Matthew, being one of the 12 apostles of jesus, was originally a tax collector or publican and was viewed as a betrayer by his own people. So, if matthew s gospel was a rewriting of mark s gospel, the question could perhaps be answered by understanding why the author chose to rewrite mark in an extended gospel. Matthew the evangelist, one of the 12 apostles, described in the text as a tax collector. The consensus among conservative scholars is that this book in the bible was written. John wrote to everyone, because everyone needs to meet god and only jesus can. Consequently, matthews gospel could have reasonably been written anywhere between ad 55 and ad 60. The gospel of john went through two or three editions before reaching its current form around ad 90100. I am under the impression that matthew wrote his gospel in hebrew. Well, matthews prime audience was the jewish community, so he needed to use the many prophecies of the hebrew bible to convince his readers that jesus was the messiah.
Who wrote the gospels, and how do we know for zondervan. The audience is a privileged observer which experiences things otherwise only available to certain characters like jesus. It speaks of an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its traditions, but does not say specifically that he is its author. Matthew s attention to the jewish scriptures and respect for jewish customs, as well as the structure of this gospel, indicate that it was written primarily for jewish christians rather than pagan converts. How do these christian communities, who dont even call themselves christian. In the gospel of john the lord yeshua is presented as yahweh. An analysis of the figure peter in the gospels and bible. It is plausible that matthew s gospel was written for jews of the diaspora, who would have been familiar with the septuagint or for pagan godfearers. Each gospel author, matthew, mark, luke and john, wrote to record the events of jesus life and ministry from his unique perspective. The gospel reflects the struggles and conflicts between the evangelists community and the other jews, particularly with its sharp. The closest we get to a claim of authorship is at the very end of the book of john, where the author implies that the book was written by the disciple whom jesus loved john 21. Hi guys, i hope this is the right section for my question.
When was the gospel of luke written and to whom was its. Matthew was primarily written for a jewish audience. The gospel of matthew, however, lists five women, each of whom made. The story of the storytellers the gospel of luke from. A biblical history the gospel of matthew is one of four gospels in the holy bible and the first book in chronological order presented in the new testament of the bible. Richard bauckham for whom were the gospels writ ten. Maybe you should clarify your evidence that it was not written by matthew. An analysis of the gospel of matthew in the new testament. Biblical studiesnew testament commentariesthe gospel of.
His gospel was written from a jewish viewpoint for a jewish audience. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. There is much evidence to confirm that the gospel of matthew was. So the gospels are also different because of whom they were written to. The book went through two to three stages, or editions, before reaching its current form, at the latest, around ad 80100. Gospel of john when and why was it written berean bible. The gospel of mark recounts prior revelations in jesus lifetime on earth, at his baptism and transfiguration. St jerome too repeatedly declared that matthew wrote his gospel in hebrew ad damasum, xx, ad hedib. Third, the reference of the least brothers to all people is in accordance with the christology of matthews gospel. The gospel according to matthew is the first book of the new testament and one of the three synoptic gospels. Sep 21, 2011 for the first 1,500 years of christianity, the church unanimously held that the gospels were historically written in the order we find them in the canon. Its true that they include many of the same stories and teachings, as well as many of the same miracles and events. So matthew speaks to the jews and the deeply religious of our day. As usual, jesus selects those who the world despises to become his disciples showing that god is no respecter of persons.
The consensus among conservative scholars is that this book in the bible was written between. In contrast to either mark or matthew, luke s gospel is clearly written more for a gentile audience. Who was the intended audience of matthews gospel answers. Matthew and luke go back further still, showing jesus as the son of god from his birth. Sep 07, 2018 matthew seems to have written this gospel to a christian audience who was either jewish or highly familiar with the jewish religion.
Basically he said that the gospels were not written until at least 40100 years after jesus, and that they were definitley not written by matthew, mark, luke or john. Matthew s gospel is clearly written for a jewish christian audience living within the immediate proximity of the homeland itself. Luke is traditionally thought of as one of pauls traveling companions and its certainly the. Matthew lesson 1a verse by verse ministry international. Depending on who you take as a source, the gospel of matthew was written between 70 100 c. Matthews gospel is clearly written for a jewish christian audience living within the. While the book doesnt say to my jewish friends, a mountain of context clues tell us that matthew really wanted his audience to see christ in relationship to jewish traditionwhich would have had little. Browse essays about gospel of matthew and find inspiration.
