Jesus’ Fulfilment of the Torah and Prophets

Steven James Stiles examines Jesus' teaching about the Torah in the Gospel according to Matthew as a participant and contributor to the larger phenomenon of writing texts about the Torah in Second Temple Judaism. In this light, Matthew's presentation of Jesus and his teaching concerning the Torah align well with other interpretation strategies and patterns in Second Temple Judaism. Jesus' teaching on the Torah also addresses many of the same concerns other Jewish groups in antiquity had for following the Torah properly. This approach to examining Torah interpretation in Matthew's Gospel highlights the shared concerns and assumptions between Jesus followers and other Jewish groups in antiquity. It also provides significant insight into Matthew's depiction of Jesus as Israel's Davidic-Messianic and ultimate teacher of all things concerning the kingdom of heaven.