Matthean discourse finales.
Five instances of the same phrase after a dominical discourse.
Exactly five times in his gospel, Matthew wraps up a discourse by Jesus with the same
clause: Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο Ιησους.... The five discourses are:
- The sermon on the mount: Matthew 5.1-7.29.
- The mission instructions: Matthew 10.1-11.1.
- The parables at seaside: Matthew 13.1-53.
- The last discourse of the Galilean ministry: Matthew 18.1-19.2.
- The Olivet discourse: Matthew 24.1-26.2, perhaps also including 23.1-39.
Stylistically, the finales of these five
discourses can be picked out easily across the gospel, since they are the only
instances in Matthew of εγενετο
followed by a finite verb (5-2-22+0),
which is a predominantly Lucan construction.
Sometimes the ensuing clause parallels material in another synoptic gospel. This material
is noted below. Once the clause itself is paralleled in Luke. This Lucan clause,
too, is included, though not one word of it is reflected verbatim in Matthew.
The five finales are as follows:
- The sermon on the mount ends with Matthew 7.28:
Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο
Ιησους
τους
λογους
τουτους
εξεπλησσοντο
οι
οχλοι
επι
τη
διδαχη
αυτου (and it happened that
when Jesus finished these words the crowds were amazed at his
teaching). Mark 1.22a has και
εξεπλησσοντο
επι
τη
διδαχη
αυτου (and they were
amazed at his teaching), and the next Marcan lines parallel
the next Matthean lines, as well. Luke 7.1:
Επειδη
επληρωσεν
παντα
τα
ρηματα
αυτου
εις
τας
ακοας
του
λαου,
εισηλθεν
εις
Καφαρναουμ
(when he fulfilled all his words in the hearing of the
people, he went into Capernaum). And Luke 4.32a has
και
εξεπλησσοντο
επι
τη
διδαχη
αυτου (and they were
amazed at his teaching).
- The mission discourse ends with Matthew 11.1:
Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο
Ιησους
διατασσων
τοις
δωδεκα
μαθηταις
αυτου
μετεβη
εκειθεν
του
διδασκειν
και
κηρυσσειν
εν
ταις
πολεσιν
αυτων (and it happened
that when Jesus finished ordering his twelve disciples
he departed thence to teach and to preach in their
cities).
- The parables by the sea end with Matthew 13.53:
Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο
Ιησους
τας
παραβολας
ταυτας
μετηρεν
εκειθεν
(and it happened that when Jesus finished these
parables he removed himself thence).
- The discourse on scandals ends with Matthew 19.1-2:
Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο
Ιησους
τους
λογους
τουτους
μετηρεν
απο
της
Γαλιλαιας
και
ηλθεν
εις
τα
ορια
της
Ιουδαιας
περαν
του
Ιορδανου
(and it happened that when Jesus finished these words
he removed himself from Galilee and came unto the borders
of Judea across the Jordan). Mark 10.1 has
και
εκειθεν
αναστας
ερχεται
εις
τα
ορια
της
Ιουδαιας
και
περαν
του
Ιορδανου
(and standing up thence he comes unto the borders of
Judea and across the Jordan).
- The Olivet discourse ends with Matthew 26.1-2:
Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο
Ιησους
παντας
τους
λογους
τουτους
ειπεν
τοις
μαθηταις
αυτου·
Οιδατε
οτι
μετα
δυο
ημερας
το
πασχα
γινεται,
και
ο
υιος
του
ανθρωπου
παραδιδοται
εις
το
σταυρωθηναι
(and it happened that when Jesus finished all these
words he said to his disciples: You know that after two
days the Passover is
coming, and the son of man is being delivered up to be
crucified). Mark 14.1a has ην
δε
το
πασχα
και
τα
αζυμα
μετα
δυο
ημερας
(but it was the Passover
and [feast of] Unleavened Bread
after two days). Luke 22.1 has
ηγγιζεν
δε
η
εορτη
των
αζυμων
η
λεγομενη
πασχα (but the feast
of Unleavened Bread was
at hand, which was called the Passover).
It is worth noting that Matthew seems to have had six
discourses at his disposal, not five, yet still chose to
apply his formula only five times. The discourse against
the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23.1-39, separated from
the Olivet discourse by the scene change (from the temple
to Olivet) in 24.1-3, is clearly its own unit, yet does not
receive its own finale formula. Matthew appears to be eliding
it with Olivet itself; perhaps that is why he has omitted
the incident of the widow and the mites (Mark 12.41-44 =
Luke 21.1-4), which in Mark and Luke further separates
the words against the scribes (Mark 12.38-40 = Luke 20.45-47)
from the Olivet discourse.
Why is Matthew so bent on setting five (and only five)
discourses before his readership? Is it in imitation of
the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch? Is it because he feels
that five is the most appropriate number for discourse
material (confer the five books of Papias dedicated to interpreting the
λογια
of the Lord)? Is there some other reason?
It seems odd to me that Matthew 7.28a and Luke 7.1a...:
Και
εγενετο
οτε
ετελεσεν
ο
Ιησους
τους
λογους
τουτους...
οι
οχλοι....
And it happened that when Jesus finished
these words... the crowds....
Επειδη
επληρωσεν
παντα
τα
ρηματα
αυτου
εις
τας
ακοας
του
λαου....
When he fulfilled all his words
in the hearing of the people....
...should mean virtually the same thing and come at
exactly the same point in the narrative (the close of the
sermon on the mount or plain), yet should happen to use
none of the same Greek words. Is this coincidental or
by design? Note also that the great sermon takes place in
Matthew 5.1 after Jesus has gone up onto the mountain
(εις
το ορος),
but in Luke 6.17 after Jesus has come down the mountain
to stand upon a level place
(επι
τοπου
πεδινου).
Again, is this reversal coincidental or by design?
Scan this vocabulary list for Matthew 7.28a =
Luke 7.1a (parenthetical word counts explained on my page
about synoptic
vocabulary):
οχλος,
crowd, singular or plural (50-38-41+22);
οχλοι,
plural only (31-1-16+7)
λαος,
people (14-2-36+48)
οτε,
when (12-12-12+10)
επειδη,
emphatic when (0-0-2+3);
επει,
when (3-1-1+0)
τελεω,
finish (7-0-4+1)
πληροω,
fulfill (16-2-9+16)
λογος,
word (33-24-32+65)
ρημα,
word (5-2-19+14)
εγενετο,
it happened, followed by a finite verb (5-2-22+0)
Notice the synonym pairs. In each case Matthew has
employed the first, Luke the second. Furthermore,
εγενετο
is characteristically Lucan when followed by a finite verb;
yet in this case he chooses a different construction.
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