Messianic Rejection and Matthean Redaction:
A Study on the Temple Cleansing in Mt 21:12-17

Dr (Fr) Sebastian Mullooparambil’s just published book, “Messianic Rejection and Matthean Redaction: A Study on the Temple Cleansing in Mt 21:12-17”, is a revised version of his doctoral thesis. This scholarly book is the result of four years’ hard work. The second reader of this thesis, Prof. Dr. Richard Taylor’s words amply illustrate this point. Let me quote some extracts from Prof. Taylor’s comments: “This work is very ambitious and the result of enormous amount of labour. The theme is a major one — basically the way in which the Temple episode illustrates Matthew’s adaptation of Mark for the purpose of showing that Jesus is the promised and rejected Messiah of Israel, presented as such in the light of a rearrangement and reinterpretation of Mark’s Gospel.”

Dr Mullooparambil has produced a most competent and methodological study, showing tremendous command of biblical languages and modern languages necessary for the research. The topic is well researched and the material organized with utmost precision. The arguments are conducted with sureness of touch in what is a complicated text, and the conclusions drawn with measured care.

This is an exegetico-theological study. (Exegetical means "related to the explanation or critical interpretation of the Bible.”) He has done the study based on redaction critical analysis. There are two scientific methods of analysis in reading the Sacred Scripture: the Historical-critical analysis that is other wise known as Diachronic method and the second, Synchronic analysis. In the Diachronic method, we study the genesis (the origin) of the text and redaction criticism is one of the approaches in Diachronic Method. It assumes that the final redactor of the text has exerted maximal influence in the making of the text.

In this work, Fr. Sebastian sees the temple cleansing episode found in Mt 21:12-17 as one of the central themes of the Matthean Gospel. The author claims that Matthew has rearranged and interpreted Mark’s Gospel in the passage with the theological intension to prove that Jesus is the promised and rejected Messiah. Analyzing the editorial work of Matthew, the author has succeeded in bringing out some of the neglected aspects of the temple cleansing episode. So far, nobody has studied this passage before bringing out its centrality in Matthean Gospel.

This book proves that Fr Sebastian is a notable New Testament scholar. He has published the book coinciding with the Golden Jubilee of Dharmaram College, Bangalore. The cover price of the book is Rs. 250. You can get copies of the book from Dharmaram Publications, Bangalore for Rs. 150. Apart from the exegetical and theological explanation, you will find all your questions on the temple cleansing episode answered in this book. I strongly recommend this book to you all. Through this book, Fr Sebastian Mullooparambil CMI has done a notable contribution to biblical studies.

Currently, Fr Sebastian is teaching Sacred Scripture in Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (DVK), Pontifical Athenaeum of Philosophy, Theology, and Canon Law, Bangalore, India. He holds his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome and Doctorate in Biblical Theology from Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas, Rome.

(This book review is by Dr George Edayadiyil CMI. Fr George holds Post Graduate Degrees in both Mathematics and Sociology and further he has done his doctorate in biblical studies. Currently, he teaches Sacred Scripture in Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore. He is also the editor of the biblical section of Jeevadhara, a theological journal published from Kottayam, Kerala.)

Copyright © 2003-2007, SyroMalabar.com.  All rights reserved.