002: Verse 1 of Matthew. Defining the Genesis of Christos in Eight Nouns

In this episode (episode 2), I provide a commentary on verse 1 of Matthew.

Verse 1 consists of eight nouns, in four pairs:

BIBLOS GENESIS
JESUS CHRISTOS
SON (OF) DAVID
SON (OF) ABRAHAM

I discuss the main debates, namely is verse 1 the original heading for the whole book?
What's the meaning of the first pair of nouns: Biblos Genesis? Is this intended to echo the name of the first book of the Bible? Or perhaps echo the naming of the first account of human ancestry (in Gen 5:1)?

Also the fourth pair of nouns (Son of Abraham) is particularly interesting because of its ambiguity. The third pair of nouns usually overshadows the significance of the fourth pair of nouns.
Is David being identified as heir of Abraham? Are the labels "son of" meant to be genealogical labels, or messianic labels, or typological labels?
So many questions ... and a few answers.

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The best overview of verse 1 is found in :
Exegetical guide to the Greek New Testament: Matthew, by Charles L. Quarles.




Note two particular SBL Papers presented at the SBL conference, November 2017:

New Light from the Papyri: The Sacred Background of “Biblos” in Matthew 1:1 Program Unit: Papyrology and Early Christian Backgrounds
Michael Theophilos, Australian Catholic University

“Son of Abraham” as Royal Title in the Gospel of Matthew and Early Judaism Program Unit: Intertextuality in the New Testament Tobias Ålöw, University of Gothenburg