Abstract:
Individuals or societies are always pursuing their own interests. Interests
are identified in terms of domination and the retention of the status
quo against subordination and the pursuit of change. The conflict
between the first-century (after AD 70) Pharisees and the Matthean community
is identified as a conflict of interests. The Pharisees functioned
as to retain the Roman rulers and maintain the status quo, and attempted
to reconcile the Jewish community. The Matthean community predominantly
comprised the urban non-elites and rural peasants, thus the
marginalized in agrarian society. They pursued a new identity and challenged
the values of the Jewish leaders. The mere fact of its existence as
a community in the process of departing from the Jewish mainstream was
a threat to the authority of the Pharisees. The fact that the community
was still very close to Judaism was cause for intense conflict.
