Matthew 28:20

cwconrad » February 5th, 2013, 3:16 pm

Text:

Matt 28:19 πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, 20 διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.

Wieland Willker has put to me a question regarding the sequence of the participles βαπτίζοντες (variant βαπτίσαντες) and διδάσκοντες in relation to μαθητεύσατε in Mt 28:19-20. He notes that Loisy (cited below) felt that the sequnce μαθητεύσατε … βαπτίζοντες … διδάσκοντες is somewhat awkward, inasmuch as διδάσκοντες links up better with μαθητεύσατε than does βαπτίζοντες. The sequence in the Matthean text, it is argued, subordinates instruction to “baptism” and notes that in Didache “instruction” precedes baptism.

My own view of the matter is that such a reading of this text fails to take into consideration Matthew’s distinctive conception of “discipleship” and the fact that μαθητής is in fact his preferred term for one who earnestly heeds the instruction of Jesus as lawgiver and rabbi. While Matthew does indeed consider baptism important, I think it would be wrong to say that he gives it priority over instruction; the central relationship between Jesus and believer is that of διδάσκαλος and μαθητής.

Alfred Loisy, Les Évangiles Synoptiques, II, 1908, p. 752:

Le rapport grammatical et logique des deux participes βαπτίζοντες, ou βαπτίσαντες, et διδάσκοντες est passablement embarrassé; le second participe se rattache bien plus naturellement à μαθητεύσατε, si l’on omet βαπτίζοντες KTL. On observe (Holtzmann, 299) que, avec la leçon βαπτίσαντες, διδάσκοντες est explicative de μαθητεύσατε, mais il l’explique de bien loin; et que, avec la leçon βαπτίζοντες, l’instruction apparaît subordonnée au baptême, comme dans Didaché, VII, 1; mais, dans la Didaché, l’enseignement précède le baptême, et ici l’on dirait qu’il le suit. Ne semble-t-il pas que la mention du baptême altère, par l’intrusion d’une idée particulière, la définition générale du ministère apostolique et ecclésiastique, μαθητεύσατε … διδάσκοντες … ?

What do others think? In the text of Mt 28:19-20 is instruction subordinated to baptism by virtue of the priority of the participial phrase with βαπτίζοντες to the participial phrase with διδάσκοντες? Or are baptism and instruction both deemed essential elements in the process of μαθητεῦσαι?

Barry Hofstetter » February 6th, 2013, 7:06 am

My initial reaction is no, certainly not. I think we have two participles used coordinately (notice the asyndeton) to unpack what is necessary in the imperative… I’ll have more to say on this later, particularly on the comparison with the Didache.

Alan Patterson » February 6th, 2013, 6:14 pm

Carl,19 πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος,
20 διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.What is your position on πορευθέντες? Are you reading it as an Imperative?

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