The Gospel of Matthew - Brief Article - Book Review

Currents in Theology and Mission, Dec, 2003 by David W. Kuck

By Rudolf Schnackenburg. Translated by Robert R. Barr. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2002. vii and 329 pages. Paper. $24.00.

This commentary by the well-known Roman Catholic scholar Rudolf Schnackenburg, who died in 2002, is translated from his two-volume German commentary originally published in 1985 and 1987. After a brief introduction, Schnackenburg comments in some detail on each section and smaller unit. His comments focus mainly on the sources of Matthew's material and his redaction of those sources, which he takes to be mainly Mark, Q, and special tradition. He also makes cautious judgments about the relation of the material to the historical Jesus. He draws from this study of Matthew's composition a sense of the Gospel's meaning and purpose. Although he states that "Matthew's sole aim is the Christian proclamation of salvation," he also notes continuously how Matthew has shaped the material for his own community, especially in terms of an anti-Jewish polemic that has little root in the purposes of Jesus himself. One aspect of this commentary may make it pleasing to some but frustrating to others. This commentary dispenses with all references to other scholarly views. There are no footnotes and bibliography. Schnackenburg simply states his own views, occasionally noting alternate views but rarely giving detailed arguments. The result is an uninterrupted reading of the text by a seasoned scholar. However, the reader often has little sense of how to evaluate his exegetical opinions. As one would expect of a scholar of Schnackenburg's integrity, there is little Roman Catholic "special pleading" apparent, but I would have appreciated a little more discussion of such texts as Peter's confession. For those pastors and others who want an accessible and dependable historical commentary on Matthew, this book is to be recommended.

David W. Kuck

United Theological College

Kingston, Jamaica