Righteousness in the Gospel of Matthew Literal meanings and theological functions of 'righteousness' and righteous'

This thesis examines the concept of righteousness in the Gospel of Matthew. The research explores the literal meanings and theological functions of the noun ’righteousness’ and the adjective ’righteous’ through a descriptive and comparative study of all the pericopes which include these words. The research also includes relevant information about the historical context of the text as well as the central theological themes which relate to the subject. In the research on the literal meanings, it seems that both words primarily occur in ethical teaching and that the concept of righteousness in Matthew is closely related to human conduct (e.g. Matt 5:20; 6:1). This ethic is connected to faithfulness towards the law as interpreted by Jesus. However, there could be aspects of a divine gift by grace in some of the pericopes (Matt 5:6; 6:33). It is clear that the theological functions of the concept of righteousness are both soteriological and eschatological. This is evident from the different contexts in many of the pericopes which often contain teaching about salvation or are connected to the ’kingdom’. In the final discussion, the focus is placed on a critique of the sharp division between grace and demand which often occurs in commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew. Here I relate my results to the arguments developed by Benno Przybylski. An inclusive and holistic view of righteousness is proposed where grace and demand are intertwined with each other. Finally some further implications for the research are developed where the importance of not reading the gospel of Matthew through the eyes of Paul is highlighted