Anders Runesson explores the theme of divine judgment through Matthew's text and contemporary Jewish literature. This nuanced discussion of Judaism at the end of the first century has important consequences for understanding Christian origins. Judgment and the wrath of God are prominent themes in Matthew's Gospel. Because judgment is announced not only on the hypocritical but also on those who reject God's messengers - - and because this rejection is implicitly connected with the destruction of Jerusalem - - the Gospel has often been read in terms of God's rejection of Israel. To the contrary, Anders Runesson shows, through careful study of Matthew's composition and comparison with contemporary Jewish literature, that the theme of divine judgment plays very different and distinct roles regarding different groups of Jew (the chosen, the leaders in Jerusalem, the crowds, "this generation"). This important work is essential reading for scholars and students of the New Testament and Matthew's Gospel.
