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SCJR 11, no. 1 (2016): 1-2   

 

 

Matthias Konradt 

Israel, Church, and the Gentiles  

in the Gospel of Matthew 
(trans. Kathleen Ess; Baylor-Mohr Siebeck Studies in Early Christianity; 

Waco: Baylor University Press, 2014), hardcover, xiii + 485 pp. 
 

JAMES W. BARKER 
james.barker@wku.edu 

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101 

 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus twice dispatches his disciples to go and 

preach. He first focuses exclusively on Israel and prohibits ministry to Gentiles 

(Mt 10:5), but the resurrected Jesus sends his disciples to the Gentiles / “nations” 

(Mt 28:19-20). Konradt joins previous studies in interpreting the two missions as 

complementary, such that the disciples’ mission to Israel is unending. Therefore, 

according to Matthew, neither the Gentiles / “nations” nor the church / ekklēsia 

replaces Israel. This point was previously argued by Amy-Jill Levine in The So-

cial and Ethnic Dimensions of Matthean Social History: “Go Nowhere among the 

Gentiles” (Matt. 10:5b) (Studies in the Bible and Early Christianity 14; Lewiston: 

Edwin Mellen, 1988). 

Konradt’s volume makes a number of other perceptive insights. For example, 

he elucidates the logic behind the title “Son of David,” arguing that because Jesus 

does not become a king like David, the title must refer to David’s earlier role as 

shepherd. According to Konradt, Matthew creatively associates Jesus’ healing 

ministry with the Davidic messiah, since miraculous healings demonstrate Jesus’ 

care for his people. 

Next, Konradt presents an illuminating, thoroughgoing study of the Matthean 

“crowds” (ὄχλοι). Matthew consistently reworked his sources, Mark and Q, to 

depict the crowds in a positive light. The crowds sharply contrast with Jesus’ op-

ponents, namely the Pharisees, scribes, and priests. Yet Konradt overstates (p. 

143) by differentiating a crowd of Galilean pilgrims lauding Jesus’ entry into Je-

rusalem (Mt 21) from a crowd of Jerusalem’s permanent residents who reject 

Jesus a few days later (Mt 27). While adroitly demonstrating how the crowds al-

ways align closely with Jesus and the disciples, Konradt’s argument could be 

strengthened by recognizing the presence of this theme elsewhere, for example, in 

Mt 26:56b, when “all the disciples left [Jesus] and fled.” Despite their failure, the 

risen Jesus regathers and recommissions the disciples. The theme of rehabilitation 

could support Konradt’s thesis: the crowd’s culpability in Jesus’ condemnation 

does not undo their earlier positive reception of Jesus, and the crowd’s rejection 

of Jesus should not be generalized as all Jews rejecting Jesus. 



               

               Barker: Matthias Konradt’s Israel, Church, and the Gentiles                                2 
 

 

                   

In Konradt’s reading of Matthew, the Jewish authorities are the ones who 

most forcefully reject Jesus, and the destruction of Jerusalem—especially the 

temple—in 70 CE is the most significant consequence. Matthew prefigures this 

outcome by a trilogy of parables in chapters 21–22, but these, Konradt argues, 

should not be interpreted as generalizing a rejection of Jesus by all Israel. 

Matthew never uses the words “Judaism” and “Christianity,” and it is com-

mendable that Konradt focuses on Matthew’s terms “Israel” and “church.” 

Although Konradt argues that in Matthew the church does not supersede Israel, 

Konradt does read Matthew as replacing the priests and the Pharisees (p. 379). 

Moreover, according to Konradt’s reading of Matthew, Israel can only find salva-

tion inside the church (p. 379). If that be the case, then Matthew may not avoid 

the charge of supersessionism entirely. Regarding Matthew’s purported anti-

Judaism, Konradt contends, “Inasmuch as the Pharisees do not represent Judaism 

in Matthew ... it would be historically imprecise to label the Gospel’s anti-

Pharisaic thrust as anti-Judaism” (p. 380; emphasis in original). 

On the related question of Jesus’ Jewish praxis, Konradt rightly points out 

Jesus’ “explicit affirmation of the fundamental validity of all commandments”  

(p. 357, emphasis in original). Yet Konradt reads Matthew in conformity with 

Galatians 2 and Acts 15, such that the Matthean church most likely included Gen-

tiles who were not required to be circumcised (pp. 320 n. 295; 363). Konradt 

intentionally demurs from the interpretation of Matthew’s church as requiring cir-

cumcision in direct opposition to Paul’s teaching (e.g., David C. Sim). 

Conversely, Konradt establishes a mediating position, offering a helpful correc-

tive to interpretations of Matthew whereby Jesus sharply breaks with, or 

supersedes, Torah (e.g., Donald A. Hagner). 

The original German edition appeared in 2007, and this series—edited by 

Wayne Coppins and Simon Gathercole—translates “works by leading German 

scholars that represent outstanding contributions in their own right” (p. ix). Kon-

radt’s significant work of Matthean scholarship can now have broader influence. 

Konradt’s volume exemplifies meticulous research, astute insights, and measured 

conclusions. Kathleen Ess’s excellent English translation is most welcome, and 

she has ensured that Israel, Church, and the Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew 

will remain relevant to conversations on early Jewish–Christian relations for the 

foreseeable future.