Prison, Penance or Purgatory: The Interpretation of Matthew 5.25-6 and Parallels
Scholarship on Matt 5.25-6 has focused on the question of whether the saying offers mundane wisdom or threatens divine judgement, with the majority concluding that it refers to eternal punishment in hell. This article examines debt-prison and related phenomena before turning to the illuminating hist...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
[2018]
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| In: |
New Testament studies
Year: 2018, Volume: 64, Issue: 2, Pages: 162-177 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Matthäusevangelium 5,25-26
/ Exegesis
/ Church
/ Schuldhaft
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| RelBib Classification: | HC New Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity XA Law |
| Further subjects: | B
Prison
B Luke 12.57-9 B Debt B Sin B Purgatory B Matthew 5.25-6 B Didache 1.5 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Scholarship on Matt 5.25-6 has focused on the question of whether the saying offers mundane wisdom or threatens divine judgement, with the majority concluding that it refers to eternal punishment in hell. This article examines debt-prison and related phenomena before turning to the illuminating history of ancient interpretation. The article concludes that the eternal damnation' gloss widely favoured today is an overinterpretation first inspired by the exigencies of fourth- and fifth-century doctrinal controversy. Instead of eternal perdition, Matt 5.25-6 and its parallels suggest a time of straits followed by possible release. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-8145 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: New Testament studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0028688517000315 |