Texts in Conversation
Matthew cites Hosea about God calling his son out of Egypt to depict Jesus’ childhood escape as a reenactment of Israel’s history. 4 Ezra similarly describes Israel as God’s firstborn son, mourning the nation’s suffering under foreign powers.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 2:15
New Testament
13 After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to look for the child to kill him.” 14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and went to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” 16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
4 Ezra 6:58
2 Esdras
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
56 As for the other nations, which also come from Adam, you have said that they are nothing, and are like spittle. You have likened the abundance of them to a drop that falls from a bucket. 57 Now, O Lord, behold these nations, which are reputed as nothing, being rulers over us and devouring us. 58 But we your people, whom you have called your firstborn, your only children, and your fervent lover, are given into their hands. 59 Now if the world is made for our sakes, why don’t we possess our world for an inheritance? How long will this endure?”
Date: 70–132 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, God is presented as a loving Father who draws Israel back to Himself as His son. God will bring His kingdom and destroy Israel's enemies on account of His sons. As God's sons, Israelites are under God's guidance and protection. Those who are God's sons in truth will receive His majesty, and God will rejoice in His sons forever. In Jubilees 1:25-26, God tells Israel, 'I will be their Father and they shall be My children. And they all shall be called Children of the living God ... I am their Father ... I love them.' Israel as God's son should live in righteousness. In Jubilees, physical descent from Jacob makes one part of God's children. Israel's sonship carries ethical accountability. Israel is called God's 'firstborn' son a number of times. In 4 Ezra 6:58, the suffering of 'your people whom you have called your firstborn, your only begotten' is lamented. Ethiopic Enoch 62:11 says that God will take vengeance on those who mistreat His elect children. Israelites are called the "sons of heaven" in 101:1 ..."
Wayne Allan Brindle, A Definition of the Title "Son of God" in the Synoptic Gospels (Dallas Theological Seminary, 1988), 101–103.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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