interior .” 206 The final woe ( Mt 23:29-26 ) is a judgement on those would persecute and kill those sent by God . 207 In it Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for venerating the tombs of ancient martyrs while at the same time rejecting those sent by God , especially Jesus himself . 208 As such , Jesus the scribes and Pharisees on a par with those who killed righteous men in the past . 209
It is in the context of righteous men who were killed that Matthew incorporates Gen 4:1- 16 into his text . Abel is introduced in conjunction with Zechariah , the first and last murder victims in the Hebrew Canon . 210 More than that , both men are in fact presented as martyrs who died because of their faithfulness to God . 211 Matthew ’ s language regarding Abel would clearly indicate that he was influenced by the LXX . Abel is described as Ἅβελ τοῦ δικαίου , Abel the righteous .
[ The ] LXX had already heightened the distinctions between their offerings by using a different word to describe [ the brothers ’ offerings ]: θυσια (‘ sacrifice ’ or ‘ offering ’) for Cain ’ s offering and δῶρον (‘ gift ’) for Abel ’ s . Correlated with this heightened emphasis in the LXX on the moral superiority of Abel , Matthew include the descriptor ὀ δίκαιος . 212
Matthew ’ s designation of Abel as righteous could only derive from the LXX which , through its nuanced translation , clearly distinguishes between the brothers , presenting Abel as one who was righteous and whose offering was thus acceptable to God . Abel is thus seen as the protomartyr , the first in a long succession of righteous individuals who would die because of their fidelity to God . 213
206 Daniel J . Harrington , The Gospel of Matthew , ( Collegeville , MN : Liturgical Press , 1991 ), 326 . 207 Rudolf Schnackenburg , The Gospel of Matthew , ( Grand Rapids , MI : W . B . Eerdmans , 2002 ), 233 . 208 R . T France , The Gospel of Matthew , Kindle edition , ( Grand Rapids , MI : William B . Eerdmans , 2007 ),
877 . 209 David L . Turner , Matthew , Scribd . com edition , ( Grand Rapids , MI : Baker Academic , 2013 ), 909 . 210 R . T France , The Gospel of Matthew , Kindle edition , 879 . 211 David L . Turner , Matthew , Scribd . com edition , 909 . 212 Jeannine K . Brown , “ Genesis in Matthew ’ s Gospel ,” in Genesis in the New Testament , edited by
Maarten J . J . Menken & Steve Moyise , ( London : Bloomsbury , 2012 ), 51 . 213 Tom Thatcher , “ Cain and Abel in early Christian memory : a case study in ‘ the use of the Old Testament in the New ,’” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 72 , no . 4 ( 2010 ): 743 .