Migration and Identity: A Rereading of the Child in Matthew 2:13-23

Abstract Naming is a personal and powerful action, often tied to the identity of an individual. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ name is chosen with great care, only to be almost immediately cast aside in favor of the generic form “the child” throughout his childhood in exile. This article reads Matthew 2:13-23 through a childist lens, combining migration theory with attention to the obfuscation of the child Jesus’ identity to elucidate both the experiences represented in the Gospel account, as well as its enduring significance for generations of migrant communities living into their identities today. Seeking to read Matthew 2 together with refugee communities today, this reading highlights the limits of constructed identities such as borders, nation states, and even names, while tracing the child Jesus’ development in the infancy narrative of Matthew.