Texts in Conversation
Matthew may allude to Deuteronomy’s curse on those who take a bribe to shed innocent blood by having Pilate declare himself innocent of Jesus’s death using similar language. If intentional, this allusion would be very unusual since Pilate, as a Roman official, would not be expected to know this detail from the Torah.
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Deuteronomy 27:25
Hebrew Bible
23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Matthew 27:24
New Testament
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” They all said, “Crucify him!” 23 He asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!” 25 In reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
Date: 70-90 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... What matters here in terms of divine service and masculinity is Judas’s acknowledgement that he has not acted as a disciple or divine servant, but instead handed over God’s servant. Judas returns to the chief priests and elders to confess his sin, saying that he has handed over “innocent blood” (αἷμα ἀθῷον). As discussed in the previous section, the phrase “innocent blood” recalls Deuteronomy 27:25, which curses anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood. (Luz notes that this phrase is used “about 19 times” in the Septuagint. Luz, Matthew, 470, note 33. Carter highlights its use in 2 Kings 21:16; 24:1-4; Jeremiah 7:5-7; 1 Maccabees 1:37; 2 Maccabees 1:7-8, as well
as the presence of blood of the innocent in Jeremiah 19:4, which includes the purchase of a potter’s field.) It also anticipates 27:24, when Pilate will claim his own innocence with respect to Jesus using the same expression, stating Jesus’s innocence by implication ..."
Mohn, Kendra Allison
Real Men: Masculinities in the Gospel of Matthew
(pp. 267-268) Brite Divinity School, 2018
* 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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