Gospel of Matthew

Author:

• Unknown, but considered a Jewish Christian.  Some still believe this gospel was written by Matthew.  In any case, the consensus is to still call it the Gospel of Matthew.

About the Gospel of Matthew:

• Written around 85 A.D.
• Matthew’s Gospel is very Jewish in tone.  It emphasizes both the Law and its fulfillment in the Scriptures.  This allowed the Jewish Christians at that time to tie together both their Jewish history as well as their Christian faith.
• Matthew contains most of the verses in Mark (all but 60 verses).
• Matthew differs from Mark in that Matthew does the following:
  • Includes an infancy narrative as well as stories of Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection.
  • Focuses on linking Old Testament text to Jesus’ fulfillment of the Scriptures.
  • Gives more focus to the question of the Law and its observances.
• Matthew consists of a pattern in which a narrative is followed by a discourse five times. The phrase, “When Jesus finished these words” depicts the end of each section of the pattern.
• Theme:
  • The Kingdom of Heaven
    • Ethical – Calls for a human response to Jesus.
    • Ecclesial – Its saving power is made present in the world through the Church.
    • Eschatological – Its presence today is a foreshadowing of its presence in the future, at the end of time.

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