Although New Testament scholars have examined Paul's writings and their relationship to the Roman empire and its imperial policies and writings, they have focused little attention on ways in which the Gospels were influenced by that imperialism. In Matthew and Empire, Warren Carter argues that Matthew's Gospel protests Roman imperialism by asserting that God's purposes and will are performed not by the empire and emperor but by Jesus and his community of disciples. Matthew and Empire makes the claim for reading Matthew in this way against the almost exclusive emphasis on the relationship with the synagogue that has long been a staple of Matthean criticism. Carter establishes Matthew's imperial context by examining Roman imperial ideology and material presence in Antioch, the traditional provenance for Matthew. He argues that Matthean Christology, which presents Jesus as God's agent, is shaped by claims—and protests against those claims—that the emperor and empire are agents of God. In successive chapters Carter pays particular attention to the Gospel's central irony, namely that in depicting God's ways and purposes, the Gospel employs the very imperial framework that it resists. Matthew and Empire challenges traditional readings of Matthew and Empire encourages fresh perspectives in Matthean scholarship. Warren Carter is Pherigo Professor of New Testament at Saint Paul School of Theology and author of Matthew and the Margins: A Socio-Political and Religious Reading.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"...an insightful and thought-provoking book on Matthew's use of the concept of empire in describing two conflicting powers: Rome and God...Readers of the book will be in Carter's debt as they pore over the pages and continue to seek to plumb the depths of Jesus' life and teaching and its application to the church past and present."--Walter M. Dunnett, St. Mark's Episcopal Church for RBL, March 2003 (Walter M. Dunnett )
Carter offers a different way of reading Matthew. The usual way, of course, has been to see Matthew as a community document that reflects a dispute with a synagogue or local Judaism. Carter accepts this view, but he wants to read Matthew not only as a religious or theological document but as one of social protest, since it offers a different vision of society by questioning Rome's sovereignty. In particular, Matthew's presentation of Jesus calls into qu4estion the blessing of God (or the gods) on Roman rule. Furthermore, participation in God's rule implies Rome's destruction. Carter has ample material draw upon concerning Roman imperial rule, particularly since there has been so much work on this topic in relation to Pauline studies. He has opened the way for Matthean scholars to apply it further. Also, without intending to do so, he has indirectly called into question the dominant way of reading Matthew as a thoroughly Jewish document engaged in sibling rivalry with local Judaism, for Carter is able to show that Matthew must be set in an imperial framework to some degree. The question is to what degree? A rich and suggestive work."--Fred W. Burnett, Anderson University for Religious Studies Review, October 2002 (Fred W. Burnett )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history. He presents a range of historical citations and anecdotal insights to help modern readers of Matthew situate their ancient counterparts. The author correctly implies that any meanings Matthew's audience discerned in this Gospel would be heavily influenced by the social situation of that audience. Carter envisions that social situation as one in which Matthew's Israelite Jesus group, ensconced in the eastern Roman Empire, was affected by the political religion supporting and articulating that Empire. Without a modern reader's adequate awareness of Roman imperial institutions and values in the form that they took in the province of Syria, the meanings imparted by Matthew are lost. Carter's historically rooted social descriptions admirably assist modern readers in recovering those Matthean meanings."--Bruce J. Malina, Professor of Biblical Studies, Creighton University (Bruce J. Malina )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in relation to the Roman empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Warren Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship."--John Paul Heil, Professor of New Testament, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (John Paul Heil )
"In a world that has largely been shaped by the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, the question of how precisely the founding texts of Christianity relate to empire assumes immense significance. Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate."--Stephen D. Moore, Drew University Theological School (Stephen D. Moore )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in a realtion to the Roman Empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship." (John Paul Heil )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history." (Bruce J. Malina )
"Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate." (Stephen D. Moore )
