THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH .,. .. THE ANCHOR BIBLE REFERENCE LIBRARY is designed to be a third major component ofthe Anchor Bible group, which includes the Anchor Bible commentaries on the books of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Apocrypha and the Anchor Bible Dictionary. While the Anchor Bible commentaries and the Anchor Bible Dictionary are structurally defined by their subject matter, the Anchor Bible Reference Library serves as a supplement on the cutting edge of the most recent scholarship. The series is open-ended; its scope and reach are nothing less than the biblical world in its totality, and its methods and techniques the most up-to-date available or devisable. Separate volumes will deal with one or more ofthe following topics relating to the Bible: anthropol- ogy, archaeology, ecology, economy, geography, history, languages and literatures, philosophy, religion(s), theology. 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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. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036 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 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 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 8 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 10 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