MATTHEW 27:51–53: MEANING, GENRE, INTERTEXTUALITY, THEOLOGY, AND RECEPTION HISTORY.

Matthew 27:51–53 is characterized by Matthean vocabulary, style, and theological themes that support viewing the passage as Matthew's composition rather than an early scribal interpolation or pre-Matthean tradition which he adopted. The structure of the text presents the account as historical narrative rather than poetry. The earliest extant interpretations treated the passage as literal history rather than fiction. Matthew viewed the resurrection of the saints at the time of the crucifixion as a fulfillment of Ezekiel 37 which signaled that the era of the new covenant and new creation had arrived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]