Blutige Hände. Beobachtungen zur Rezeption alttestamentlicher Motive in Mt 27,24f.

Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of the motifs in and the interpretation of Mt 27:24f. In this context, the Matthean reception of Deut 21:1–9 in combination with the tra­ditions of the blood curse in the Old Testament prove to be an artful allusion and inversion of a Jewish ritual of purification. The Matthean dramatization of the ritual of hand washing and the blood curse, which are interwoven with such allusions, also characterize some of the narrative figures involved in the trial of Jesus particularly with regard to the question of guilt. Especially the elites – Pilate as well as the high priests and the elders – are depicted in an unfavorable light by Matthew. In a final step, the observations are interpreted in relation to their pragmatic function against the backdrop of the (reconstructed) history of the Mat­thean community.