For example, in his popular book, the late great planet earth, first published in 1970, hal lindsey argued that matthew 24 contains the prophetical information which indicates that the generation witnessing the rebirth of israel is the same generation that will observe the fulfillment of the signs of matthew 24. Background matthew, the author, was a tax collector. Matthews sitz im leben and emphasis on the torah, acta theologica, 32 2, 2012. When you have looked at these introductory materials, you can explore further by going to other sections on the gospel of matthew. The jewish flavor of matthew s gospel is remarkable.
The contents of this gospel, and the evidence of ancient writers, show that it was written primarily for the use of the jewish nation. However, the results of modern critical studiesin particular those that stress matthew s alleged dependence on mark for a substantial part of his gospelhave caused some biblical scholars to abandon matthean authorship. Sep 07, 2018 the book of matthew is the first gospel an account of jesus life and ministry in the new testament. The way matthew then tells the story of jesus draws on a lot of symbols from jewish tradition that really convey a picture of jesus.
As i have stated before, matthew was one of the 12 apostles. What is the historical background of matthews gospel. They viewed mark as a condensation of the other two. Introduction to the book of matthew learn religions. Ifthebookreferstothebookofthe gospel of matthew, the idea could be that this is a gospel. Literature on matthew s historical context is, as one can imagine, vast. In his day, tax collectors were considered to be in the same class of society as harlots, thieves and murderers. This is evident even in the opening genealogy, which matthew traces back only as far as abraham. His gospel is the longest of the four, and some scholars believe it was the first to be written.
Life of jesus in the new testament historical background of the new testament new testament places associated with jesus names and titles. D he wrote it in aramaic for the jews in palestine who used that language. Matthew constructed his body around five distinct discourses. While matthew did not sign his own name to his gospel, the early church uniformly attested to the apostles authorship of the book. Matthew was the first one to write the good news in book form, somewhere between the years 4050 a.
Matthew 11 background information with maps and images. The book of mark was written after the destruction of jerusulem. Books and dissertations, articles and audio and video. Between malachi and matthew the persecution of the jews by gentile overlords. He rises again and commissions his disciples to spread the good news. Whenever matthew agrees with mark, the sequence and words in the greek language are almost identical. Verse by verse commentary on gospel of matthew duncan heaster. If you do not understand when, how, which, to who and why certain words are used in the bible, you will end up with a pretext a guess work of what the bible is saying. Matthew king james bible, new testament audio book. This does not deny the coming earthly kingdom, but explains the principles of gods kingdom. They were 400 silent years in the sense that no inspired writings from god came to us during that time. Matthew writes his gospel to demonstrate that jesus is the messiah, that he. Introduction this book or collection of bible studies was developed and published to provide an in depth biblical study of the life, works and teaching of jesus christ and how they apply to the life and times of todays born again believer.
The book of matthew is a gospel that contains narrative history, genealogy, parables, sermons, and some prophetic oracles. He is generally allowed to have written his gospel before any other of the evangelists. The events in the book of matthew take place almost entirely within the vicinity of palestine, an area extending roughly from caesarea philippi in the north to beersheba in the south. When christ taught of the coming earthly kingdom, he taught that its foundation was righteousness matt. This study of the historical background to the new testament begins with the close of the old testament era and traces the history of the ancient world and israel in. Whenever matthew agrees with mark, the sequence and words in. Meet matthew the apostle, tax collector, gospel writer. As we come today to the gospel of matthew, id like to bridge the gap between the old testament and the new testament because, in order to appreciate and to have a right.
The book of the prophet daniel in the hebrew bible is an excellent example of jewish apocalypticism. 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. Matthew in the picture study bible the book of matthew with. The style of the book is exactly what would be expected of a man who was once a tax collector. In matthew, jesus teaches people what it means to be part of his kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 2 background information with maps and images. The gospel reflects the struggles and conflicts between the evangelists community and the other jews, particularly with its sharp. Eusebius notes that pantaenus was a man highly distinguished for his learning. Fourth, matthew reveals important interdispensational principles about the kingdom of god. The question which naturally arises is whether or not matthew is the author of the gospel which bears his name.
