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Matthew’s Use of Gehenna Daehoon Kang(Korean Bible University) As a case study of cosmology in the New Testament, this article seeks Matthew’s purpose of using the places of final judgment by probing the background of Gehenna and by analyzing three categories concerning the image of Gehenna in his entire Gospel. In the Old Testament, Gehenna, which was originally the valley of Hinnom, referred to a place of idol worship and of God’s punishment. In Second Temple Judaism this image was viewed as a cosmic or otherworldly place of last punishment. Against these backgrounds, Matthew employs Gehenna to speak of the cosmic-eschatological place of final punishment, as deriving from common knowledge shared by the implied author and the implied reader in the Jewish milieu of the first century. Matthew’s purpose of using the place of final punishment can be explained as follows. First, the case of Gehenna only in Matthew is purposed to warn of the kingdom’s disciples not to make light of sins (5:22) and show that the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the scribes results in making converts destined for Gehenna (23:15) and in the severe punishment (23:33). Second, the texts including Gehenna, which have parallels in Mark and Luke, are intended to teach the disciples not to fear the persecution of the world (10:28; par. Luke 12:5) and to emphasize the severe punishment of those who take their intention lightly (5:29-30; par. Mark 9:43-48) and those who look down little ones (18:8-9; par. Mark 9:43-48). Last, the place, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, is used to depict the unexpected result of the final judgment (8:12 [par. 13:28]; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). Included are the evil ones who are mixed with the righteous, who know Jesus, and who work for the Lord. Thus, Matthew employs the places of final punishment to emphasize the better righteousness for the kingdom’s disciples and to explain those who are not allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew uses cosmology for ecclesiology.
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cosmology, last punishment, Gehenna, weeping and gnashing of teeth, outer darkness
