Jesus’s use of hyperbole in the Gospel of Matthew

Many scholars have acknowledged that Jesus frequently uses hyperbole in his discourses. However, only a few people pay enough attention to studying this topic. On the one hand, C. Douglas and R. H. Stein have done some comprehensive studies on Jesus’s use of hyperbole, but their works now need improvement in many respects. Besides being published over a few decades ago, linguistic study has offered some insights into a better understanding of hyperbole. On the other hand, several other scholars have tried to apply those linguistic insights to understanding Jesus’s use of hyperbole. C. Cruise, S. Llewelyn, and W. Robinson are the main examples. However, their attempt so far is characteristically sporadic and not comprehensive.

This work seeks to fill the gap by applying insights from the linguistic study of hyperbole to Jesus’s use of hyperbole in the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew is chosen, among other reasons, because it provides numerous examples of Jesus’s use of hyperbole. That said, this thesis aims to be a comprehensive study of Jesus’s use of hyperbole (in the Gospel of Matthew) by utilizing insights from linguistic research.

This work consists of six chapters in total. Chapter 1 begins by outlining several studies on hyperbole within the field of linguistics. The purpose is to demonstrate what scholars have achieved in enhancing our understanding of hyperbole. Following this, the chapter will discuss various works on Jesus’s use of hyperbole to highlight the gap this thesis aims to address. Finally, this chapter will elaborate on the objectives of this thesis.

This work continues by explaining some vital aspects of hyperbole. Chapter 2 will expound on three crucial things: what hyperbole is, how we can detect it, and how we should interpret it. This attempt is important because, without a good methodology, our attempt to detect and interpret hyperbole will be arbitrary.

The following two chapters will focus on how ancient people understood and used hyperbole. Chapter 3 will discuss ten Greek and four Roman authors to see what they say about the essence of hyperbole, its forms, and its functions. Chapter 4 will investigate how ancient Jewish literature uses hyperbole. Since this literature does not discuss the essence of hyperbole, the investigation will primarily seek the forms and functions of hyperbole in this literature.

Chapter 5 is the climax of this work. This chapter will apply the methodology offered in Chapter 2 to thirty-two passages in the Gospel of Matthew. The discussion will be divided based on the intensity of hyperbole: strong, moderate, and weak or not hyperbolic. Having discussed thirty-two Matthean passages, this chapter will conclude by showing Jesus’s typical use of hyperbole and how this affects the portrayal of Jesus in the First Gospel.

Chapter 6 will summarize the thoughts and conclusions of each chapter. Concluding the work, this chapter will offer some suggestions for further research.