"Writing in an engaging and accessible style, Carter argues--counter to nearly a century of Matthean scholarship--that it is not the relationship between Matthew's community and the post-70 synagogue that forms the dominant social backdrop for Matthew's story of Jesus. Instead, the primary external social reality for this group of early Christians in Antioch is Roman imperialism, and the message of the gospel is that salvation comes not through Roman gods or their imperial agents, but rather through Jesus Christ." "Carter's concluding chapter demonstrates that he is a theologian concerned for the church as well as an exegete. Here Carter discusses implications of Matthew's gospel for the modern practice of Christianity, noting his theological and social challenges to imperialisms then and now, and he does so without being limited to the standard antiestablishment glossary of solidarity, inclusivity, and the like."--Mary Hinkle, Luthern Seminary, St. Paul, MN (Mary Hinkle )
"...an insightful and thought-provoking book on Matthew's use of the concept of empire in describing two conflicting powers: Rome and God...Readers of the book will be in Carter's debt as they pore over the pages and continue to seek to plumb the depths of Jesus' life and teaching and its application to the church past and present."--Walter M. Dunnett, St. Mark's Episcopal Church for RBL, March 2003 (, )
Carter offers a different way of reading Matthew. The usual way, of course, has been to see Matthew as a community document that reflects a dispute with a synagogue or local Judaism. Carter accepts this view, but he wants to read Matthew not only as a religious or theological document but as one of social protest, since it offers a different vision of society by questioning Rome's sovereignty. In particular, Matthew's presentation of Jesus calls into qu4estion the blessing of God (or the gods) on Roman rule. Furthermore, participation in God's rule implies Rome's destruction. Carter has ample material draw upon concerning Roman imperial rule, particularly since there has been so much work on this topic in relation to Pauline studies. He has opened the way for Matthean scholars to apply it further. Also, without intending to do so, he has indirectly called into question the dominant way of reading Matthew as a thoroughly Jewish document engaged in sibling rivalry with local Judaism, for Carter is able to show that Matthew must be set in an imperial framework to some degree. The question is to what degree? A rich and suggestive work."--Fred W. Burnett, Anderson University for Religious Studies Review, October 2002 (, )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history. He presents a range of historical citations and anecdotal insights to help modern readers of Matthew situate their ancient counterparts. The author correctly implies that any meanings Matthew's audience discerned in this Gospel would be heavily influenced by the social situation of that audience. Carter envisions that social situation as one in which Matthew's Israelite Jesus group, ensconced in the eastern Roman Empire, was affected by the political religion supporting and articulating that Empire. Without a modern reader's adequate awareness of Roman imperial institutions and values in the form that they took in the province of Syria, the meanings imparted by Matthew are lost. Carter's historically rooted social descriptions admirably assist modern readers in recovering those Matthean meanings."--Bruce J. Malina, Professor of Biblical Studies, Creighton University (, )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in relation to the Roman empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Warren Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship."--John Paul Heil, Professor of New Testament, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (, )
"In a world that has largely been shaped by the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, the question of how precisely the founding texts of Christianity relate to empire assumes immense significance. Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate."--Stephen D. Moore, Drew University Theological School (, )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in a realtion to the Roman Empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship." (, )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history." (, )
"Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate." (, )
"Writing in an engaging and accessible style, Carter argues--counter to nearly a century of Matthean scholarship--that it is not the relationship between Matthew's community and the post-70 synagogue that forms the dominant social backdrop for Matthew's story of Jesus. Instead, the primary external social reality for this group of early Christians in Antioch is Roman imperialism, and the message of the gospel is that salvation comes not through Roman gods or their imperial agents, but rather through Jesus Christ." "Carter's concluding chapter demonstrates that he is a theologian concerned for the church as well as an exegete. Here Carter discusses implications of Matthew's gospel for the modern practice of Christianity, noting his theological and social challenges to imperialisms then and now, and he does so without being limited to the standard antiestablishment glossary of solidarity, inclusivity, and the like."--Mary Hinkle, Luthern Seminary, St. Paul, MN (, )
