Chapter 9: Gospel of Matthew

NEW TESTAMENT
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

INTRODUCTION
§ _______________ Gospel of the early church
§ Emphasizes Jesus' _______________of God's messianic promises
§ Emphasizes Jesus' _______________atonement
§ Most _______________-arranged gospel

AUTHORSHIP
§ Title - no manuscript which contains Matthew affirms authorship by anyone other than
_______________
§ External Evidence
§ Papias Statement - “Instead [of writing in Greek], Matthew arranged the
_______________in the Hebrew dialect, and each man interpreted them
as he was able” (Eusebius, EH 3.39.16)

AUTHORSHIP – QUESTIONS ABOUT PAPIA’S STATEMENT
§ What does Papias mean by “oracles”?
§ The _______________Gospel of Matthew?
§ NO trace of a _______________Gospel of Matthew until the Medieval
Age
§ Matthew does not show evidence of being a _______________
§ Mark's Aramaisms are eliminated and some OT quotes are from the
__________
§ A sayings source like “__________”? (Best Option)
§ Matthew may have written such a source that he
_______________incorporated into his Gospel
§ Does Papias mean Hebrew _______________or Hebrew literary fashion?

AUTHORSHIP
§ External Evidence
§ Irenaeus, Origen, and others also assumed that Matthew wrote his Gospel
originally in _______________
§ It is most likely that they were _______________on Papias'
statement
§ Matthew's Gospel is _______________extensively in the early patristic writers

AUTHORSHIP
§ Internal Evidence
§ Familiarity with the _______________– geography, customs, history, OT law
§ His Use of _______________- demonstrates good Jewish exegesis
§ Attack on _______________– strong negative assessment of Pharisees

, § Frequent Use of _______________& Mention of _______________– natural for
a tax-collector
§ The Calling of _______________– Levi (Mark and Luke) is called Matthew the
tax-collector
§ Matthew = "Gift of Yahweh" – may be apostolic name given by Jesus
§ Conclusion – Matthew (Levi), one of Jesus' twelve disciples responsible for the Gospel

DATE
§ External Evidence
§ Irenaeus - “Now Matthew published also a book of the Gospel among the
Hebrews in their own dialect, _______________Peter and Paul were preaching
the gospel in Rome and founding the Church” (Eusebius HE 5.8.2)
§ Problem in relation to Irenaeus’ comment about Mark’s Gospel being
written _______________Peter and Paul were dead
§ He was basing his information on _______________statement,
i.e., a pre-Gospel Hebraic source
§ He was being _______________biased, i.e., it was important to
him that an apostle wrote the first Gospel

DATE
§ Assuming _______________Authorship
§ Written during the First Century AD
§ Assuming _______________Priority
§ AD 50's onward
§ Assuming _______________Priority
§ Matthew's use of Mark (AD 65-70) sets the lower limit
§ The Didache (AD 90) and Ignatius (AD 110) use of Matthew sets the upper limit

DATE
§ Arguments for a Post-Jewish-Roman War Date
§ Reference to the destruction of _______________ (22:7) and references to the
_______________ (16:18; 18:17) suggest a date after AD 70
§ Matthew's references to the effect that something has continued “to this [very]
day” (27:8, 15)
§ Tensions between _______________and Christians seem to be at a high point
§ Matthew's gospel presents the disciples as the _______________people
of God
§ Council of _______________- Twelfth Benediction of the Birkat ha-
Minim (AD 85-90)
§ Conclusion – Matthew probably wrote his gospel between AD 70-85

AUDIENCE
§ Primarily _______________-Christian Community
§ Matthew's emphasis on Jesus as the _________________________