Matthew authored the first gospel of the bibles new testament, now known as the gospel of matthew. The great church historian, eusebius of caesarea, writes that pantaenus, a church leader in the late 2 nd to possibly early 3 rd century, came across the hebrew version of matthew s gospel. Matthew seeks to encourage jewish christians and all future disciples to stand strong despite opposition. Jesus goes up on to a mountain to teach and there talks about. It would be especially good if someone was teaching from a curriculum about something in matthew, and wanted to use this commentary to add in insightful background information. Matthew chapter two covers the visit of the wise men, joseph and marys flight to egypt with jesus, the slaughter of the infants in bethlehem, and joseph and marys return from egypt to nazareth. All of this reading should enable you to write a 12 page section on the historical, cultural, and literary background of your passage. What is the cultural background of matthews gospel answers. It was most likely written to convince the jewish people that jesus was their messiahthe longawaited king.
Mar 17, 2017 the gospel of matthew is actually called the gospel according to matthew. The key word in matthew is kingdom and is used 28 times. The story of the storytellers the gospel of matthew from. Matthew s inclusion of monetary words three words for money not found elsewhere in scripture definitely reflect his background as a tax collector. It was written by matthew levi, the disciple of christ around 4850 a. Numerous textual indications point to an author who was a jewish christian writing for christians of similar background. Pantaenus also confirmed that matthew was the author of the first gospel. Paradoxically, the book contains some of the harshest statements in the new testament against the jews. Biblical studiesnew testament commentariesthe gospel of. Christ having, in the former chapter, armed his disciples against the corrupt doctrines and opinions of the scribes and pharisees, especially in their expositions of the law that was called their leaven, 16.
Matthew the apostle, also known as saint matthew and as levi, was, according to the new testament, one of the twelve apostles of jesus. You will find an annotated list of good online starting points for the discussion of the gospel of matthew. Matthew was knowledgeable of jewish, greek, and roman culture and would be able to speak in aramaic and greek as well as hebrew. Did he write the book or did some unknown jewish christian compile it out of various sources, using matthew s collection of the sayings of jesus and thereby attaching his name to it for apostolic authority. The gospel of matthew is a work of literary genius. This is being aired by permission of the holder litchfield associates, all rights. Oct 23, 2010 matthew s gospel is largely based on marks gospel and includes 600 of the 666 verses in mark. Literature on matthews historical context is, as one can imagine, vast. Matthew the apostle was a tax collector for herod antipas.
Prior to preaching the word of god, he worked as a tax collector in capernaum. This date allows time for matthew to have access to marks gospel, and suggests that he completed the gospel before the destruction of the temple in ad 70, because it would seem strange for the author not to mention this event in light of chapter 24. Matthews gospel, along with the gospels of luke, john, and mark, is an inspiredand thus accurate and truehistory of the life of christ. Like the other gospels, the main purpose of matthews book was to record the life and teachings of jesus. According to christian tradition, he was also one of the four evangelists and thus is also known as matthew the evangelist. The apostle matthew, also known as saint matthew and levi, was one of the twelve disciples of jesus christ. According to theologians, the gospels of matthew and luke were written after the gospel of mark. Some have argued on the basis of its jewish characteristics that matthew s gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early. Matthew 6 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole.
This book is known as the gospel of matthew because it was written by the apostle of the same name. A significant change had occurred in the concept of the coming of the messiah and. For a helpful survey of current scholarly opinion, see viljoen, f. Matthew uses much of the content from marks gospel, similar to the writer of lukes gospel. Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. With the book of malachi the old testament came to a close 400 b. This book was intricately written and arranged to make a theological point. Background to the new testament waj what about jesus. Chapter 2 matthew chapter 1 matthew chapter 1 the genealogy of jesus thebookofthegenerationofjesuschrist,thesonofdavid, thesonofabraham. Did he write the book or did some unknown jewish christian compile it out of various sources, using matthews collection of the sayings of jesus and thereby attaching his name to it for apostolic authority. The gospel according to matthew is the first book of the new testament and one of the three.
