Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ), Jesus, his resurrection, and his mission to the world. The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. Matthew wishes to emphasize that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church that was increasingly becoming gentile. The gospel reflects the struggles and conflicts between Jewish Christians and the other Jews, particularly with its sharp criticism of the scribes, chief priests and Pharisees, presenting the view that the Kingdom of Heaven has been taken away from them and given instead 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 emerging Christian church. Structured around alternating narratives and discourses—including the Sermon on the Mount, parables, and instructions for discipleship—it culminates in the Passion, Resurrection, and the Great Commission. The predominant scholarly view is that the gospel was written in the last quarter of the first century by an anonymous Jew familiar with technical legal aspects of scripture, though the traditional attribution still has conservative defenders. Widely popular in the early church, it was likely used by John, attributed to the beloved disciple, as a source. It is possible the gospel incorporates a source written by the disciple. Most scholars think Matthew used the Gospel of Mark and the Q source (shared with the Gospel of Luke), though alternative hypotheses that posit use of Matthew by Luke or vice versa without Q are increasing in popularity. 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.