(g) Eschatological Standpoint and Date.—Here the concluding Woes on the scribes and Pharisees lead up to the Last Things.
234-%, The blood of the Prophets will come on them. This is fuller than Lk of colour from Pales- tinian experiences, and of presage of the reckoning imminent. The addition of ‘ son of Barachiah’ (not in Lk) quite possibly shows that Mt took certain words in v.% as referring to events early in A.D. 68 (found in Jos. BJ IV. v. 4).
2337-8, Their house is deserted by the Divine presence till they repent. This implicit reference to the Parousia is here arbitrarily connected (against Lk 11 136) with the judgment on Jerusalem (see Charles, Eschatology, Hebrew, Jewish, and Christian, p. 528).
241-2, Destruction of the temple (cf. Mk 13}, Ac 644),
248, Tokens of this and the Parousia.
The specification*of the ‘ Parousia’ (only in this chapter in the Gospels) and the phrase συντέλεια τ. αἰῶνος, found only in Mt (ef. 1839. “0. 40 2520), point to this being a special form in which this discourse was quoted in Mt’s circle (see note below).
24+8, The preliminary troubles * (ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων).
Clearly Lk is not entirely dependent on Mk. Nor does Mt seem to be so in all parts of this discourse.
2413, Trial (θλίψις) for Christians—
Vy.10-12 are peculiar in form (see below on %-% for affinity with Did, 163-4); and in their light ν.9 may also be recognized as not altogether dependent on Mk, % referring to Jewish hatred, % to Gentile. What Mk has here, is partly in different
* These reproduce in general conception the 12 divisions or elements in the Last Times as given in an Apocalypse em- bedded in Apoc, Bar (27-301), and dating ὁ. 50-65 a.p., é.e. before the Jewish War. They are in this order—(1) The beginning of commotions; (2) slayings of the great ones; (8) the fall of many by death; (4) the sending of desolation (or ‘the sword’); (5) famine; (6) earthquakes ; [(1) terrors] ; (8) portents and incursion of the Shedim or demons; (9) the fall of tire; (10) rapine and much oppression ; (11) wickedness and unchastity ; (12) confusion from the mingling together of all these. There follows a reference to ‘the consummation of the times.’ In our Gospels we find these elements of popular Jewish Messianic expectation, blended with features drawn from the experiences of the Palestinian Church in particular, viz. the appearance of pseudo-Messiahs, and persecutions. Mt’s order keeps close to the above list, including (11) alluded to in v.12 (ἀνομία) ; while Lk’s puts (6) before (5), as in another kindred place in Apoc. Bar (708), and also alludes to (7)-(9). Charles (op. cit, 325 ff.) thinks that an independent apocalypse (ef. Eus, HZ ut. ν. 8) underlies Mt 249-8. 15-22. 20-31. H4f.),
MATTHEW, GOSPEL OF
order, and partly occurs in the Commission to the Twelve in Mt (1017-22): ef. Lk 124-12 Vy.0l2 seem very significant for Mt's date in virtue of their special phrasing (ef. the Christian section of Ascensio /rata, ο. 65-65, or else 50-10 A.D.),
244, The witness to the Gentiles.
In Mt’s form, preaching ‘in all the inhabited world’ is, in con- trast to Mk’s ‘unto all the Gentiles,’ as ‘witness to the Gentiles.’ Here we probably get the idea of the Gospel in relation to the Gentiles current among Jews in 8, Syria. In 10% we had the corresponding idea touching Israel: “the two are combined in 10% *And then shall come the end’ (in contrast to v.®), de. the συντέλεια or final climax—a unique clause in Mt and one going far to date the first Gospel at a period just before the final catastrophe of * the holy city,’ the crisis of whose fortunes is seen to be approaching, as appears from the nota bene in v.45; ef, 10%, ᾿
241-25, The final Crisis of Distress (θλίψις).
The forecast in 1 is still on the vague lines of consummate evil in Daniel (a re ce made explicit by Mt), of which Caligula’s purpose of setting up his image in the temple must have seemed the foreshadowing (οἵ, Mt’s ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ, again making more explicit what is implied in Mk, ὅπον οὐ δεῖ). Lk’s deviation, in terms of the actual events of 70, is instructive as showing that these were not vet in view in Mt and Mk; ef, also Lk 2122, (See further the article ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION.) Vy.10-25 are in the msin in terms of current Apocalyptic notions, including Dn 121; Lk 21%>-24 again presents a some- what more developed form of the tradition. The specifically Christian touches, δι. 39. 94. parallel features fal in two documents of ¢, 64-68 a.p., viz, Didaché 16, and the Christian section of the Ascensio καί. The former, which echoes its own local tradition rather than the words of any of our Gospels, has, ἐν yap ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις πληθυνθήσονταὶϊ οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται καὶ οἱ φθορεῖς, κ. στραφήσονται τὰ πρόβατα eis λύκους, K. ἡ ἀγάπη στραφήσεται εἰς μῖσος. αὐξανομένης γὰρ τῆς ἀνομίας (cf. Μι13) μισήσουσιν ἀλλήλους κ. διώξουσι kK. παραδώσουσι (Mt), καὶ τότε φανήσεται 6 κοσμοπλάνος ὡς Vids θεοῦ κ. ποιήσει σημεῖα κ. τέρατα. Here the false wonders are attributed summarily to a supreme Antichrist; yet his action may include that of many subordinate agents, as in Asc. /sai@ (4), where Nero is expected to develop into or reappear as the incarnation of Berial, and along with Berial’s hosts of evil spirits to parody Beloved’s (Messiah’s) works of power.