He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures. Matthew’s main purpose is to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. These passages show that, although Matthew’s Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook. He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission (28:18-20). He records the coming of the Magi (non-Jews) to worship the infant Jesus (2:1-12), as well as Jesus’ statement that the “field is the world” (13:38). This does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. Many elements point to Jewish readership: Matthew’s concern with fulfillment of the OT (he has more quotations from and allusions to the OT than any other NT author) his tracing of Jesus’ descent from Abraham (1:1-17) his lack of explanation of Jewish customs (especially in contrast to Mark) his use of Jewish terminology (e.g., “kingdom of heaven,” where “heaven” reveals the Jewish reverential reluctance to use the name of God see note on 3:2) his emphasis on Jesus’ role as “Son of David” (1:1 9:27 12:23 15:22 20:30-31 21:9,15 22:41-45). Since his Gospel was written in Greek, Matthew’s readers were obviously Greek-speaking. The Jewish nature of Matthew’s Gospel may suggest that it was written in the Holy Land, though many think it may have originated in Syrian Antioch. Why, they ask, would Matthew, an eyewitness to the events of our Lord’s life, depend so heavily on Mark’s account? The best answer seems to be that he agreed with it and wanted to show that the apostolic testimony to Christ was not divided. However, the results of modern critical studies - in particular those that stress Matthew’s alleged dependence on Mark for a substantial part of his Gospel - have caused some Biblical scholars to abandon Matthean authorship. bible study the book of matthewĪlthough the first Gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous in holding that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author. This summary of the Gospel of Matthew provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. This Bible Study is a walk through the life of Jesus, bringing inspiration and encouragement along the way – whether you are new to the Christian faith or have been following Him for many years. The authorship of this book is attributed to Matthew, one of Jesus’ apostles who wrote about what he heard and saw Christ do during his life. It is the first book in the New Testament and one of a collection called the Four Gospels. The Book of Matthew is the gospel according to the Apostle Matthew.
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