Last week was the digital release of my article “Critical Independence versus Christian Catholicity in Hugo Grotius’s Annotations on Matthew 23:2–3” in the Journal of Early Modern Christianity (JEMC), Issue 11, Volume 1. You can probably tell from the title that this article is the result of preliminary research connected to my dissertation on the “chair of Moses” saying.

Here is the abstract:

This article examines the Annotationes in Novum Testamentum of Hugo Grotius (1583–1645) at Matt 23:2–3, both to understand more about Grotius’s exegetical method and to generate additional data for the effects and uses of those verses. The following are general findings from the examination. First, Grotius shows a degree of independence to make text-critical decisions that affect translation. Second, Grotius’s interpretation of Jesus’s command to the scribes and Pharisees “who sit on the chair of Moses” depends upon an understanding of jurisprudence, eschews speculation about divine institution of the teaching office, and cuts off redeployment of Jesus’s command in contemporary polemics among Christians. Third, Grotius puts Jesus’s statements in conversation with the received wisdom from “pagan” antiquity. Fourth, Grotius demonstrates an awareness of options in the history of interpretation and desires, maybe naïvely and with some self-contradiction, to show himself in harmony with ancient Christian traditions.

It’s behind a paywall, though it may be available to some who have institutional access to the journal.

If you can’t get access to it through De Gruyter Brill or ATLA, contact me for a PDF.

I give thanks to God for his sustaining help. Although this bit of scholarship is a niche within a niche, I hope that it can prove useful to someone interested in the Gospel according to Matthew and/or Hugo Grotius. Whether the article is put to use or not, writing it sharpened my skills and gave me valuable experience, for which also I give thanks to God.