A Textlinguistic Analysis of Selected Old Testament Texts in Matthew 1-4

Book excerpt: While providing exciting research opportunities, the New Testament's use of the Old Testament continues to create interpretive difficulties. Although Matthew's use of the Old Testament generated much scholarly discussion throughout the historical-critical period, during the contemporary period specific interest in Matthew's Old Testament usage seemed to decrease. Recently, however, many powerful analytical approaches have come to the fore in biblical studies, including various text-centered methods such as textlinguistics (also known as discourse analysis). This book applies one specific type of discourse grammar to several Old Testament citations in Matthew's Gospel. This analysis is presented both to initiate discussion and to show how this and similar methods might be utilized to contribute important perspectives on the New Testament's use of the Old Testament.