Abstract:
This dissertation presents a documental and bibliographic investigation, in terms of means, with exploratory ends. In the broad range, the research investigated the relation between the characteristics of the ideal of the ‘Kingdom of God’ in the ministry of Jesus and in his message, according to the Matthew narrative, from the perspective of the Exodus of Israel in Egypt. The goal is to understand the message of Jesus about the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of the Heavens, under the light of the Kingship and Reign of Iahweh in the Exodus. To obtain this end some specific goals were traced out, which are: investigate the divine kingship in the Ancient Orient, in Mesopotamia and in Ugarit; analyze the text of Ex 15:1-18 – known as the Song of the Sea, a text in which, for the first time, according to the canonical order, the idea of the Kingship of Iahweh appears; identify the distinction of the kingship of Iahweh through the analysis of the content of the Song of the Sea, in comparison with the divine kingship in the Ancient Orient; and last, identify how the meaning of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of the Heavens in Matthew is constructed in the light of the intertextuality which Matthew maintains with Exodus. Exegesis will be the main method used to analyze the biblical texts. In the exegetical analysis of the Song of the Sea the following steps will be carried out: previous translation of the text, textual criticism, form study with literary analysis, textual genre, grammatical analysis, study of place and analysis of content. The research suggests, based on the data analyzed, that there is a close relationship between the divine kingship of the Ancient Orient, as some myths present, and the existing structures of domination. They also suggest that the Exodus is the hermeneutic key for the comprehension of the Kingship and Reign of Iahweh. In this sense, the Exodus is the event from which one says: because he liberated us, Iahweh will reign forever (Ex. 15:18). Based on the comparative analysis of the divine kingship of the Ancient Orient, we identified that the kingship of Iahweh is distinct because Iahweh is a Liberating God. Finally, the research shows that the concept of the Kingship and Reign of God, according to Exodus, influenced the message of Jesus about the Kingdom of God, as registered in the Gospel of Matthew. Thus, it is possible to suggest that the Exodus should be used as a hermeneutic key for understanding the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of the Heavens in the ministry and message of Jesus.
