Hypocrisy in Rival Traditions: A Dialogue Between Matthew and Epictetus

Abstract

The main question this dissertation answers is this: What does a dialogical comparison on hypocrisy between the rival traditions of Matthew and Epictetus reveal about Matthew’s concept of hypocrisy? I argue that a dialogical comparison between Matthew and Epictetus on hypocrisy and its function within their rival traditions accentuates similarities such as the errors of inconsistency, deception, and vainglory but also deep dissimilarities and the distinct ways that Matthew weaves hypocrisy into his Gospel such as hypocrisy’s relation to righteousness, the Law, heart, akrasia, and that hypocrisy in Matthew ultimately results from a failure to hear and obey Jesus Christ. After introducing the issue and my thesis in chapter 1, chapter 2 surveys the history of research, and chapter 3 outline this dissertation’s methodology. To compare at the level of tradition or worldview, I first show how hypocrisy functions within the individual traditions of Epictetus and Matthew. I juxtapose each tradition by means of both exegesis of pertinent passages and then synthesis of hypocrisy’s relation to other conceptual emphases in each tradition. For Epictetus, chapter 4 examines hypocrisy and pretense in Epictetus followed by a survey in chapters 5 and 6 of Stoic principles from which Epictetus’s conclusions on hypocrisy and pretense derive. For Matthew, chapters 7 and 8 give sustained exegetical attention to every instance of ὑποκριτής in Matthew. Then in chapters 9 and 10, I examine hypocrisy’s relation to key Matthean themes that give greater intelligibility to hypocrisy in Matthew. Finally, in chapter 11, I place Matthew and Epictetus in conversation. This final part of the comparison clarifies and concludes the argument by outlining the superficial similarities and deep differences implied by the juxtaposition.