Reading Dreams
An Audience-Critical Approach to the Dreams in the Gospel of Matthew
- 240 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Dodson reads the dreams in the Gospel of Matthew (1: 18b-25; 2: 12, 13-15, 19-21, 22; 27: 19) as the authorial audience. This approach requires an understanding of the social and literary character of dreams in the Greco-Roman world. Dodson describes the social function of dreams, noting that dreams constituted one form of divination in the ancient world, and looks at the theories and classification of dreams that developed in the ancient world. He then moves on to demonstrate the literary dimensions of dreams in Greco-Roman literature. This exploration of the literary representation of dreams is nuanced by considering the literary form of dreams, dreams in the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, the inventiveness of literary dreams, and the literary function of dreams. The dreams in the Gospel of Matthew are then analyzed in this social and literary context. It is demonstrated that Matthew's use of dreams as a literary convention corresponds to the script of dreams in other Greco-Roman narratives. This correspondence includes the form of the Matthean dreams, dreams as a motif of the birth topos (1: 18b-25), the association of dreams and prophecy (1: 22-23; 2: 15, 23), the use of the double-dream report (2: 12 and 2: 13-15), and dreams as an ominous sign in relation to an individual's death (27: 19). An appendix considers the Matthean transfiguration as a dream-vision report.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Chapter One. Introduction
- Chapter Two. The Ancient, Social Context of Dreams
- Chapter Three. The Ancient, Literary Context of Dreams, Part I: The Script of Dreams
- Chapter Four. The Ancient, Literary Context of Dreams, Part II: The Literary Functions of Dreams
- Chapter Five. Dreams in the Gospel of Matthew
- Chapter Six. Conclusion
- Appendix: The Matthean Transfiguration as a Dream-Vision Report
- Bibliography
- Index of References
- Index of Modern Authors