The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke

754 Pages·1997·37.22 MB·English

by  Raymond E. Brown

THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH

.,.

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David Noel Freedman

/GENERAL EDITOR

THE
ANCHOR
BIBLE
REFERENCE
LIBRARY

THE BIRTH

OF THE MESSIAH

A COMMENTARY
ON THE INFANCY NARRATIVES
IN THE GOSPELS OF
MATTHEW AND LUKE

BY

Raymond E. Brown, S.S.

NEW UPDATED EDITION

ABRL
~

Doubleday

NEW YORK
LONDON
TORONTO
SYDNEY
AUCKLAND

THE ANCHOR BIBLE REFERENCE LIBRARY
PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY
a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
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THE ANCHOR BIBLE REFERENCE LIBRARY, DoUBLEDAY, and the portrayal
of an anchor with the letters ABRL are trademarks of Doubleday,
a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

First Anchor Bible Reference Library edition published October 1993
by special arrangement with Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell
Publishing Group, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Raymond Edward.
The birth of the Messiah: a commentary on the infancy narratives
in Matthew and Luke: new updated edition / by Raymond E. Brown.-
1st Anchor Bible reference library.
p.
cm.-(Anchor Bible reference library)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
1. Bible. N.T. Matthew I-II-Criticism, interpretation, etc.
2. Bible. N.T. Luke I-II-Criticism, interpretation, etc.
3. Jesus Christ-Nativity.
I. Title.
II. Series.
BS2575.2.B76
1993
226.2'06-dc20
93-11256
CIP

Nihil Obstat
Myles M. Bourke, S.T.D., S.S.L.
Censor deputatus
Imprimatur
+ PatrickJ.Sheridan,D.D.
Vicar General, Archdiocese of New York
June 22, 1993
The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet
is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those
who have granted the nihil obstat and imprimatur agree with the contents,
opinions, or statements expressed.

ISBN 0-385-47202-1
Copyright © 1977, 1993 by The Associated Sulpicians ofthe U.S.

All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America

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To the
Theological Faculties of the
Universities and Colleges
who have nominated me
for Honorary Doctorates in
Divinity, Theology, and Letters
in the years 1972 through 1992
as a most inadequate expression
of my deep gratitude

FOREWORD
(ORIGINAL EDITION)

In some ways the narratives of Jesus' birth and infancy are the last fron-
tiers to be crossed in the relentless advance of the scientific (critical) ap-
proach to the Gospels. For more conservative Christians this frontier may
be completely without demarcation, since there are still many who do not
recognize that the infancy material has an origin and a historical quality
quite different from that of the rest of the Gospels. For such Bible readers
the coming of the magi and the appearance of angels to the shepherds have
exactly the same historical value as the stories of Jesus' ministry. Yet the
stories of the ministry depend, in part at least, on traditions that have
come down from the disciples of Jesus who accompanied him during that
ministry, while we have no reliable information about the source of the
infancy material. This does not mean that the infancy narratives have no
historical value, but it does mean that one cannot make assumptions
about their historicity on the basis of their presence in the Gospels.
For many less conservative Christians the frontier demarcating the in-

fancy narratives as a separate evangelical province is all too clear. They
know that this territory has been "scouted" in the past, but in their judg-
ment it is not worth permanent settlement. For them the popular character
of these narratives with exotic magi, a birth star, angelic messengers, etc.,
means that we have here legends unworthy to be a vehicle of the pure
Gospel message. In their opinion this folklore devoid of real theology is
fit only for romantics or the naive. As a result the infancy narratives are
often overlooked or treated cursorily in seminary courses, even though
those ordained to parish ministry will have to face them every Christmas.
Books of NT introduction generally give them short shrift, dispropor-
tionate to their role in Christian theology, art, and poetic imagination.
This disproportion does no justice to the fact that people who know little
of Jesus, beyond his death on the cross and his resurrection, are often
acquainted with the Christmas story, which accordingly offers a channel
through which the Gospel can be made intelliglole to them. Perhaps the
most visible sign of neglect is the absence, in all the languages of biblical
scholarship, of a major modem commentary which treats the two infancy
narratives together.
It was from a felt need, then, that this commentary was undertaken.
Faithful to the insights of historical criticism, I shall not avoid historical

