, angels are valuable figures for Christology (Bendoraitis 2015:1). They mediate between heaven and earth, and they can act as a significant character group to communicate who Jesus is
In Matthew, angels sometimes appear as a single character, and otherwise as a group of angels
Summary
Angels played a significant role in the Second Temple Jewish and early Christian cosmology (Sullivan 2004:1). Each time the angel of the Lord appears in Matthew’s birth and childhood narratives, a similar chain of events occurs: the scene is set, the angel appears in a dream, the message is delivered, Joseph responds immediately and the fulfilment of an Old Testament passage is explained (Bendoraitis 2015:36; Brown 1993:108).. AŌer Herod died, Appearance (2:19b) ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατ’ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ λέγων an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said: Message (2:20). In contrast to the previous two fulfilment quotations after the angel’s appearance, the scriptural reference does not match any particular Old Testament text.29 It signifies Jesus’ identity and that God directed and protected Jesus and his family (Bendoraitis 2015:49). As in the case with Joseph, they obey the angel and run to tell the disciples
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