The Politics of Race and Ethnicity in Matthew's Passion Narrative

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Wongi Park

   Pages 1-14

3. Identifying the Dominant Narrative: Non-ethnoracial Readings of Matthew 26–27

   • Wongi Park

   Pages 15-46

4. Situating the Dominant Narrative: Deracialized Readers and Reading Locations

   • Wongi Park

   Pages 47-87

5. Constructing a Minoritized Approach: Racialized Readers and Reading Locations

   • Wongi Park

   Pages 89-106

6. Proposing an Alternative Narrative: An Ethnoracial Reading of Matthew 26–27

   • Wongi Park

   Pages 107-147

7. Conclusion

   • Wongi Park

   Pages 149-156

8. Back Matter

   Pages 157-160

   PDF

In Matthew’s passion narrative, the ethnoracial identity of Jesus comes into sharp focus. The repetition of the title “King of the Judeans” foregrounds the politics of race and ethnicity. Despite the explicit use of terminology, previous scholarship has understood the title curiously in non-ethnoracial ways. This book takes the peculiar omission in the history of interpretation as its point of departure. It provides an expanded ethnoracial reading of the text, and poses a fundamental ideological question that interrogates the pattern in the larger context of modern biblical scholarship. Wongi Park issues a critique of the dominant narrative and presents an alternative reading of Matthew’s passion narrative. He identifies a critical vocabulary and framework of analysis to decode the politics of race and ethnicity implicit in the history of interpretation. Ultimately, the book lends itself to a broader research agenda: the destabilization of the dominant narrative of early Christianity’s non-ethnoracial origins. 

• Gospel of Matthew
• race
• Passion Narrative
• Ethnicity
• Biblical criticism
• New Testament
• critical theory

“The book successfully demonstrates, through the focussed analysis of a singular example, how the broader construction of non-ethonoracial readings of Jesus more generally perpetuate deracializing logics that drive the dominant discourse of a universal Christianity transcending ethonoracial particularity. In doing so, the book elucidates some of the severe limitations of the guild of biblical studies, but also the wider implications for exegesis.” (Robert J. Myles, The Bible and Critical Theory, bibleandcriticaltheory.com, Vol. 17 (1), 2021)

“Park has presented a powerful and destabilizing reading of a story whose interpretation is seen to be dominated by a narrative shaped through an ideology of ‘white invisibility’. … It would be fascinating to see Park apply his reading strategy to other parts of the Gospel of Matthew, both those that foreground marginalization and those which seem to speak of universal hope and inclusion.” (Paul Foster, The Expository Times, Vol. 131 (11), 2020)

“This is a valuable and provocative study, informed by current race theory, which effectively challenges the lack of attention to the ethnoracial dimensions of the labelling of Jesus in previous scholarship. … The book will clearly be of value to those interested in issues of ethnicity and race in biblical interpretation, but in view of the challenges it raises one hopes that it will also find a broader readership.” (David G. Horrell, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol. 42 (5), 2020)

“Wongi Park has produced an original, fascinating, and thoroughly timely study of a symptomatically neglected topic in Matthean studies and New Testament studies more broadly. It will be particularly welcome to university and seminary faculty who wish to open their classroom discourse on Matthew’s Jesus—or any Jesus—to contemporary ideologies of race and ethnicity, not least in their political and polemical manifestations.” (Stephen D. Moore, Edmund S. Janes Professor of Biblical Studies, the Theological School, Drew University, USA)

 “In this highly original study, Wongi Park offers a powerful critique of the uses and misuses of race theory by theologians. Presenting a sophisticated understanding of race theory, he argues that the title ascribed to Jesus, “King of the Jews,” was an ethnoracial identification carrying important political significance within the Roman Empire. Park’s claims are groundbreaking, altering how we understand the Jewish identity of the historical Jesusand his followers.” (Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College, USA)

 “In this thought-provoking volume, Gideon Park challenges New Testament scholars to recognize ‘King of the Jews’ as an insult designed to minoritize Jesus.  Park’s analysis renders visible the scholarly and textual processes of minoritization and sketches a convincing alternative interpretation.  The volume is rich with methodological and interpretive insight and careful textual analysis.  I highly recommend it for those interested racializing trends within the discipline as well as in narrative portrayals of the crucified Jesus.” (Shawn Kelley, Chair, Department of Religion and Philosophy, Daemen College, USA)

• Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA

  Wongi Park

Wongi Park is a Fellow at Belmont University, USA. 

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