This Generation Will Not Pass Away Before All These Things Take Place

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Cataldo, R. (2021). This Generation Will Not Pass Away Before All These Things Take Place. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

This study examines the apocalyptic expectation of Jesus’ imminent return from heaven in the early Jesus movement, and how Matthew and Mark respond to its failure by recasting it as fulfilled. Jesus’ return from heaven, also known as the Parousia, was expected to be a literal event that would happen soon and would be directly and universally experienced (according to the descriptions in Paul’s epistles). In response to the Parousia failing to take place, Mark and Matthew reinterpret the expectation of Jesus’ return and tie it explicitly to the events surrounding the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans—which turns a failure into a fulfillment. I focus mostly on the "Synoptic Apocalypse" passage in Mark 13, its expanded version in Matthew 24, and related materials in chapters 23-25. By comparing the close thematic language parallels to earlier apocalyptic materials in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and in the Deutero-Pauline letter of 2 Thessalonians, I argue that Mark and Matthew explicitly tie the "Parousia and the end of the age" to the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem. In the Synoptic Apocalypse passage, they both use the apocalyptic and heavenly language metaphorically to describe the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. In doing so, they spiritualize Jesus’ return, which expected earlier by Paul to be something more literal. I also look at two of Matthew’s eschatological parables and his redactions of Mark 13, which strengthen this interpretative connection between the destruction of Jerusalem and the Parousia.

Details
Author

Cataldo, Ryan

Title

This Generation Will Not Pass Away Before All These Things Take Place

Physical Description

1 online resource (52 pages) : PDF

Date

2021

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

This study examines the apocalyptic expectation of Jesus’ imminent return from heaven in the early Jesus movement, and how Matthew and Mark respond to its failure by recasting it as fulfilled. Jesus’ return from heaven, also known as the Parousia, was expected to be a literal event that would happen soon and would be directly and universally experienced (according to the descriptions in Paul’s epistles). In response to the Parousia failing to take place, Mark and Matthew reinterpret the expectation of Jesus’ return and tie it explicitly to the events surrounding the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans—which turns a failure into a fulfillment. I focus mostly on the "Synoptic Apocalypse" passage in Mark 13, its expanded version in Matthew 24, and related materials in chapters 23-25. By comparing the close thematic language parallels to earlier apocalyptic materials in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and in the Deutero-Pauline letter of 2 Thessalonians, I argue that Mark and Matthew explicitly tie the "Parousia and the end of the age" to the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem. In the Synoptic Apocalypse passage, they both use the apocalyptic and heavenly language metaphorically to describe the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. In doing so, they spiritualize Jesus’ return, which expected earlier by Paul to be something more literal. I also look at two of Matthew’s eschatological parables and his redactions of Mark 13, which strengthen this interpretative connection between the destruction of Jerusalem and the Parousia.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

History
Religion
Theology

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Christianity
Eschatology
New Testament
Parousia
Preterism
Synoptic Gospels

Subject Area

Religious Studies

Advisor(s)

Tabor, James

Committee Members

Reeves, John
Gibson, Shimon

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2021.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Cataldo_uncc_0694N_12818

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2069