The background out of which the gospel of matthew comes is judaism which had undergone a vast doctrinal development during the four hundred years of the interbiblical period. Matthew 3 1 and in those days cometh john the baptist, preaching in the wilderness of judaea, saying, 2 repent ye. More important to matthew, in keeping with his jewish background, is the matter of theme. Throughout the book matthew shows that jesus is the christ, the messiah. To accomplish this objective, the gospel according to matthew will be used as the basis for these studies. Introduction to the gospel of matthew study resources. Matthew s gospel is largely based on marks gospel and includes 600 of the 666 verses in mark.
Our bibles move directly from the book of malachi 400 b. Follow me, he told him, and matthew got up and followed him. Matthew writes his gospel to demonstrate that jesus is the messiah, that he has the right to the throne of david as israels true king, and that he is the ultimate fulfillment of gods promise to abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to all the world 1. Consequently, matthew s gospel could have reasonably been written anywhere between ad 55 and ad 60. The jewish flavor of matthews gospel is remarkable. This is matthew s chance to give his unique perspective to the tale of jesus life, death, and resurrection. Its interesting to note that matthew, mark, and luke were all written about a generation after jesus death and resurrection.
Ive put together some observations about the book of matthew to help you see what makes this account unique. Even jesus death by crucifixion, a punishment typically. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. But between those two books there is a period of over 400 years. It tells how israels messiah, rejected and executed in israel, pronounces judgement on israel and its leaders and becomes the salvation of the gentiles. Oct 15, 20 a professionally recorded audio version of the king james bible. The gospel of matthew, although it is only twentyeight chapters long, is a very important book. In mark and luke he is called by his other name, levi. The next step is to enter your payment information. In contrast, luke, aiming to show christ as the redeemer of humanity, goes all the way back to adam. Matthew intro to matthew biblica the international bible society.
While the book possesses the same skeleton as the other gospels mark, luke, and john, it offers its own unique view of jesus. Matthew was probably written in the late 50s or early 60s a. Matthew, surnamed levi, before his conversion was a publican, or taxgatherer under the romans at capernaum. Later on this gospel, whose original text in aramaic was lost, was translated to greek. Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the gospel of matthew. Some have argued on the basis of its jewish characteristics that matthews gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early. What is the historical background of matthews gospel answers. Like the other gospels, the main purpose of matthew s book was to record the life and teachings of jesus. Book of matthew overview insight for living ministries. The gospel according to matthew is the first book of the new testament and one of the three synoptic gospels. Although the first gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous in holding that matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author.
The gospel of matthew is not chronologically arranged history. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of matthew in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Matthew, whose name means gift of the lord, was a tax collector who left his work to follow jesus 9. While jesus was having dinner at matthew s house, many tax collectors and. Matthew was a tax collector in capernaum matthew 9. Matthew was primarily written for a jewish audience. Historical background on matthews gospel deacon gary hoover provides background information to help us better understand this gospel. The gospel of matthew was written by matthew approx. What is the cultural background of matthew s gospel. This is why in the gospel according to mark and luke he is identified as levi. Intro to matthew biblica the international bible society. Jun, 2017 if you havent studied matthew, mark, luke, and john closely, you may have trouble recalling what sets each of these books apart. Matthew s gospel, along with the gospels of luke, john, and mark, is an inspiredand thus accurate and truehistory of the life of christ. The gospel of matthew is the first of the three synoptic gospels of the new testament the others are mark and luke.
The book of matthew background and why it was written. There is no guarantee that a specific passage will have important elements in each of these categories, but there will definitely be at least general historical, cultural, or literary aspects to your passage. The story of the storytellers the gospel of matthew. When jesus called matthew to follow him, he was a tax collector or publicanone of the most reviled professions in ancient judaism. In fact, genesis and matthew are the two key books of the bible. Matthew s sitz im leben and emphasis on the torah, acta theologica, 32 2, 2012. As early as ad 140, a christian named papias wrote that matthew had compiled the sayings of.
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