Enkele gedagtes oor Matteus se gebruikmaking van die Ou Testament in Matteus 2:15

Abstract

Some thoughts on Matthew's usage of the Old Testament in Matthew 2:15
To make general statements on Old Testament quotations in the New is extremely hazardous. Therefore one citation only is pinpointed. The micro-context of Matthew's citation of Hosea 11:1 shows that a very close relationship between Jesus and Israel is established and that the sojourn in Egypt is doubly divinely sanctioned. An analysis of the quotation within the wider gospel context not only confirms this but also shows that Matthew uses it in a very sophisticated way. He intends 'theologizing' Jesus' childhood movements, showing them to be part of God's plan for his Messiah. This may also have an apologetic undertone. The quotation is in another sense christologically important: It forms part of a chain of Christological pronouncements. Jesus' identity can, however, only be revealed by God himself. We cannot endorse Matthew's usage of the Old Testament quotation in Hosea 11:1, but we can appreciate how he came to his understanding of it. His association of Jesus with Israel must have played a major role. More information on the Wirkungsgeschichte of this text in Early Judaism would probably have furthered our understanding.