New Testament Ethics: The Legacies of Jesus and Paul

New Testament Ethics: The Legacies of Jesus and Paul. By Frank J. Matera. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1996. 325 pp., $20.00.

Matera does not directly engage the hermeneutical problem of applying NT ethics to contemporary life. His project is different. He probes each writing to find how its ethical vision functioned. Matera finds that the ethical teaching of the NT is inextricably bound up with the message of salvation and can be understood fully only in that light. For Jesus the ethical vision is rooted in the proclamation of the kingdom and for Paul in the "announcement of God's saving justice in Christ" (p. 9). Matera reasons that if the ethical vision of the NT cannot be separated from the message of salvation, then it should not be imposed on those outside the community of faith. As the church addresses contemporary issues, its moral vision "must ultimately be rooted in the New Testament" (p. 10).

Before engaging in his project, Matera discusses various approaches to NT ethics.

The diachronic method seeks to dig through the layers of traditions to the moral teachings of Jesus. Matera's main objections to this approach are that it fragments the NT witness and tends to devalue later NT writings. The synchronic method seeks to listen to the NT as a whole to find unifying themes that can provide a singular moral witness. While this approach preserves the integrity of the NT, it tends to silence individual voices. Matera approaches the task by assuming that the object of NT ethics should be the ethics of the writings themselves, rather than a historical reconstruction or theological synthesis. His method focuses on the literary and rhetorical aspects of each writing; that is, he offers a close reading of the texts in light of their ethical content and evaluates them on how they function to persuade audiences to live a moral life.

The book is not a comprehensive treatment of NT ethics; it does not discuss the ethics of Acts, the general epistles or the Apocalypse. The book's subtitle limits the discussion to the ethical legacies of Jesus and Paul. This means that Matera concentrates on the ethics of Jesus as portrayed by each gospel writer and the ethics of Paul as represented by each letter traditionally ascribed to Paul. The disputed letters of Paul are included in Paul's legacy, as Paul "undoubtedly provided the inspiration for those who wrote in his name" (p. 208).

Matera's treatment of the gospels is representative of his method. He explores the ethical teaching of Jesus as presented individually by each gospel writer rather than the historical Jesus. Since Mark was a source for Matthew and Luke, all three have similarities, such as the moral example of Jesus and ethics being rooted in the gospel of the kingdom. However, since each confronted a different situation and had different sources, each presents a distinctive portrait. For example, in contrast with the Markan Jesus, the Matthean Jesus creates a moral universe through the kingdom parables, and the Lukan Jesus links the kingdom with a new age of salvation marked by a reversal of fortunes. Rather than engaging in source criticism, Matera examines Matthew's sermon on the mount and Luke's sermon on the plain in their respective literary contexts. Redaction criticism, however, plays an important role to discern the distinctive features of each gospel writer. Matera does trace developing themes, but not with the assumption that they depart from the norm of Jesus, but that they represent a further reflection on how Jesus' legacy might apply to a new situation. He finds that John contains many themes of the synoptics, but developed in a new way.

He respects the occasional nature of the writings and refrains from harmonization so that each voice has opportunity to speak.

In the final chapter, Matera offers a synthesis of the legacies of Jesus and Paul.

This synthesis does not pertain to theological themes as in the case of Hays's Moral Vision of the NT, for that would tend to override the message of individual writingssomething Matera has taken pains to avoid. Matera's synthesis pertains to how the ethics of Jesus and Paul functioned. For example, his seven theses include the ideas that the moral life of believers "is a response to God's work of salvation," "is lived in and with a community of disciples who form the church" and "is an expression of faith."

Has Matera overcome the problem of ethical diversity in NT? The ethical particulars of each writing remain, since they are developments and enhancements of earlier themes in light of new situations. This development suggests that Matera's project should take us back to a unified message or theme. But this is not the case.

Matera is committed to safeguarding the message and ethic of each book. What we glean from Matera's study for today's context is how to move from contemporary theological expressions to contemporary ethics. But then in what sense is the NT ethics normative for us today? Matera does not discuss current issues as does Hays, but he does offer guidelines when discussing the household codes (pp. 223-226). Matera argues that "it is the gospel above all else that is normative for the life and teaching of the church" (p. 225) but that the normative value of texts like the household codes does not extend to the particulars, since they reflect a specific time and culture.