Gospel of Matthew
From Theopedia
| Gospel of Matthew |
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| Old Testament |
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| New Testament |
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Contents |
Author
The early church fathers were unanimous in that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was the author. Those who believe Matthew was dependent on Mark's Gospel have tended to believe otherwise.
Date
Due to Matthew's strong Jewish characteristics, some scholars date his Gospel around the early part of A.D. 50 when the church was largely Jewish and the gospel was preached to the Jews only (cf. Acts 11:19). Again, others who find that Matthew (and even Luke) were dependent upon Mark usually date his Gospel later, anywhere between A.D. 65-75.
Purpose
Matthew's main purpose is to prove that Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT predictions concerning the Messiah. All of the Gospel writers quote the OT, however Matthew has nine OT proof-texts that are unique to his Gospel (Matt. 1:22-23; 2:15; 2:17-18; 2:23; 4:14-16; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:35; 27:9-10).
It has also been observed that Matthew seems to group his material around blocks of material suited for instruction, so that Jesus' actions and other concerns seem less prominent in his overall purpose.
Structure
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Themes
Matthew's theme is that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah of the nation of Israel, as his frequent tying in of material with the Old Testament indicates. He specifically ties Jesus of Nazareth in with the promised descendant of David, which would have been crucial for Jewish readers of his day.
Thus Matthew's portrait of Jesus Christ is focused upon Him as the Lion of Judah more than as, for example, the suffering Servant or the preexistent Logos. As the genealogy of Jesus in the first chapter indicates, Matthew is anxious to tie in the Son of God with a real person born of the Royal Line of David.
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See also
External links
- IVP Commentary on Matthew, by Craig Keener
- Matthew: Introduction, Argument, and Outline, by Daniel B. Wallace
- Jesus as Israel: The Typological Structure of Matthew’s Gospel (PDF), by Peter Leithart
- Apologetics Bible Study: Matthew, by James Patrick Holding