Abstract:
The Gospel of Matthew presents two starkly different depictions of Jesus. The earthly Jesus
of the past is a pacifist who teaches non-violence, compassion, non-retaliation, forgiveness
and love of enemies, and he lives his life according to these ideals. The other Jesus is the
eschatological figure of judgement who is the antithesis of the earthly Jesus. This Jesus is
violent, merciless and vengeful in his treatment of the wicked. The evangelist constructed
and promoted this terrible figure of judgement to assist his readers to cope with certain
situations of crisis, but in doing so he paid a steep christological price by presenting Jesus in
contradictory terms.
