Matthew ( Gospel)

Matthew ( Gospel)
Name	Gospel according to Matthew
Caption	Icon of Matthew the Evangelist
Author	Traditional: Matthew the Apostle (disputed)
Language	Koine Greek
Date	70–110 CE (scholarly estimates)
Genre	Gospel, narrative

Matthew ( Gospel) is one of the four canonical Gospels in the New Testament and the first book in most Christian Bible editions. It narrates the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus and has been central to Christianity for theology, liturgy, and ethics. Scholars debate its authorship, date, sources, and relationship to the Synoptic Problem, while church tradition attributes it to Matthew the Apostle.

Authorship and Date

Traditional attribution names Matthew the Apostle as author, a view preserved in the writings of Irenaeus, Papias of Hierapolis, and Origen. Modern scholarship questions apostolic authorship, citing linguistic features in Koine Greek, dependence on Mark and a lost sayings source, and absence of direct claims within the text; leading positions are argued by scholars in institutions like Oxford University, Harvard Divinity School, and the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Proposed dates cluster between the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) and the end of the first century, with common scholarly ranges c. 70–110 CE; advocates of a later date cite reception history reflected in texts such as Didache and Ignatius of Antioch.

Sources and Composition

Matthew shows clear literary dependence on Mark and shares material with the hypothetical source Q (quelle), which also underlies parts of Luke. Redaction criticism highlights Matthew’s editorial work: Matthean parallels rework Markan narratives and sayings to emphasize Jewish fulfillment themes. Scholars propose additional sources or traditions, including a special Matthean collection often labeled M, and possible oral streams circulating among communities in Antioch or Sepphoris. Comparative analysis engages methodologies from Source criticism, Form criticism, and Redaction criticism developed by figures such as Johann Jakob Griesbach and B.H. Streeter.

Structure and Content

Matthew is structured around five major discourses interspersed with narrative blocks, often seen as: the infancy narrative (linking to Davidic line and Magi), the Sermon on the Mount, missionary instructions, parables, and eschatological teaching culminating in the Passion. Its genealogy links Jesus to Abraham and David; the narrative features characters and places like Herod the Great, Bethlehem, Galilee, and Jerusalem. Literary features include fulfillment citations referencing the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), typology, and legal sayings that echo Torah traditions. The text uses genres familiar in Jewish and Greco-Roman biography to present theological portraiture.

Theology and Major Themes

Major themes include Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel, fulfillment of prophecy from texts like Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Kingdom of Heaven, ethical exhortation epitomized by the Sermon on the Mount, and a renewed interpretation of Torah authority. Ecclesiology appears with references to the church (ekklesia) and apostolic mission, influencing debates about authority linked to figures such as Peter and institutions like Rome. Eschatological expectation, judgment, and inclusion of Gentiles and Jews appear alongside social teachings that influenced thinkers from Augustine of Hippo to Martin Luther King Jr..

Historical and Cultural Context

Matthew emerges from a milieu shaped by Second Temple Judaism, post-70 CE theological recalibration, and interactions with Pharisees, Sadducees, and Samaritans. The text reflects tensions between emerging Christian identity and Jewish communities, set against the backdrop of Roman Empire governance and cities like Antioch and Capernaum. Cultural influences include Septuagint scriptural interpretation, synagogue life, and broader Hellenistic rhetorical forms, informing how Matthew frames Jesus’ teaching for a predominantly Jewish-Christian readership.

Reception and Influence

Matthew was highly esteemed in early churches in Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome and used liturgically and catechetically by figures such as Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria. Its Sermon on the Mount shaped Christian ethics, monastic rules like those of Basil of Caesarea, and medieval exegesis by Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure. During the Reformation, interpreters including John Calvin and Martin Luther debated Matthean authority and its implications for church practice. Matthew has also influenced art, iconography, hymnody, and modern scholarship in institutions such as Union Theological Seminary and The Catholic University of America.

Manuscripts and Textual History

Significant manuscripts preserving Matthew include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Washingtonianus, and Codex Bezae, with variations documented in the Textual criticism tradition. Early papyri such as P45 contain Matthean excerpts, and the Byzantine, Western, and Alexandrian text-type traditions show variant readings that have shaped modern critical editions like the Nestle-Aland and United Bible Societies texts. Patristic citations by Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, and Jerome provide further witness to its reception and textual transmission.

Category:Gospels Category:New Testament books