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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 in the Parable of the Tenants (Mark 12,1-12; Matthew 21,33-46)
Author(s): Wim J.C. Weren
Source: Biblica, Vol. 79, No. 1 (1998), pp. 1-26
Published by: GBPress- Gregorian Biblical Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/42614025
Accessed: 12-06-2016 19:40 UTC
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 in the Parable of the Tenants
(Mark 12, 1-12; Matthew 21,33-46)
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2 W.J.C. Weren
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 3
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4 W.J.C. Weren
(®) That this stanza consists of two sub-units (Bl: vv. 3-4; B2: vv. 5-6)
appears from the repetition of nnsn (vv. 3.5).
C9) Verses 4a and 4b begin with an interrogative word (na in v. 4a
and sma in v. 4b), introducing two questions apparently anticipating a
negative response. These particles are followed by the infinitive nmb. Both
in v. 4a and in v. 4b, nfrs is mentioned twice. Both verse parts contain the
perfect first person singular Crrôy in v. 4a and vpip in v. 4b).
(10) Perhaps this identification was prepared for as early as verse 6
where it appears that the owner is someone who can manipulate the clouds
and the rain.
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 5
(n) Verse 7c contains a double pun: üDfrn / nofeo and npns/ npvx.
(12) Much research has been done concerning the literary genre of Isa
5,1-7. The results differ strongly J.T. Willis, "The Genre of Isaiah 5,1-7",
JBL 96 (1977) 337-362, lists twelve different types of solutions.
(13) According to W. Schottroff, "Das Weinberglied Jesajas (Jes
5,1-7). Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Parabel", ZAW 82 (1970) 68-91, Isa
5,1-7 is a fable, but he considers v. 7 as "eine Anwendung..., welche die...
Fabel in eine Parabel... umschlagen lässt" (89). Isa 5,1-7 is also considered
to be a prophetic judgement oracle into which a parable is woven (cf. H.
Niehr, "Zur Gattung von Jes 5,1-7", BZ 30 [1986] 99-104: "eine
anklagende Gerichtsparabel"). On the basis of her study into the poetic
structure of the text Korpel, "Literary Genre", 152-155, comes to the
conclusion that Isa 5,1-7 is an allegory. Willis' proposal ("Genre", 359) is
"to classify the literary type of this pericope as a parable, and to describe
its contents as a parabolic song of a disappointed husbandman". That Isa
5,1-7 is a particular type of parable, namely a juridical parable, is defended
by A. Graffy, "The Literary Genre of Isaiah 5,1-7", Bib 60 (1979)
400-409; G. A. Yee, "A Form-Critical Study of Isaiah 5,1-7 as a Song and
a Juridical Parable", CBQ 43 (1981) 30-40; G.T. Sheppard, "More on
Isaiah 5,1-7 as a Juridical Parable", CBQ 44 (1982) 45-47. In view of these
three studies, C. A. Evans, Jesus and His Contemporaries. Comparative
Studies (AGJU 25; Leiden 1995) 396, concludes "that a consensus has
emerged in which Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard is understood as an
instance of the genre juridical parable". See also C. A. Evans, "On the
Vineyard Parables of Isaiah 5 and Mark 12", BZ 28 (1984) 82-86.
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6 W.J.C. Weren
In this section, I try to find out whether Mark 12,1-12 has been
influenced by Isaiah's song of the vineyard. I begin with a compari-
son between Mark, the Hebrew text and the LXX. Subsequently, I
present a short discussion about the Targum and 4Q500.
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 7
quotation: the Hebrew text or the LXX? The answer to this question
requires a careful comparison between the three texts. For the sake
of clarity I present a comparative table:
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8 W.J.C. Weren
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 9
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 11
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12 W.J.C. Weren
later development. This would be the case if it were only the LXX
that would have left traces in the parable of the tenants f2). From
the similarities Mark shares with the Hebrew text it appears that
references to Isa 5 were already present in the earliest strata of the
tradition and probably already formed part of the parable as it was
told by Jesus himself P).
Above, I discussed the similarities between Mark 12,1-12 and
Isa 5,1-7. There are also great differences. The New Testament text
is not a mere copy of its pendant from the Old Testament. In this
context the inverted quotation in Mark 12,1 clearly is an indicator.
The reader must be alive to the fact that also in the rest of the
parable certain elements from Isa 5,1-7 are transformed, and new
elements are introduced.
In Isaiah, the vineyard unexpectedly plays a negvuive role: it
produces bad fruit (Hebrew text); it brings forth thorns (LXX). The
vineyard in Mark, however, meets the expectations and produces
good grapes. This links up with the following transformation. In
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 13
(*) Criticism of the leaders can also be found in Isa 3,12 ("My people,
your leaders mislead you") and in Isa 3,14-15 ("The LORD enters into
judgement with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have
devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What do you
mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the
LORD GOD of hosts"). Cf. Sheppard, "More on Isaiah 5:1-7", 46. The
verb -isa (Isa 3,14 and 5,5) confirms the relationship between Isa 3,14-15
and 5,1-7.
