Derek S. Dodson - Böcker

Dodson reads the dreams in the Gospel of Matthew (1:18b-25; 2:12, 13-15, 19-21, 22; 27:19) as the authorial audience.  This approach requires an understanding of the social and literary character of dreams in the Greco-Roman world.  Dodson describes the social function of dreams, noting that dreams constituted one form of divination in the ancient world, and looks at the theories and classification of dreams that developed in the ancient world. He then moves on to demonstrate the literary dimensions of dreams in Greco-Roman literature.  This exploration of the literary representation of dreams is nuanced by considering the literary form of dreams, dreams in the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, the inventiveness of literary dreams, and the literary function of dreams. The dreams in the Gospel of Matthew are then analyzed in this social and literary context.  It is demonstrated that Matthew's use of dreams as a literary convention corresponds to the script of dreams in other Greco-Roman narratives.  This correspondence includes the form of the Matthean dreams, dreams as a motif of the birth topos (1:18b-25), the association of dreams and prophecy (1:22-23; 2:15, 23), the use of the double-dream report (2:12 and 2:13-15), and dreams as an ominous sign in relation to an individual's death (27:19).  An appendix considers the Matthean transfiguration as a dream-vision report.

Dodson reads the dreams in the Gospel of Matthew (1:18b-25; 2:12, 13-15, 19-21, 22; 27:19) as the authorial audience.  This approach requires an understanding of the social and literary character of dreams in the Greco-Roman world.  Dodson describes the social function of dreams, noting that dreams constituted one form of divination in the ancient world, and looks at the theories and classification of dreams that developed in the ancient world. He then moves on to demonstrate the literary dimensions of dreams in Greco-Roman literature.  This exploration of the literary representation of dreams is nuanced by considering the literary form of dreams, dreams in the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, the inventiveness of literary dreams, and the literary function of dreams. The dreams in the Gospel of Matthew are then analyzed in this social and literary context.  It is demonstrated that Matthew's use of dreams as a literary convention corresponds to the script of dreams in other Greco-Roman narratives.  This correspondence includes the form of the Matthean dreams, dreams as a motif of the birth topos (1:18b-25), the association of dreams and prophecy (1:22-23; 2:15, 23), the use of the double-dream report (2:12 and 2:13-15), and dreams as an ominous sign in relation to an individual's death (27:19).  An appendix considers the Matthean transfiguration as a dream-vision report.

Exploring Biblical Backgrounds provides students and teachers with a rich compendium of ancient primary sources that form essential readings for studying both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Containing a wide range of comparable texts from the ancient Near East, Second Temple Judaism, the Greco-Roman world, and early Christianity, this collection furnishes students with awareness and insight of the various contexts of the Bible and views into important parallels. Headnotes to the sections and to each individual reading enable students to understand how a reading connects to the biblical text, while the expansive Scripture index provides an easy tool for identifying the biblical texts referenced in the introductions.An indispensable companion for understanding how history and ancient ideas resonate in Scripture, Exploring Biblical Backgrounds guides students through the world out of which Scripture grew and prepares readers to hear the voice with which the Bible speaks.