Foreword to the Original Edition
7

problems. But I am primarily interested in the role these infancy narratives
had in the early Christian understanding of Jesus. By treating the two in-
fancy narratives within the same volume, I hope to point out their com-
mon tendencies and emphases. By giving them sepmte treatments (tho
volume is divided into Book One and Book Two), I hope to show how each
fits into the theology of its respective Gospel, and thus after some reasons
for difterences between the infancy narratives. It is the central contention
of this volume that the infancy narratives are worthy vehicles of the Gos-
pel message; indeed, each is the essential Gospel story in miniature. The
appreciation for them among ordinary Christians may in part reflect senti-
mentality, as well as the fact tbat they are stories well told. But on a much
deeper level it reflects a true instinct recognizing in the infancy narrative
the essence of the Good News, namely, that God has made Himself pres-
ent to us in the life of His Messiah who walked on this earth, so truly pres-
ent that the birth of the Messiah was the birth of God's Son. I maintain
that genuine biblical criticism, for aD the historical problems that it raises,
sets this claim in clear perspective.

The commentary is meant to be both scholarly and intelligible-the
reader may judge my success-and to reach a variety of audiences: fellow
scholars, students of theology and of the Bible, and interested Christians.
The way in which I have structure<l it reflects this anticipated variety. The
biblical narrative has been divided into sections reflecting units in the
evangelists' structures. Each section begins with a translation of the Scrip-
ture. That is followed by detailed NarES which proceed verse by verse. It
is here that I have included the technical information needed by those
more professionally interested in exegesis: textual questions, problems of
translation, disputed interpretations, historical background. Neither ex-
egesis nor biblical theology should be without a detailed factual basis, and
I hope that there will be things in the NarES which will interest all. Never-
theless, it is in the CoMMENT, which follows the NarBs and can be read
without them, that I discuss the basic meaning of the biblical scene: how it
is organized, how it fits into the evangelist's theology and message, and
how he may have drawn upon pro-Gospel material or OT background in
constructing it. (Such reconstruction of the pre-Gospel history involves
considerable theorizing; and I have generally treated it last in each section
so that it will be clear that my interpretation of the meaning of the scene in
the Gospel does not depend for its validity on accepting a disputable rOo
construction.) In order to keep the CoMMENT readable, pertinent infor-
mation of a more scientific or technical nature is given in footnotes. There
are ample bibliographies, both general and sectional, to encourage further
reading. I hope that my personal insights have value, but it is also my goal
to have summarized for the reader a broad range of scholarship. I shall be
flattered if this commentary has covered previous work with enough

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Foreword to the Original Edition

thoroughness and fairness that it can provide a convenient basis for subse-
quent reflection and a text presupposed in continuing study.
I have taught a course on the infancy narratives a number of times both
in Rome and New York, and I am grateful to my students for deepening
my understanding through their questions and observations. Mary Calla-
way and Richard Stunn checked the bibliographies for accuracy. Professor
John KIelman
of St.
Mary's Seminary,
Baltimore,
has helped me
significantly as he read through the whole volume in typescript; there will
be fewer mistakes because of his observant eye. Peerless, devoted copy
editing by Robert Hewetson and the friendly help of a host of friends at
Doubleday, including Judith Dollenmayer, John Delaney, John Miles, and
Robert Heller, have bettered the book and eased the burden.
I acknowledge my scholarly debt to many writers both Jewish and
Christian. In particular, as the reader will see, the infancy narratives have
been an area in which Roman Catholic writers have shown considerable
interest because of their devotion to Mary; and from such detailed
research this commentary has profited. However, historical criticism of the
New Testament is relatively new on the Catholic scene, and many of those
studies were written at a time or with a mentality that I shall have to reject
as uncritical. As a Roman Catholic myself, I share their faith and their de-
votion; but it is my firm contention that one should not attempt to read
later Marian senSloilities and issues back into the New Testament. (I do
not mean that there is no need to relate the NT to later theology, but one
must respect historical development.) I see no reason why a Catholic's un-
derstanding of what Matthew and Luke meant in their infancy narratives
should be different from a Protestant's.
In closing, I realize that many ordinary readers will find the critical ap-
proach in this volume quite different from what they learned about the in-
fancy narratives in their early religious education. It is my hope that, once
they have adjusted to the different approach, they will recognize that I
have in fact preserved much of what they cherished in their memories of
the newborn Messiah.

Advent 1976
Union Theological Seminary, N.Y.C.

