Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 February 2009
Although it is evident to every student of the New Testament that Matthew has a special interest in the Church, the use of the term ‘body of Christ’ to describe the Church has been peculiarly associated with Paul. For this reason it seems well to begin by discussing briefly what Paul meant by the concept of body in order to have a working definition of it. We will then endeavour to ascertain whether this idea is also present in Matthew.
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page 272 note 1 Ernest Best, op. cit., pp. 98–101.
page 272 note 2 ibid., pp. 78, 110–.11, 157.
page 272 note 3 ibid., pp. 81–2, 113.
page 272 note 4 Best is not unmindful of this paradox. See op. cit., pp. 111, 157.
page 273 note 1 Pedersen, Johs, Israel, London, 1954,1–11, 109–10,178, 171ffGoogle Scholar. Knight, G. A. F.. A Biblical Approach to the Doctrine of the Trinity, Edinburgh, 1953, p. 11.Google Scholar
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page 273 note 4 See Johnson, Aubrey R., The One and the Many in the Israelite Conception of God, Cardiff, 1942, pp. 8–9. See below the discussion of Shaliach.Google Scholar
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page 274 note 3 Schweitzer, Albert (translated by Montgomery, W.), The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle, London, 1931, pp. 101–105. See also Dodd, op. cit., p. 62Google Scholar. Johnston, George, The Doctrine of the Church in the New Testament, Cambridge, 1943, p. 88.Google Scholar
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page 275 note 3 Sec Robinson, op. cit., pp. 56–8. One cannot always assume that the words attributed to Paul in Acts reflect Paul's own thought, but the references cited here do seem to be generally consistent with Paul's ideas.
page 275 note 4 Robinson (op. cit., p. 9) holds that only Paul gives soma doctrinal significance while Kilpatrick, G. D. (The Origins of the Gospel According to St. Matthew,Oxford, 1950, p. 130) says explicitly—but it would seem wrongly—that the idea of the Church as the Body is not mentioned in Matthew.Google Scholar
page 275 note 5 Manson has pointed out that the essential thing for the Body of Christ idea is that the Messiah uses the Church, His Body, to continue His own ministry. See Manson, T. W., The Church's Ministry, London, 1948, pp. 20–21Google Scholar. This has also been emphasised by Schweizer, E.: ‘Alles Handeln der Gemeinde kann nur die Antwort des Glaubens an dieses, sein Handeln sein … Wenn die Gemeinde an der Gekreuzigten glaubt, dann weiss sie nicht nur, dass ihr Tun demütiges Dienen sein muss und der Gnade bedarf; sondern dass es letztlich überhaupt nur ein fruchtbares Tun ist, soweit der Herr selber darin wirksam ist.’—E. Schweizer, Das Leben des Herrn in der Gemeinde und Ihren Diensten, Zürich, 1946, pp. 21,31–2.Google Scholar
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page 276 note 2 Manson, op. cit., pp. 35–42.
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page 277 note 5 ibid., pp. 227–9.
page 278 note 1 Manson, op. cit., pp. 231–2.
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page 278 note 3 Flew, op. cit., p. 54.
page 278 note 4 Cullmann suggests that this verse has reference to the presence of Christ in the eucharist. See Cullmann, Oscar (translated by Todd, A. S. and Torrance, J. B.), Early Christian Worship, London, 1953, p. 14.Google Scholar
page 279 note 1 Sec Manson, T. W., The Servant-Messiah, Cambridge, 1953, pp. 89–90, 96, 98Google Scholar. Cullmann also finds the Body of Christ here. See Cullmann, Oscar (translated by Filson, Floyd V.), Christ and Time, London, 1951, pp. 108–109.Google Scholar
page 279 note 2 This is comparable to Paul's paradox that die Church is the Body of Christ; yet Christ is the Head and Saviour of the Body.
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page 280 note 2 For further references to the Qumran judicial procedure see the Manual of Discipline, 6.24–25, 7.1–2,6.27; Zadokite Fragment, 14.5–6.
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page 282 note 4 op. cit. p. 356.
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page 283 note 1 Bacon, op. cit., p. 406.
page 283 note 2 The interpretation of the parable of the Tares (Matt. 13.36–43) is taken as a product of Matthew or his source, not as an utterance of Jesus. It seems that Matthew identifies the Church with the Kingdom of the Son of Man (13.41) but not with the Kingdom of Heaven. The Church has sinners (18.15–17), and the Kingdom of the Son of Man has stumbling-blocks (13.41), but the Kingdom of Heaven has only the righteous (13.43; 25–34, 4–6)- The Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew is future as well as present and has an eternal reference (25.46) while the Church (28.20) and the Kingdom of the Son of Man (13.41) will end with the parousia.
page 284 note 1 See Manson, T. W., Ministry, pp. 24–26Google Scholar. Manson, T. W., "Servant, pp. 59–60.Google Scholar
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