Israel's Only Shepherd Matthew's Shepherd Motif and His Social Setting [Paperback]

Despite being recognized as the most 'Jewish' Gospel, many argue that Matthew was penned by someone who sought to distance himself from Judaism. Scholars have used diverse approaches for determining the relationship between Matthew and the variegated Judaism of the first century, but few recognize the important piece that the Evangelist's Christology - in particular the shepherd motif - brings to the puzzle of his socio-religious orientation.

Wayne Baxter contends that there are distinctive tendencies in the shepherd metaphor's appropriation by non-Christ-believing Jewish and Graeco-Roman authors as well as Christ-believing authors approximately contemporary with Matthew, which reflect distinct patterns of thought. By comparing these uses of the shepherd metaphor Baxter unearths clues about the Evangelist's socio-religious orientation. Baxter is able to use this to determines the metaphor's contribution to the overall theological framework of the Gospel, specifically, its Christology, soteriology, and the Evangelist's view of mission. Moreover, he is able to ascertain Matthew's socio-religious orientation, and thus, and its implications for the debate surrounding the 'parting of the ways' between Judaism and Christianity.

Illustrations
Abbreviations
1. General Introduction
Part I: The Shepherd Metaphor In Literature Related To Matthew
2. The Hebrew Bible
3. The Texts Of NCB Jews, Romans, and Christ-Believers
Part II: Matthew's Shepherd Motif And Its Socio-Religious Implications
4. A Literary Analysis Of Matthew's Shepherd Motif
5. Matthew's Socio-Religious Orientation
6. Conclusions
Select Bibliography
Index of Biblical and Other Ancient Sources
Index of Authors

Wayne Baxteris a Pastor at Mississauga Chinese Baptist Church, Canada. He has lectured at King's University College, Wilfrid Laurier University, and McMaster University.