Carter offers a different way of reading Matthew. The usual way, of course, has been to see Matthew as a community document that reflects a dispute with a synagogue or local Judaism. Carter accepts this view, but he wants to read Matthew not only as a religious or theological document but as one of social protest, since it offers a different vision of society by questioning Rome's sovereignty. In particular, Matthew's presentation of Jesus calls into qu4estion the blessing of God (or the gods) on Roman rule. Furthermore, participation in God's rule implies Rome's destruction. Carter has ample material draw upon concerning Roman imperial rule, particularly since there has been so much work on this topic in relation to Pauline studies. He has opened the way for Matthean scholars to apply it further. Also, without intending to do so, he has indirectly called into question the dominant way of reading Matthew as a thoroughly Jewish document engaged in sibling rivalry with local Judaism, for Carter is able to show that Matthew must be set in an imperial framework to some degree. The question is to what degree? A rich and suggestive work."--Fred W. Burnett, Anderson University for Religious Studies Review, October 2002 (Fred W. Burnett )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history. He presents a range of historical citations and anecdotal insights to help modern readers of Matthew situate their ancient counterparts. The author correctly implies that any meanings Matthew's audience discerned in this Gospel would be heavily influenced by the social situation of that audience. Carter envisions that social situation as one in which Matthew's Israelite Jesus group, ensconced in the eastern Roman Empire, was affected by the political religion supporting and articulating that Empire. Without a modern reader's adequate awareness of Roman imperial institutions and values in the form that they took in the province of Syria, the meanings imparted by Matthew are lost. Carter's historically rooted social descriptions admirably assist modern readers in recovering those Matthean meanings."--Bruce J. Malina, Professor of Biblical Studies, Creighton University (Bruce J. Malina )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in relation to the Roman empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Warren Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship."--John Paul Heil, Professor of New Testament, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (John Paul Heil )
"In a world that has largely been shaped by the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, the question of how precisely the founding texts of Christianity relate to empire assumes immense significance. Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate."--Stephen D. Moore, Drew University Theological School (Stephen D. Moore )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in a realtion to the Roman Empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship." (John Paul Heil )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history." (Bruce J. Malina )
"Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate." (Stephen D. Moore )
"Writing in an engaging and accessible style, Carter argues--counter to nearly a century of Matthean scholarship--that it is not the relationship between Matthew's community and the post-70 synagogue that forms the dominant social backdrop for Matthew's story of Jesus. Instead, the primary external social reality for this group of early Christians in Antioch is Roman imperialism, and the message of the gospel is that salvation comes not through Roman gods or their imperial agents, but rather through Jesus Christ." "Carter's concluding chapter demonstrates that he is a theologian concerned for the church as well as an exegete. Here Carter discusses implications of Matthew's gospel for the modern practice of Christianity, noting his theological and social challenges to imperialisms then and now, and he does so without being limited to the standard antiestablishment glossary of solidarity, inclusivity, and the like."--Mary Hinkle, Luthern Seminary, St. Paul, MN (Mary Hinkle )
"...an insightful and thought-provoking book on Matthew's use of the concept of empire in describing two conflicting powers: Rome and God...Readers of the book will be in Carter's debt as they pore over the pages and continue to seek to plumb the depths of Jesus' life and teaching and its application to the church past and present."--Walter M. Dunnett, St. Mark's Episcopal Church for RBL, March 2003 (, )
Carter offers a different way of reading Matthew. The usual way, of course, has been to see Matthew as a community document that reflects a dispute with a synagogue or local Judaism. Carter accepts this view, but he wants to read Matthew not only as a religious or theological document but as one of social protest, since it offers a different vision of society by questioning Rome's sovereignty. In particular, Matthew's presentation of Jesus calls into qu4estion the blessing of God (or the gods) on Roman rule. Furthermore, participation in God's rule implies Rome's destruction. Carter has ample material draw upon concerning Roman imperial rule, particularly since there has been so much work on this topic in relation to Pauline studies. He has opened the way for Matthean scholars to apply it further. Also, without intending to do so, he has indirectly called into question the dominant way of reading Matthew as a thoroughly Jewish document engaged in sibling rivalry with local Judaism, for Carter is able to show that Matthew must be set in an imperial framework to some degree. The question is to what degree? A rich and suggestive work."