Masculinities in the Gospel of Matthew

Kendra A. Mohn traces how the constructions of nonelite men in the Gospel of Matthew negotiate expectations of elite Roman masculinity. Highlighting wealth, divine service, and dominating control, Mohn shows how the depictions of Joseph, John, Peter, and Judas shape expectations of men in terms of discipleship, power, and leadership. In Masculinities in the Gospel of Matthew: Joseph, John, Peter, and Judas, Kendra A. Mohn examines the masculinity of four figures in Matthew’s Gospel in light of ancient understandings of masculinity exemplified by Roman emperors and emulated by figures such as Herod the Great and Herod Antipas. Utilizing three criteria common to elite Roman hegemonic expressions of masculinity—wealth, divine service, and dominating control over self and others—Mohn argues that the nonelites represented by the New Testament texts negotiated ancient expectations of masculinity in a variety of ways that both subverted and upheld Roman imperial ideals. This response to dominant masculinity marked by hegemony has important implications for the understanding of critical concepts such as discipleship and leadership, as well as the expectations for masculinity expressed in contemporary religious contexts.