Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, one of the four canonical Gospels, and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of Jesus, recording his birth, his ministry from his baptism by John the Baptist, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and his mission to the world. It emphasizes that Jewish tradition should not be lost in an increasingly gentile church and presents Jesus as the Jewish Messiah who fulfills the prophecies written in the Jewish scriptures.

The gospel reflects conflicts between Jewish Christians and other Jews, particularly with its criticism of the scribes and Pharisees, presenting the view that the Kingdom of Heaven has been taken away from them and given to the church. It emphasizes Jesus’s role as the Son of David, Son of Man, and Son of God, and frames his teachings, miracles, and parables to reflect both Jewish law and the Christian church. It culminates in the Passion, Resurrection, and Great Commission, having been structured around alternating narratives and discourses.

The gospel was written in the last quarter of the first century anonymously by a Jewish author who was familiar with legal aspects of scripture and the Hebrew language. Papias of Hierapolis, a companion of the Elder and the daughters of Philip, provides the first attribution to Matthew. The text may incorporate a source from Matthew, and traditional authorship still has conservative defenders. The gospel was highly popular among early Christians; scholars increasingly contend that it was used by both Luke and John. Most scholars believe that Matthew used Mark and the Q source, but a growing number of scholars are skeptical of Q and advocate for the Farrer hypothesis or Matthean Posteriority instead.

The Synoptics follow Mark closely compared to other ancient historians’ usage of sources, though the parallels and variations are typical of ancient historical biographies. The text is the product of the second generation of the Christian movement, although it draws on the memory of the first generation of the disciples of Jesus.