Download or read book The crowds in the Gospel of Matthew [electronic resource] written by J. R. C. Cousland and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2002 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation. Arguing that crowds in the Gospel of Matthew serve as a theological entity that represent the people of Israel (as opposed to their leaders), Cousland (classical, Near Eastern, and religious studies, U. of British Columbia, Canada) explores how this representation sheds light on Matthew's relationship to Judaism. Although Matthew had broken with Jewish leadership, he still had hopes of converting the Jewish people to Christianity and this tension was displayed in the ambivalent manner in which crowds were portrayed in the gospel. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.