In David's city
of Bethlehem

Chapter 6

ㅇㅊㅁ

Logical flow so far

Outline

• David the Once and Future King of Israel
• Matthew the closet rebel
• The Lukan terms
  • Lord and Savior
  • Gospel and peace
• Personal thoughts

David

the Once and Future King of Israel

Prophetic medley

more in the theological future than the historical present

"against the LORD and against his Anointed" (Ps 2:2c)

“As for me, I have set my Kingon Zion, my holy hill.” (2:6)

“today I [God] have begotten you” (2:7)

“I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (2:8)

“I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him” (89:20)

“I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him” (89:23)

“I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth” (89:27)

On that day I will raise up the booth of David (Am 9:11)

there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom (Is 9:7)

The days are surely coming, ... when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch (Jr 23:5)

In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David (Jr 33:15)

Messianic expectations

Questions asked in Chapter 3

Human?
or
Transcendent?

Violent?
or
Non-violent?

Matthew's Christmas story

Anti-Roman title

"King of the Jews"

"Messiah"

... only used in scenes with Herod and Pilate

Birth parallelism

Dream/Prophecy

↓

Fear

↓

Interpretation/Advice

Birth of Moses

Birth of Jesus

• Exodus 1–2
• Targum of Jerusalem I
• Josephus
• Book of Memoirs

• Matthew 2

Other facets

• The Magi (pagans) were pro-Jesus
  while Herod and Jerusalem were anti-Jesus.
  • Overture to the Great Commission:
    "Go therefore and make disciples
    of all nations" (Mt 28:19)
• Westward-guiding star
  • Foundation myth of Rome:
    Trojan refugees following Venus to Italy
• Egypt — to and fro
  • doom and death for Moses
  • refuge and life for Jesus

Lord and Savior

according to Luke

Traditional account

Luke's highly doubtful narrative
of the Nazareth→Bethlehem trip

1. A census of the entire Roman Empire?
2. Quirinius then governor of Syria?
3. "Their own towns"?
4. Bethlehem for being David's descendent?
5. Mary's company necessary?

"Oikumene"

Why so written?

1. To present Jesus and earliest Christianity
   as historical located, imperially dated,
   and cosmically significant events.
2. To draw contrast between Caesar Augustus
   and Jesus Christ
3. The existence of Gemma Augustea →
   showing metaphoric correctness
   of Luke

Gemma Augustea,
from Wikimedia Commons

Do we see intent

• Lord: both God and God as revealed in Jesus
• Shepherds: the socially marginalized
  (also, David's first job)
• Recurring format:
  Angel→Fear→Reassurance→Message→Sign
• "Messiah" framed with "Savior" and "Lord"

Judaism within the Roman Empire

• Pledging allegiance to someone other than Caesar Augustus
• Confrontation between peace through violent victory versus
  peace through nonviolent justice

• Against Augustus,
  who "saved" the Roman Empire from civil-war suicide
• Against the general belief of Roman citizens, who celebrate Augustus as "savior of the whole world"

Lord

Savior

Gospel and Peace

according to Luke

The Peace of God

"... among those He favors!" (Lk 2:14b)

Qualification of favor or divine inclusivity?

... or both?

• Includes both Jews and Gentiles
• Limited to those who receive
  a certain kind gospel

Gospel of Caesar

• Pax Romana
• Augustus made Lord
  of both place and time
  (Paulus Fabius Maximus)
• "the beginning of everything"
• "a new look to the whole world"
• "euaggelia" mentioned
• A Great Final Battle

Gospel of Christ

• "euaggelia" mentioned in various forms, 25 times throughout Luke-Acts
• Christmas as a means
  toward the end of peace
• A Great Final Feast

Personal thoughts

Parabolic alternative
to historical criticism

What about textual criticism?

"higher criticism"

"lower criticism"

The collective unconscious

à la Carl Jung