FOREWORD TO THE NEW
UPDATED EDITION

It is more than fifteen years since I wrote the above Foreword to The
Birth ofthe Messiah. I was very encouraged by the reception given that
work, especially on the part of those who wrote or told me that it made
the Gospel infancy narratives truly meaningful. In the scholarly world
the book seems to have catalyzed new attention to the infancy narra-
tives, liberating them from comparative neglect, so that the literature on
the subject in the years following 1976 was extraordinarily abundant-
nearly five hundred books and articles that are known to me! In the 1986
Catholic Biblical Quarterly I attempted a brief summary; but when
Doubleday offered me the opportunity for a new updated edition, I
realized that something like that would be totally inadequate. In the
updating I have attempted to read thoroughly and reflect on this flourish-
ing new literature. Some of it was very enlightening and gave me ideas
that I could accept enthusiastically. In particular, contributions from
narrative and literary criticism seemed to add new depth. With other
contributions I wanted to enter into debate and argue out merits. Yet
even then I often saw ways in which I could clarify my ideas and
organize them better. Still other contributions I am convinced are
wrong, but I needed space to explain why.
To make available the contributions of the last fifteen years and to
organize what I learned from them, the best idea seemed to be a
Supplement that could be added to The Birth of the Messiah, leaving
intact the original work, which has proved enduringly helpful and
popular. When I began, I never dreamed that the Supplement would run
more than a quarter of the size of the original work, increasing the total
size ofthe book from just under six hundred pages to over seven hundred
and fifty. Indeed, the Supplement is almost a small book in itself! As I
explain on the first page of the Supplement, I have constructed it in
such a way that it is very easy to use in coordination with the original
work.
I thank the publishers and editors at Doubleday for their generosity
in allowing me to do this and for their efficiency (almost taken for
granted now, after twenty-five years of working together on books).
John Kselman (now professor at Weston School of Theology in Cam-
bridge, MA), who was of so much help in reading and correcting

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Foreword to the New Updated Edition

typescript for the original edition, has continued that service for this
updated edition. Friends at universities and seminaries throughout the
country have helped by photocopying articles; and, in particular, Dr.
Cecil White, librarian at St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, CA, has
rendered yeoman service in tracking down fiendishly hard-to-get items
in the Bibliography of the Supplement.
~ write with the hope that this
major updating will serve into the next millennium.

Feast ofthe Presentation ofJesus in the Temple
February 2,1993

CONTENTS

Foreword (Original Edition)
Foreword to the New Updated Edition
Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION

Scholarship and the Infancy Narratives (§ 1)
A. The Infancy Narratives and the Rest of the Gospels
1. The Formation of the Gospels
2. The Development of Christology
B. The Infancy Narratives as History
1. The Problem of Corroborating Witnesses
2. The Problem of Con1licting Details
C. The Infancy Narratives as Vehicles of the Evangelist's
Theology
General Bibliography for the Two Infancy Narratives

BOOK ONE: THE MATTHEAN INFANCY
NARRATIVE

I. General Observations on the Matthean Gospel and Infancy
Narrative (§ 2)
A. The Matthean Gospel
B. The Matthcan Infancy Narrative
1. The Relation of Cbs. 1-2 to the Rest of the Gospel
2. The Internal Organization of Cbs. 1-2
Bibliography for the Matthean Infancy Narrative

II. The Genealogy of Jesus (§ 3)
Translation of Matt 1:1-17 and Informational Notes
Comment:
A. Matthew's Purpose in the Genealogy
1. General Observations
2. How Matthew Composed the Genealogy
3. Why the Women?

6
9
18

25-41
26
26

29
32
32
33

37
39

45-56
45
48
48
50
54

57-95
57
64
66
66
69
71

12

4. Fourteen-the Magic Number
5. Could Matthew Count?
B. Matthew's Genealogy Compared to Luke's
1. Who Was Jesus' Grandfather?
2. The Family Tree of the Son of God
Sectional Bibliography

III. The Composition of the Basic Mattbean Narrative in
1:18-2:23 (§ 4)
A. Matthew's Formula Citations of Scripture
1. Purpose of the Citations
2. Relation of the Citations to Their Context
3. Origin of the Formula Citations
B. The Detection of Pre--Mattbean Material
1. The Method Employed in the Detection
2. Summary of the Results
Sectional Bibliography

