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‘The Jenny and the Colt’ in Matthew’s messianic entry, Part 2: Matthew 21:7 as a reading of Mark 11:7 in Light of Zechariah 9:9
Carlson, Stephen C.
Carlson, Stephen C.
Author
Abstract
Matthew's description of Jesus taking his mount in 21:7 as "and he sat on top of them" has been a crux interpretum for centuries. Some take it literally even though it is impossible for a human to sit on two donkeys at once. Others try to avoid the problem by referring the plural pronoun "them" to the coats the disciples placed on the donkeys instead. I contend that both readings are unsatisfactory, and I bring new evidence and arguments, including Matthew's plenary reading of Zech 9:9 set forth in part 1 of the study (see CBQ 81 [2019] 62-84), to argue that the plural pronoun functions for Matthew as a whole-for-part synecdoche, where the jenny and the colt constitute a conceptual whole such that when Jesus sits on top of "them," he takes his mount on the part that fulfills the Hebrew prophecy.
Keywords
triumphal entry, Matthew 21:7, anaphoric ambiguity, synecdoche
Date
2019
Type
Journal article
Journal
Catholic Biblical Quarterly
Book
Volume
81
Issue
2
Page Range
235-251
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
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Open Access Status
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Controlled