(35) The parable is mirrored in the quotation from Ps 118,22-23: the
tenants correspond to the builders, the owner of the vineyard (ó KÚpioç toö
á^uieÀxòvoç) corresponds to God (KÚpioç), and the son corresponds to the
stone. The son is killed by the tenants in the same way that the stone is
rejected by the builders. However, the quotation also adds a new element
which is absent in the parable: God will bring about a new situation by
making the rejected stone the cornerstone. For a closer study into the
quotation from Ps 118,22-23 I refer to M. Berder, "La pierre rejetée par
les bâtisseurs ". Psaume 118,22-23 et son emploi dans les traditions juives et
dans le Nouveau Testament (EB NS 31; Paris 1996).
P6) See: J. F. Stenning, The Targum of Isaiah (Oxford 1949) 16-17;
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14 W.J.C. Weren
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 15
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 17
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 19
Matthew mentions the same four activities as Mark, and also presents
them in the same order. This means that Matthew also copied the
reversed order, as compared to the LXX, which we encountered in
Mark 12,1. In addition, the verb and the corresponding object in
Mark's text have changed places in three out of four cases as
compared to the LXX. Matthew does not adopt this transposition.
He chooses the word order of the LXX, and in one case only does he
copy the reversed order as used by Mark (&pi)^ev... At|vóv; LXX:
7tpoÀ/r)viov coposa). We have apparently come across a double
tendency. The redactor of Matthew's gospel partly copied the
rendering of Isa 5,2 in Mark 12,1; his use of that Old Testament text
is therefore as it were filtered by Mark. On the other hand, he also
partly differs from Mark 12,1; hence what we have here is also a
redactional change, which is inspired by the formulation in the LXX.
We therefore conclude that in 21,33 Matthew also goes back to the
formulation of Isa 5,1-7 in the LXX^).
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20 W.J.C. Weren
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 21
(52) In Isaiah, the image of the vineyard refers to Israel (Isa 5,7), or
more precisely, to the population of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
(Isa 5,3). In Matthew, this image is more difficult to decode. If we juxtapose
Mt 21,41 (tòv à'ineX(òva ¿kSgktexcu) and 21,43 (í| ßaaiA,eia tou Geou...
ôo0f|aexai), the conclusion emerges that the vineyard stands for the
kingdom of God, but the remainder of 21,43 speaks rather of a nation that
yields the fruits. It thus makes a close connection between the nation and
the vineyard from the parable, since that, too, is highly productive.
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22 W.J.C. Weren
(53) W. Trilling, Das wahre Israel. Studien zur Theologie des Mat-
thäusevangeliums (SANT 10; München 3 1964) 58-63, argues that Matt
21,43 has been formulated by the evangelist himself. To me it seems better
to say that in constructing this verse Matthew has used some traditional
elements.
(M) A. Ogawa, "Paraboles de l'Israël véritable? Reconsidération
critique de Mt. XXI 28 -XXII 14", NT 21 (1979) 121-149 (here 129).
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 23
after his arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus came into conflict with the
temple authorities. That original opponent is gradually replaced by
the Pharisees, i.e. a group with which Matthew's community had a
serious conflict towards the last quarter of the first century CE.
The polemic tenor of the parable is confirmed by the literary
context. In Matthew the parable of the tenants forms part of a trio,
the other two being the parables of the two sons (21,28-32: Son-
dergut ) and of the wedding feast (22,1-14; cf. Luke 14,15-24). These
three parables directly follow the discussion about Jesus' authority
in 21,23-27. The redactor has reprocessed this heterogenous material
into a consistent whole. The parable of the two sons immediately
follows Jesus' words in 21,27; the direct speech continues without
interruption. After Jesus has applied this parable to his listeners'
own conduct, he tells a second parable, again without pause or
interruption (21,33a: üAAt|v napaßoXfiv áKoúaaxe diff. Mark 12,1),
and the narrative sentence at the beginning of the third parable
(22,1: rcáXiv eírcev èv jiapaßoX,ai? aôxoïç) shows that there is a close
relationship to the two preceding parables and that Jesus is still
speaking to the same audience.
The three parables are closely related to each other. All three
emphasize doing the right thing and are concerned with the
kingdom of God (21,31.43) or with the kingdom of heaven (22,1).
The first two are linked because both of them deal with a vineyard
owner. The second and third parables have the following elements in
common: (a) in 21,37-39, we read about the son of the owner of the
vineyard, in 22,2, about the son of the king; (b) the formulation of
21,34 (ájiécTTeiXev xoòç ôoú^ouç aùxoC) is repeated in 22,3; (c) 21,36
and 22,4 are also partly similar (nùXiv àrcéateiA-ev aXA-ouç ÔoúXouç);
(d) in 22,6, the slaves are murdered; this reminds us of what has
been said in 21,35; (e) 21,41 and 22,7 are similar in that they both
contain the verb dutoAAuni, and because, in both instances, the
murderers are executed.
