Matthew 27:45-53 as the turning of the tide in Israel's history

Abstract

Matthew considers both the fall of the Jerusalem / the Temple and the coming of the Son of Man as being anticipated in the crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus. This article argues that Matthew places these two events within his description of the history of Israel, that the events are revealed in Scripture, and that the period of the First Testament should not be viewed as concluded time. It is also argued that the so-called tension between “imminence” and “indeterminate future” must be understood from first-century Mediterranean’s perspective on time; that the key of Matthew’s understanding of time is to be found in discerning what is called the turning of the tide; and, finally, that Matthew 27:45-54 is located where, within that discourse in the plot of Matthew, this “eschatological turning of time” is reported.