Ancient Wilderness Mythologies—The Case of Space and Religious Identity Formation in the Gospel of Matthew

Abstract This article discusses the nexus of religion and wilderness by analyzing the reception and transformation of wilderness mythology from The Hebrew Bible in early Christian literature. It focuses on the impact of the Torah wilderness space on religious identity formation in the gospel of Matthew. Drawing on theories of social space and narrativity, the article compares the Torah wilderness space with that of Matthew and argues that wilderness mythology is of central importance for how the gospel of Matthew becomes effective as a religious text, which strives to form religious identity and practice.