--Fred W. Burnett, Anderson University for Religious Studies Review, October 2002 (, )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history. He presents a range of historical citations and anecdotal insights to help modern readers of Matthew situate their ancient counterparts. The author correctly implies that any meanings Matthew's audience discerned in this Gospel would be heavily influenced by the social situation of that audience. Carter envisions that social situation as one in which Matthew's Israelite Jesus group, ensconced in the eastern Roman Empire, was affected by the political religion supporting and articulating that Empire. Without a modern reader's adequate awareness of Roman imperial institutions and values in the form that they took in the province of Syria, the meanings imparted by Matthew are lost. Carter's historically rooted social descriptions admirably assist modern readers in recovering those Matthean meanings."--Bruce J. Malina, Professor of Biblical Studies, Creighton University (, )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in relation to the Roman empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Warren Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship."--John Paul Heil, Professor of New Testament, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (, )
"In a world that has largely been shaped by the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, the question of how precisely the founding texts of Christianity relate to empire assumes immense significance. Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate."--Stephen D. Moore, Drew University Theological School (, )
"Warren Carter invites us to reread the Gospel of Matthew in a fresh, different, and exciting way. His engaging explorations lead us to appreciate Matthew anew in a realtion to the Roman Empire in the first century. By demonstrating the rich results of taking seriously the Roman imperial context, Carter stands at the cutting edge of modern Matthean scholarship." (, )
"Carter has written an excellent, eminently readable piece of social history." (, )
"Warren Carter's incisive and accessible investigation of the complex relationship between Matthew's Gospel and the Roman Empire makes a memorable contribution to this important debate." (, )
"Writing in an engaging and accessible style, Carter argues--counter to nearly a century of Matthean scholarship--that it is not the relationship between Matthew's community and the post-70 synagogue that forms the dominant social backdrop for Matthew's story of Jesus. Instead, the primary external social reality for this group of early Christians in Antioch is Roman imperialism, and the message of the gospel is that salvation comes not through Roman gods or their imperial agents, but rather through Jesus Christ." "Carter's concluding chapter demonstrates that he is a theologian concerned for the church as well as an exegete. Here Carter discusses implications of Matthew's gospel for the modern practice of Christianity, noting his theological and social challenges to imperialisms then and now, and he does so without being limited to the standard antiestablishment glossary of solidarity, inclusivity, and the like."--Mary Hinkle, Luthern Seminary, St. Paul, MN (, )
About the Author
Warren Carter is Professor of New Testament Brite Divinity School Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, essential, best of Context approach,
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This review is from: Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations (Paperback)
This may be the best book presenting the Context approach to the origins and original meaning of the New Testament. Its wording is more straightforward, to-the-point, and sophisticated than the more average Context books such as Horsley and Silberman's The Message and the Kingdom, and Crossan's In Search of Paul.
The first few chapters get to the point by defining Imperial Theology, Pax Romana, and Ruler Cult. Subsequent chapters then readily demonstrate how the New Testament draws upon Old Testament political themes to principally stand as a rebuttal to the Roman Empire system, and only secondarily as an intertwined expression of religious, mystical, and religious-morality content. Thus this book provides the ideal framework, on the canonical side, to identify the difference between New Testament Christianity and Gnostic-mystical Christianity, a comparison project which is today's main challenge as both the cultural context is being reconstructed and as Gnostic mysticism is being reconstructed. Books presenting the Context-oriented approach are generally a must-have in any library of Christian origins, but to get started the fastest in understanding the original intended audience of New Testament Christianity, start by reading the first few chapters of this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations,
This review is from: Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations (Paperback)
This book opens my eyes wide open. The approach and interpretation give me a challenging experience. Some people may not agree with author's view, but I do and praise his theology.
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