Abstract:
To read the Gospel of Matthew within its 1st century religious context is to read an intensely
Jewish narrative. Central to the world of this Gospel are the Jerusalem temple, its administrators,
the chief priests, and the sacrificial system which they are charged by Jewish law to officiate.
This article assesses the Matthean portrait of the Jewish chief priests of Jesus’ day against the
scriptural backdrop which lays out their prominent role within Jewish religious life, namely
‘making atonement’ before God for the ‘sins’ of the people. In section one I sketch out the
Matthean portrait of the scripturally assigned role of the priests, connecting this portrait to
its biblical antecedents. In section two I assess the overall performance of the Matthean chief
priests against the backdrop of their assigned role. In section three I address the question of
atonement. Crucial here is 27:3–10, the account of Judas Iscariot, who returns his 30 silver
coins to the chief priests and says (27:4a; emphasis mine), ‘I have sinned, because I have handed
over innocent blood’. Here I highlight Matthew’s ironic modus operandi as he portrays the
chief priests’ non-priestly response to Judas. Additionally, I contrast Matthew’s portrait of the
Jewish chief priests with a brief portrait of Jesus’ own ministry within the Jewish community, a
ministry which fulfils the priestly role abandoned by the chief priests. I conclude my article in
section four with brief reflections on the rhetorical impact of Matthew’s portrait of the Jewish
chief priests within his overall narrative.
