vol. 38, Issue #3

Online Journal Article: "THIS GENERATION" IN MATT 24:34: A LITERARY CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE - NEIL D. NELSON, JR.* JETS 38/3 (September 1996) 369-385

https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/38/38-3/JETS_38-3_Nelson_369-386.pdf

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Complete article may be found here:
https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/38/38-3/JETS_38-3_Nelson_369-386.pdf

"THIS GENERATION" IN MATT 24:34:
A LITERARY CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE -
NEIL D. NELSON, JR.*
JETS 38/3 (September 1996) 369-385

Excerpt:

The expression "he genea haute" (this generation) in the Olivet discourse
remains what Joseph A. Fitzmyer has termed "the most difficult phrase to
interpret in this complicated eschatological discourse."
Narrative criticism will be employed in this paper to show that "this generation"
in Matt 24:34 refers to a kind of people characterized by Matthew as unbelieving and
headed toward eschatological judgment. In the context of the discourse it
refers to that type of consummately evil and unbelieving people who deceive
and persecute the disciples of Christ until the time of the parousia, when
the true followers of Jesus are vindicated and "this generation" passes away
in judgment.This study will propose literary characterizations of the disciples and
"this generation" and show how these are keys to the purpose and interpretation
of the discourse in general and to the parable of the fig tree (Matt
24:32-35) in particular. --from page 369