Endnote 8 – The Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke—Of History, Theology and Literature

“Anawim” is a Hebrew term meaning “poor,” “humble,” or “afflicted.” As Brown notes, it came to mean those who, because of their condition, could not rely upon their own strength but had to rely completely upon God. Brown states, “ … under the catalyst of defeat and persecution (during the post-exilic period, 538–167 B.C.), the remnant was redefined, not in historical or tribal terms, but in terms of piety and way of life.” (351) It is Brown’s excellent hypothesis that certain of the Jewish Anawim became converts to Christianity and composed their own Jewish-Christian canticles of praise for God’s salvation in Jesus.