Lady Wisdom Jesus and the Sages: Metaphor and Social Context in Matthew's Gospel

About this book

Why does Matthew use Lady Wisdom as a figure of speech for speculation on Jesus life and teaching? By what process does Matthew transform the symbol of Lady Wisdom so that its referent becomes Jesus? Whom does this serve? In which social context does this occur? How does a metaphor shift so that the content is located not in an imaginary woman but in a historical male? This original study uses redaction criticism and composition criticism drawing also on methods and insights from literary criticism and from the social sciences and feminist biblical studies; examines texts from late biblical and early Jewish literature where Lady Wisdom appears; discusses the function of Lady Wisdom against the backdrop of the nature of metaphor itself and in the context of the learned groups in which Lady Wisdom appears; studies the relevant passages in Matthews Gospel and its use of the metaphor to express an understanding of Jesus life and ministry; examines Matthews portrayal of Jesus as Teacher and the ways in which the evangelist uses the Wisdom metaphor to articulate his interpretation of Jesus teaching; and presents the figure of the teacher in Matthews community and the relationship between teachers Jesus-Wisdom and the portrayal of Jesus disciples in Matthews Gospel.