Women in the Genealogy of Jesus (Mark 1:1-17)

Artur Malina

Abstract

Matthew binds the story of Jesus and the Old Testament message to show the one coherent plan of God (the triple repetition of the fourteen generations) which embraces the whole of the entangled human history (the names contained in the genealogy point to the tortuous lives of protagonists). The mention of women, on the other hand, introduces the theme that will be developed from the very beginning of the narration: the righteous one fulfills the will of God even against his own plans and projects. The example of Mary's spouse, Joseph, demonstrates that also in the story that continues in the NT every relationship with God and others must be built upon righteousness. The survey of the different terms referring to righteousness confirms that the presence of women in the genealogy underscores the importance of this theme which belongs to the theological core of the Gospel of Matthew.

Keywords:

women in the Bibie, genealogy of Jesus, justice, the Gospel according to Matthew