1. Why is the Gospel of Matthew often called the “first Gospel”?
The Gospel of Matthew is often called the first Gospel because Matthew is the first book listed in the New Testament canon and the first of the four Gospels. It attained this position because early Christians believed that it had actually been composed by one of Jesus’ own Apostles. Most likely, though, the Gospel of Matthew was termed the first Gospel because it is well-ordered and contains detailed teaching lessons, especially in Christian Ethics. And because of its emphasis on the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy, it makes a great link between the Old and New Testament.
2. Identify the probable author of the Gospel of Matthew.
The author of the Gospel of Matthew is anonymous. Today, contemporary scholarship holds that Matthew was most likely a Jewish Christian scribe who probably knew Hebrew and perhaps even a little Aramaic. The most we can say is that the author might have known the Apostle Matthew or used a source of sayings originally written in Aramaic. To add onto that, the Gospel writer then was written by a Jewish Christian for a predominantly Jewish Christian audience.
3. Offer evidence that Matthew wrote after Mark.
- The Gospel of Matthew contains 80% of Mark’s Gospel. It faithfully follows Mark’s outline of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee; journey to Jerusalem and his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
4. Give a probable date for the composition of Matthew’s Gospel.
The majority of scholars believe Matthew was written in Greek for a predominantly Greek-speaking Jewish Christian Church, probably in Antioch in Syria, probably in the 80s, perhaps AD 85.
5. List two reasons why Matthew wrote his Gospels.
To tell the people that the Church legi...
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...is division reminds us of the first five books of the Old Testament, thus suggesting a comparison between Moses (who was assigned authorship of the Pentateuch) and Jesus. This arrangement of five teachings underscores Jesus the Teacher, a major portrait of Jesus emphasized in Matthew’s Gospel.
10. Discuss the meaning and significance of these two titles of Jesus, both found in Matthew’s infancy narrative: Son of David, Emmanuel
Son of David is a favorite title for Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. It is mentioned nine times in the Gospel, including the opening verse. Matthew’s genealogy presents Jesus as Israel’s Promised savior. Emmanuel means, “God with us” and it is very significant because Jesus wants us to know that he is God and he is also God’s son, and this name therefore extends that connection that Jesus wants us to know that God is upon them, for he is God.
There are four Gospels in the new testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each one writing his perspective story about Jesus, his teachings, his works, his sacrifice, and his resurrection. At the same time, they each seem to elaborate on specific elements of Jesus. The gospel of Matthew writes about the bloodline, the ancestors of Jesus. The gospel of Mark, writes about Jesus as a servant to God. The gospel of Luke, writes about Jesus being the son of a human. The gospel of John, writes about Jesus being the son of God. Having an understanding on the focus of each gospel will help the reader know Jesus and his works better. However, this essay will concentrate on “The Gospel According to Mark,” written in Bruce Manning Metzger, translator of, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version with The Apocrypha (p. 1791). The gospel of Mark is documentation of
same as Mark. In conclusion, there is no actual evidence that Mark wrote the gospel or he even existed in the article,
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the origin of nearly everything the Christian Church teaches about Jesus. The Gospels, in turn, serve as the scale or test of truth and authenticity of everything the church teaches about Jesus. It is said that the Gospels are the link between Jesus of Nazareth and the people of every age throughout history who have claimed to be his followers. Although the Gospels teach us about Jesus’ life they may not provide concrete evidence that what they speak of is true there are several other sources.
To replace the Torah, then, the Romans created a literary equivalent, the gospel of Matthew (and shortly thereafter the Hellenistic and Roman versions known as Luke and Mark). The central literary character, called Jesus
In Matthew, Jesus performs miracles, shares parables, and teaches the way of God. The theme of Matthew 's Gospel gives evidence to Jesus as the Messiah, the son of Abraham, the one chosen by God to deliver the people from their sins (Matthew 1:1). Which places special emphasis on Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecies – the prophecy of “the Son of David’ (Matthew 12:23).
A recurring title for Jesus in the Gospel of Mark is the Son of God, which is evident in the centurion quote seen in Mark 15:39 “…when the centurion…saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’.” This scripture reference is subtitled as the Death of Jesus, which portrays Him as the Suffering Messiah for He died and came back to life. Through his pain and suffering, it was the centrepiece of God’s loving plan to save all people. The Son of God relates to Mark’s Gospel as it frequently shows the divinity and Messianic Suffering Jesus went through for the followers of the Kingdom of God.
The reason that the Gospel of Matthew is in the first place among the four Gospels is due to the early church tradition that Matthew was the earliest one who recorded Lord’s word and Jesus stories. In the fifth century, Augustine of Hippo claimed that "the canonical order of the four Gospels was the chronological order." In the late-eighteenth century, J. J. Griesbach stated that The Gospel of Mark was a short version of the combination of the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. In the nineteenth century, German scholars concluded that the Gospel of Matthew was preceded by the Gospel of Mark and Matthew used the Gospel of Mark as his primary source. No matter which theory that most New Testament scholars accept, Matthew did not simply copy sources from other Gospels, but also included his own ideas and quoted verses from the Old Testament. So the question of readers should rise is "How strong relationship did the Gospel of Matthew have with the Old Testament?" or "How accurately did Matthew use the Old Testament?
