Which gospel writer described Jesus as the new Moses?

Answer 1

Matthew's Gospel draws parallels between Jesus and Moses, especially in the nativity account, portraying Jesus as a second Moses.

Matthew had Herod slaughter the innocent infants of Bethlehem because he feared Jesus, just as the Old Testament says that the pharaoh slaughered the Israelite infants because he feared Moses. Joseph went with Jesus to Egypt and Jesus saved his people, just as the Old Testament Joseph went to Egypt and saved his people. Matthew even says that Joseph's father was Jacob (Heli in Luke's Gospel) just as the Old Testament Joseph's father was Jacob. The author of Matthew's Gospel did this because in Deuteronomy 18:15-18, God isquoted as saying, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee [Moses] ..." and Matthew wanted to prove that this was a prophecy of Jesus.

Another parallel drawn only in Matthew's Gospel is that just as Moses went up to a mountain to receive the Law (incl. the Ten Commandments) from God, so Matthew chapter 5 says that Jesus goes up to a mountain to give a new Law in the Sermon on the Mount, which included the Beatitudes. Luke has Jesus give four of these Beatitudes, but they are given in the Sermon on the Plain, thus not drawing this parallel with Moses.

In the original gospel account of the temptation in the wilderness (Mark 1:!3), Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, tended by angels and with no suggestion that he fasted for this period. In Matthew (also in Luke), Jesus fasted for forty days, just as Moses fasted for forty days on the mountain.

Answer 2

The gospel writer who described Jesus as the new Moses is Matthew. In his gospel, Matthew portrays Jesus as the new Moses through various parallels, such as both figures delivering a significant sermon (Mount Sinai for Moses, the Sermon on the Mount for Jesus) and both being leaders who bring a new covenant or law to the people.

Answer 3

The First Book of Kings portrays Elijah as the second Moses, and the author of Mark, the original New Testament gospel, appears to have recognised this. Perhaps he was the first to describe Jesus as the new Moses, by drawing comparisons between Jesus and his predecessors. The most important comparisons are in the stories of the forty days in the wilderness (Mark 1:13) and the Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:4-13), and these appear, somewhat modified, some years later in Matthew and Luke.

The story of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness is an allusion to Elijah and Moses together. Mark 1:13 tells of Jesus going into the wilderness for forty days, ministered by angels just as Elijah was ministered by an angel and in the wilderness forty days (1 Kings 19:5-7). There is no actual suggestion in Mark that Jesus fasted in the wilderness, but those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he did do so. This brings into play the allusion to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days while he wrote the words of the Ten Commandments on tablets. Moses brought the old law to the Jews, but Jesus will bring the new law.

In the story of the Transfiguration, the appearance of Jesus changes, he is seen talking to Moses and Elijah on the mountain and the voice of God is heard, just as the appearance of Moses changed after he fasted on the mountain for 40 days, receiving the Ten commandments and hearing God. The parallel structure (1) of Mark's Gospel brings together the early allusions to Elijah and Moses and their appearance at the Transfiguration, through the pair groups BCD and B'C'D' in the following list:A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

Matthew's Gospel is known to have copied the Markan narrative, but makes the portrayal of Jesus as the second Moses even more evident in the nativity story. Here the author of Matthew sought to draw parallels between Moses and Jesus. King Herod sought to kill all the boys under two years old, just as the Old Testament pharaoh sought to kill all the boys under two years old. Like Moses, Jesus was saved from being killed. The flight to Egypt and the magi contribute to this Moses parallelism, as Jewish legends of Jesus' time told of the pharaoh received information from wise men. In Matthew, Joseph's father is called Jacob (compare Luke, where Joseph's father is called Heli), just as Joseph's father is called Jacob in the Old Testament.

(1) A parallel structure is a sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first. A variant of the more common chiastic structure, it was used in ancient texts to provide emphasis and to reinforce a message. Mark's Gospel is an excellent example of these literary forms.