The Pharisees in Matthew 23 Reconsidered

It has been a crux in New Testament studies whether the audience of the woes against the Pharisees in Matthew 23 is not traditional but is created by Matthew reflecting only the conflict between the Matthean community and Judaism of his time. In this book, Seng Ja, equipped with advance study in the Jewish and Rabbinic literatures, logical thinking and skillful exegesis, makes a thorough investigation of the issue and suggests that the Pharisees in Matthew 23 is historical. Her case is a strong one and nobody who would like to study the issue can overlook her contribution.

Simon Chow, DTh
Professor of New Testament Exegesis,
Lutheran Theological Seminary,
Hong Kong

Layang’s study contributes further nuance to the conversation about the role of the Pharisees in the Gospel of Matthew. The Pharisees in Matthew 23 Reconsidered is a welcome addition to Matthean studies and will be of interest especially to those who seek to understand the relationship of this text to other forms of Judaism.

Anders Runesson, PhD
Professor of New Testament,
University of Oslo, Norway

Dr Layang Seng Ja competently argues that Matthew 23 provides an authentic portrayal of the Pharisees in Jesus’s time, but also reflects the turbulent post-70 period where Matthew’s Jewish-Christian community faced conflict from Pharisaic-Rabbinic Judaism. The study contains a wealth of historical information and literary insights, and presents a valuable voice from the Majority World. I warmly recommend this monograph.

Cornelis Bennema, PhD
Senior Lecturer in New Testament,
Union School of Theology, Oxford

1. Contents
2. Introduction
3. Chapter 1
1. The Plan of the Study
2. 1. 1.1. Literature Reviews
   2. 1.2. Identifying the Concern of the Study
   3. 1.3. The Purpose of the Study
   4. 1.4. Methodology
   1. 1.4.1 Historical Analysis
   2. 1.4.2. Literary Analysis
   3. 1.4.3. The Procedure of the Study
4. Chapter 2
1. The Historical Pharisees from the Second Temple Period to the First Century
2. 1. Introduction
   2. 2.1 The Origin of the Pharisees
   3. 2.2 The Pharisees in the Hasmonean Period (140–63 BCE)
   1. The Pharisees and John Hyrcanus
   2. The Jews Executed by Alexander Jannaeus (103–76 BCE)
   3. Salome Alexandra (76–67 BCE)
   4. 2.3 The Pharisees under the Herodians
   1. 2.3.1 The Pharisees and Herod the Great
   2. 2.3.2. The Two Pharisaic Leaders – Hillel and Shammai
   3. 2.3.3 The Teachings and Practices of Hillel and Shammai
   4. 2.3.4 The Hillelites and the Shammaites
   5. 2.4 The Pharisees in Post-70 CE
   6. Chapter Findings
5. Chapter 3
1. The Pharisees in Matthew
2. 1. Introduction
   2. 3.1. The Pharisees in Matthew
   1. The Pharisees and John the Baptist (3:1, 5–9)
   2. The Pharisees in Galilee
   3. The Pharisees in Jerusalem
   3. 3.2. Matthew’s Redaction
   1. 3.2.1. Matthew’s Redaction on Mark
   2. 3.2.2. Matthew’s Redaction on Q
   4. 3.3. The Characteristic of the Matthean Pharisees
   5. Chapter Findings
6. Chapter 4
1. The Literary Analyses of Matthew 23
2. 1. Introduction
   2. 4.1. The Setting, Literary Context and Structure of Matthew 23
   3. 4.2 General Exegesis of Matthew 23
   1. Matthew 23:2–3a
   2. Matthew 23:3b–12
   3. Matthew 23:13–36
   4. 4.3. The Traditional Materials in Matthew 23
   1. 4.3.1. The Seat of Moses
   2. 4.3.2. Phylacteries
   3. 4.3.3. Tassels
   4. 4.3.4. Proselytes
   5. 4.3.5. Oaths and Vows
   6. 4.3.6. Utensils Cleaning
   7. 4.3.7. Tithing
   8. 4.3.8. The House-Criticism Languages
   5. 4.4. The Pharisees and Jesus as Reflected in Matthew 23
   6. Chapter Findings
7. Chapter 5
1. Understanding Matthew 23 in the Historical Context of the Relationship between the Matthean Community and Judaism
2. 1. Introduction
   2. 5.1 The Suggested Community
   1. 5.1.1 Jewish or Gentile Community?
   2. 5.1.2. Extra-Muros Community
   3. 5.1.3. Intra-Muros Community
   3. 5.2 The Matthean Community
   1. 5.2.1. Intra-Jewish Community
   2. 5.2.2. Palestine Located Community
   4. 5.3 The Function of Matthew 23
   5. Chapter Findings
8. Chapter 6
1. Conclusion
9. Bibliography