Thus Matthew has woven the parable of the tenants into a
lengthy unit (21,23-22,14), in which especially the chief priests and
the Pharisees function as Jesus' opponents. They are not criticized
for what they say (in 21,31.41 they in fact give the correct answer to
Jesus' questions), but for the way they act (cf. 23,3). Their lack of
positive response to John and Jesus is censured. Because they did
not believe in John, they actually resemble the second son of whom
they express their disapproval and who tells his father he will work
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24 W.J.C. Weren
in the vineyard but does not act on his words. Since they are looking
for an opportunity to eliminate Jesus they are like the tenants of
whom they themselves, when the question is put to them, declare
that they deserve to be killed. Also, they are continually contrasted
with other groups who do make the right choices: the publicans and
the prostitutes heed John's call to take the road to righteousness; the
crowds, too, appear in a favourable light: in the eyes of the crowds
John is a prophet (21,26) and they credit Jesus with the same
capability (21,46). Because of their fear of the crowds, the leaders
cannot straightaway execute their murderous plans.
The fact that the moral ideal formulated in Matt 21,43 ("a
nation that brings forth fruits") contains a negative assessment of
the attitude of the chief priests and the Pharisees does not imply that
the other characters (the publicans, the prostitutes and the crowds)
thoroughly meet the requirements of this ideal. This view is
contradicted in the parable of the wedding feast. According to the
parable the slaves are requested, after the admonishment of the first
group of invited guests, to collect everyone they can find (see õctodç
in 22,9 and nàvxaq in 22,10), without making a distinction between
the good and the bad. Thus the company in the hall consists of
people from all sections of the moral spectrum, and not exclusively
of guests who come up to the ideal expressed in 21,43. The criticism
directed at the chief priests and the Pharisees is therefore in principle
also applicable to the second group of invitees. Matt 21,43 is not
meant as a characterization of a particular, empirically definable
group but describes the criterion that in the final judgment is applied
to all groups (5S). This means that the criticism levelled at the chief
priests and the Pharisees also contains a word of warning to
disciples of Jesus who are just as unproductive as they are.
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The Use of Isaiah 5,1-7 25
* *
The Hebrew text of Isa 5,1-7 forms the starting point of a long
and intensive interpretation process. Within that process the
versions of the LXX and the Targum represent two relatively
independent moments. In both cases elements from the Hebrew text
are copied but a number of other elements are fundamentally
changed. Here we encounter the fascinating phenomenon that a text
from the Hebrew bible is again and again at the basis of new texts.
From 4Q500 we can gather that the interpretation offered by the
targumist was current in Jesus' and Matthew's time.
The parable of the tenants is a new link in this sequence.
Mark's version contains so many traces that point to the influence
of the song from Isaiah that one can safely assume that the parable
was to a large extent constructed on the basis of that ancient song. It
is especially important that Mark 12,1-12 is not only interwoven
with the versions of Isa 5,1-7 in the Hebrew text and the LXX, but is
also closely linked to the interpretation of that text in 4Q500 and the
Targum.
The similarities between Mark 12,1-12 and Isa 5,1-7 have been
borrowed by Matthew with some minor changes. Moreover, he has
further strengthened the connection between the parable and Isa
5,1-7. This means that the song from Isaiah not only played a
productive role in the genesis of Mark's version of the parable, but
that Matthew, too, in his rendering of the parable in his turn tried to
link up with the whole gamut of interpretations that sprang from the
Hebrew text of Isa 5,1-7. This point sheds new light on Matthew's
use of Scripture: his use of Isa 5,1-7 is partly determined by the
elements that were already available in his source (Mark's version).
However, he has also himself construed the interpretation offered in
Mark 12,1-12 in the light of the broad interpretation history of Isa
5,1-7. Therefore, that text not only influenced older layers in the
tradition of the parable but also the way in which that parable was
adapted by Matthew at a later stage.
The example that was elaborated here shows that Matthew
tried to found Jesus' criticism of the Jewish leaders on the
Scriptures (56). The juridical gist of Isa 5,1-7 is fully exploited, such
(56) This aim explicitly emerges when Jesus introduces a citation from
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26 W.J.C. Weren
SUMMARY
This article attempts to prove the following theses. The parable of the
tenants in Mark 12,1-12 has been constructed on the basis of the vineyard
song in Isa 5,1-7. There are connections with the Hebrew text as well as
with the LXX version. The later exegesis of Isa 5,1-7 as it is found in the
Targum and in 4Q500 has also left traces in the parable. The connections
with Isaiah were already present in the original form and they are enlarged
in the subsequent phases of the tradition. Matthew has taken almost all
references from Mark but he additionaly made links to Isa 5,1-7 which he
did not derive from Mark.
the Scriptures with a question to his opponents of whether they have never
read that text (12,3.5; 21,16). That question is also asked in 21,42
introducing the citation from Ps 118,22-23. In comparison with this citation
the references to Isa 5,1-7 are of a more implicit nature.
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