N. The Conception of Jesus (§ 5)
Translation of Matt 1:18-25 and Informational Notes
Comment:
A. Matthew's Message: the Who and the How-a
Cbristological Revelation
1. The Quis: Who Jesus Is
2. The Quomodo or the "How" of Jesus' Identity
B. The Formula Citation of Isaiah 7:14
1. The Placing of the Citation
2. Isaiah 7: 14 in the Hebrew and Greek Bibles
3. The Mattbean Use of Isaiah 7:14
C. Matthew's Use of Pre-Mattbean Material
1. The Annunciation of Birth
2. Begotten of a Virgin through the Holy Spirit
3. Summary
Sectional Bibliography

V. The Magi Come to Pay Homage to the King of the
Jews (§ 6)
Translation of Matt 2:1-12 and Informational Notes
Comment:

Contents

74
81
84
86
90
94

96-121
96
97
99
101
104
105
109
119

122-164
122
133

133
133
138
143
144
145
149
154
155
160
162
163

165-201
165
177

202-230
202
213
213
214
216
217
219
219
221
223
225
225
228
230

Contents
13

A. Matthew's Message: the Where and the Whence-Reactions
to a Christological Revelation
177
1. The Place of 2:1-12 in the Plan of Chapter Two
178
2. The Relation of the Plan to Matthew's Message
179
B. Matthew's Use of Scripture in the Service of His Message
184
1. The Formula Citation of Micah 5: 1 and II Sam 5:2 in Scene 1 184
2. The Implicit Citation of Isa 60:6 and Ps 72:10--11 in Scene 2
187
C. The Pre-Matthean Background of the Magi Story
188
1. History and Verisimilitude
188
2. The Balaam Narrative
190
D. The Magi in Subsequent Christian Piety
197
Sectional Bibliography
200

VI. Herod Unsuccessfully Seeks to Destroy the King of the
Jews (§ 7)
Translation of Matt 2:13-23 and Informational Notes
Comment:
A. Matthew's Message as Enhanced by His Use of Scripture
Chapter Two, Scene 3 (vss. 13-15)
Chapter Two, Scene 4 (vss. 16-18)
Chapter Two, Scene 5 (vss. 19-23)
B. The Three Formula Citations
1. The Citation of Hosea 11:1 in Matt 2: 15b
2. The Citation of Jer 31:15 in Matt 2:18
3. The Citation of Isa 4:3 and Judg 16:17 in Matt 2:231
C. The Pre-Matthean Background of the Herod Story
1. History and Verisimilitude
2. The Joseph/Moses Narrative
Sectional Bibliography

VII. Epilogue (§ 8)
231-232

BOOK TWO: THE LUCAN INFANCY NARRATIVE

I. General Observations on the Lucan Gospel and Infancy
Narrative (§ 9)
A. The Lucan Gospel
B. The Lucan Infancy Narrative
1. The Relation of Cbs. 1-2 to the Rest of Luke/Acts

235-255
235
239
239

Contents

250
253

256-285
256
264
265
270
270
272
279
281
282
285

286-329
286
292
292
298
299
301
303
309
310
311
316
319
320
321
327
328

330-366
330
339
339
341
346

14

2. The Internal Organization of Cbs. 1-2
Bibliography for the Lucan Infancy Narrative
n. The Annunciation of the Birth of John the Baptist (§ 10)
Translation of Luke 1:5-25 and Informational Notes
Comment:
A. The Introduction (1:5-7)
B. The Annunciation (1:8-23)
1. Echoes of Daniel in the Appearance of Gabriel
2. The Message (13-17)
3. Zechariah's Response (18-20) and the Conclusion (21-23)
C. The Epilogue (1:24-25)
D. The Relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus
Sectional Bibliography
m. The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus (§ 11)
Translation of Luke 1:26-38 and Informational Notes
Comment:
A. The Structure and the Annunciation Pattern
B. The Virginal Conception (1:34)
1. Does the Present Account Contain a Virginal Conception?
2. Did the Original Account Contain a Virginal Conception?
3. The Logic of Mary's Question in 1:34
C. The Future Accomplishments of the Child (1:32,33,35)
1. The Davidic Messiah (32-33)
2. The Son of God through the Power of the Holy Spirit (35)
D. The Portrait of Mary as Handmaid (1:38)
E. Mary and Old Testament Symbolism?
1. Daughter of Zion in the Old Testament
2. The Salutation in 1:28
3. The Ark of the Covenant in 1:35?
Sectional Bibliography

IV. The Visitati~n of Mary to Elizabeth (§ 12)

Translation of Luke 1:39-56 and Informational Notes
Comment:
A. The Structure and Composition of the Scene
B. The Visitation (1 :39-45,56)
C. The Lucan Canticles in General