Matt 18:10 in early Christology and pneumatology:: A contribution to the study of Matthean 'Wirkungsgeschichte'

The Wirkungsgeschichte of Matt. 18: 10 presents a more complex picture than so far acknowledged in Biblical and Patristic scholarship. After rehearsing the current scholarly views on Matt. 18: 10, this article discusses the ways in which this verse was interpreted by the Marcosians, by the author of the Ps.-Clementine Homilies, and in various texts by Clement of Alexandria, Aphrahat, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. A notable common element bridging temporal, geographical and ecclesiastical boundaries is the Christological interpretation of the Face (pi rho omicron sigma omega pi omicron upsilon) in Matt. 18: 10, via exegetical identification with chi alpha rho alpha kappa tau eta rho in Heb. 1:3 and epsilon iota kappa omega upsilon in Col. 1: 15. Almost equally widespread is the interpretation of the angels in Matt. 18: 10 as seven supreme angels, which is carried out via exegetical identification with the "seven eyes of the Lord" (Zech. 4: 10) and the "seven gifts of the Spirit" (Isa. 11:2-3, LXX). Less common, though also strongly represented, is the use of Matt. 18: 10 to illustrate the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit. While it is certainly true that this verse became a locus classicus of Christian angelology, and while much of patristic exegesis seized upon the obvious ethical implications of the passage, the analysis undertaken in this article shows that Matt. 18: 10 also provided scriptural proof for the doctrinal phenomena termed "Face Christology" and "angelomorphic Pneumatology".