... main discourses of Jesus. Upon reading the Gospel of Matthew, readers are able to identify Jesus as the crucified Messiah and exalted Lord of the church. As the first book of a two-work narrative, Luke focuses on displaying Jesus as the universal Savior of the world, and readers are encouraged to spread the message of redemption to people of all nations. As the universally-known action story, the Gospels incorporate the drama, suffering, and hope associated with the life of Jesus, the ultimate hero. Whether people read this story through the lens of the intended audience or simply to gain understanding and knowledge about Jesus’ journey on earth, the purpose of the Gospels is clear. Despite differing elements of the Gospels, their intention to spread the wondrous story of Jesus and the coming of His kingdom throughout the world will forever remain constant.
The birth narrative of Matthew begins with a long genealogy of Jesus, which basically shows how Jesus is son of Abraham who is the father of the nation of Israel, and David the King of the Jews. This may not seem important but this genealogy shows how Jesus is connected to the Davidic line. Then we have Mary, who just found out she was pregnant and Joseph decides it is best to divorce her because he wanted to break his union with someone who is pregnant, by someone else. But behold the angel comes down and reassures Joseph that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that he should take her back into his house. The angel also said to name the child Emmanuel. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and King Herod heard of this new newborn king of the Jews and he ordered that all boys under the age of 2 be killed. The magi gave Jesus the gifts and left. In a dream, the angel of the lord told Joseph to take the child and go to Egypt and hide, Herod then died, and Jesus was safe.
This work is also said to be anonymous, and believed to have been produced in Syria within a large Jewish and Jewish-Christian community. It is apparent from a number of shared accounts, and overlapping stories of Jesus that the author of Matthew’s Gospel used Mark as a source. Although many of the stories are expanded upon, and carry different connotations, the same basic stories are found in all of the synoptic gospels, and because Mark was the first written, scholars assume it was a source used by both Matthew and Luke. It should also be noted that many of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew were not found in Mark. This led scholars to search for a second source, which resulted in the Q document. Although not available as a feasible document, Q designates a compilation of Jesus’ parables and sayings from about 50 to 70 CE, which are present in Matthew (Harris p.156). Throughout the gospel, Matthew uses formula quotations, meaning he quotes from the Old Testament. This strong relationship with the Hebrew Bible helps scholars determine that Matthew wanted to emphasize his Jewish position. This is important because his interpretations of Jesus throughout the gospel are not agreed upon by all Jews, in fact only a small fraction. Although it is obvious to the readers than John and Matthew carry very different stories of Jesus’ life, it is interesting to
The book of Matthew is said to have taken place around AD 80 to 100. Matthew constructed the book to recount his account of Jesus' life on earth. Matthew used detail to describe Jesus' life from birth to resurrection. The book emphasizes the fact that Jesus' life events were all orchestrated by God and for God. Matthew introduces Jesus as the world's one true Savior. The book of Matthew displays the fact that God's love is for all of His people.
The author’s intent is Christological. Jesus is the Son of God. He is God amongst us. Recognized titles in Matthew include Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, King, Immanuel. In addition, “the allusions and actions of Jesus of Matthew’s Jesus also communicate his Messianic claims.”2 The Gospel functions as a teaching tool and can be used liturgically. The author of Matthew intended it to be read and for his audience to understand, be engaged in and appreciate the literary devices and references. He “did not write for bad or casual readers, but in stead for good and attentive listeners. The ancient audiences were “accustomed to retain minute textual details”.3
Matthew was one of the first twelve disciples of Jesus (Matthew 9:1; 10:1-4) and therefore an eye-witness; he records more of Jesus' teaching concerning God's heavenly kingdom than the other writers, for example the entire Sermon on the Mount.
Another common theme is that the gospel should be spoken to believers and non-believers alike. Luke’s gospel was written to heighten the faith of believers and to give answers to non-believers. There were Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ, and it was spoken that the faith of God is available to both. Matthew’s audience is primarily the Jew who is familiar with the Old Testament. At many points in Jesus’s ministry, he healed people who were outcasts, as well as the poor and the sick. He provided everyone an invitation to join Him since The Kingdom of God does not belong to one particular ethnic group, nation or
The word "gospel" is a translation of the Greek word "euangelion" which means "good news. The first three books in the New Testament (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels (from Greek synoptikos, "seen together") They bear greater similarity to each other than any of the other gospels in the New Testament. Along with these similarities come some differences among the gospels, suggesting that each gospel was written for a specific audience and for a specific purpose. This paper will examine the resurrection of Jesus, while identifying the significant differences between Mark, Matthew and Luke. This paper will also analyze the differences to suggest the prominent theological perspective each gospel author might be trying to convey about the resurrection of Jesus.