마태복음의 '반-유대주의'(Anti-Judaism)에 대한 신학적 해석

A Theological Interpretation on the Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of Matthew

Anti-Judaism, at the time of the New Testament, should be distinguished from anti-Semitism. The most important factor of Matthew's anti-Judaistic discourse is the conflict of the Pharisees as leaders of Israel. In Matthew, there is a controversy with the Pharisaic interpretation and the practice of the Tora. As a matter of fact, the debate of the Tora's interpretation, not the Tora itself, still goes on within Judaism. The ministry of Jesus takes place in Israel, and the Pharisees blame him for healing by the power of Baalsebul. As a result, Jesus declares that every sin of man can be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Spirit. In addition, Matthew understands the so-called 'Parabletheorie' under a competition of the teaching authority between the disciples and the Pharisees within Judaism. The discourse condemning the Pharisees in Matthew Ch. 23 has the characteristic of the prophetic judgment on their interpretation and the practice of the Tora. All of these arguments are based firmly on the prophetic traditions of the Old Testament as a criticism of Israel. Furthermore, they all have the theological implications that Matthew's anti-Judaistic discourse is going on inside Judaism (intra muros). Therefore, the anti-Judaistic theology of Matthew based on Jesus' prophetic words of judgment represents a kind of identity debate of early Christian community within Judaism. It could still be under a process of separation from Judaism (per murum). But in fact, Matthew's anti-Judaism was sharp enough to be used as anti-Semitism in history.