It tells how israels messiah, rejected and executed in israel, pronounces judgement on israel and its leaders and becomes the salvation of the gentiles. The author to whom all the world, and all the ancients, ascribe the gospel of matthew was the actual author of matthew. The mass human sentiment experienced in the gospel of st. More than mark and luke, the gospel of matthew explicitly cites old testament messianic prophesies and shows how yeshua fulfilled them. Who was the intended audience for the book of matthew. Written testimonies going back as early as the beginning of the second century assure us that st matthew was the first to write down the gospel of jesus christ in the language of the hebrews. Matthews gospel is clearly written for a jewish christian audience living within the immediate proximity of the homeland itself. It is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its. John the evangelist wrote the fourth and last main gospel in the holy christian bible between 90100ce. While there is still argument over whether the gospel was written in hebrew or greek, it is unanimously agreed that the recipients were jewish or christianjewish people, who had converted to following jesus. The gospel according to matthew is the first book of the new testament and one of the three. The missional audience of the gospel of matthew jstor.
And its very important that jesus for matthew is fully a man from israel. All three synoptic gospels record an account of jesus calling a tax collector. The church is a place of wheat and taxes, epitomised in the characterisation of peter matt 14. Consequently, matthew s gospel could have reasonably been written anywhere between ad 55 and ad 60. Apr 11, 2012 its true that they include many of the same stories and teachings, as well as many of the same miracles and events. Learn by example and become a better writer with kibins suite of essay help services. Revelations from the hebrew version of matthew sid roth. The most notable source for the gospel of matthew is the gospel of mark, which was also used in.
The usccb doesnt know who wrote the gospel of matthew. Introduction to the gospel of matthew study resources. The early church unanimously held that the gospel of matthew was the first written gospel and was penned by the apostle of the same name matt. The book of matthew probably written sometime before the romans destroyed the temple in jerusalem in ad 70 tells of the good news that the longawaited messiah had come to save people both jews and gentiles. Mark was written during the waning of the hebrew mission and the rise of the diaspora and greek mission.
Matthew s gospel, which is the gospel of the church, does not have an idealised picture of the church. Jun 25, 2019 the audience is a privileged observer which experiences things otherwise only available to certain characters like jesus. Matthew first, mark second, luke third, and john last of all. Matthew more than all the other gospels identifies how his coming to earth was the fulfillment of many old testament prophecies. Matthew 2 why did matthew write his account of the gospel. Matthew passion is divided into two parts, and its performance takes. When was the gospel of matthew written and to whom was its. The gospel of matthew was written by matthew approx. That seems like an understatement to describe such a huge and terrible event.
Eusebius himself declared that matthew had begun by preaching to the hebrews, and when he made up his mind to go to others too, he committed his own gospel to writing in his native tongue aramaic, so that for those with whom he was no longer present the gap left by his departure was filled by what he wrote history of the church 3. Why would nonjews really care that he fulfilled hebrew scriptures. Luke is traditionally thought of as one of paul s traveling companions and it s certainly the. So, if matthews gospel was a rewriting of marks gospel, the question could perhaps be answered by understanding why the author chose to rewrite mark in an extended gospel. The story of the storytellers the gospel of matthew from jesus. 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.
In contrast to either mark or matthew, lukes gospel is clearly written more for a gentile audience. H ere is a brief look at the 4 authors of the gospels, matthew, mark, luke and john. The author of matthew wrote for a community of greekspeaking jewish christians. This essay was extracted from the article isaiahs prophecy by t. The jews who loved the scriptures and the prophecies of god.
This essay was extracted from the article isaiah s prophecy by t. Christian tradition identifies this disciple as the apostle john, but while this idea still has supporters, for a variety of reasons the. Matthews attention to the jewish scriptures and respect for jewish customs, as well as the structure of this gospel, indicate that it was written primarily for jewish christians rather than pagan converts. Was matthews gospel first written in aramaic or hebrew. The gospel of john, the largest of the four, presents itself as the work of an eyewitnessa disciple whom jesus loved chapter 21 verse 24but we never get the name of that disciple.
We know that st matthew wrote his aramaic gospel before the other evangelists wrote theirs. Well, matthew s prime audience was the jewish community, so he needed to use the many prophecies of the hebrew bible to convince his readers that jesus was the messiah. According to tradition, the book of mark was written by the same john mark that we read about throughout the new testament here are a few examples from the book of acts. John had a very independent gospel which was completely unlike the other three who all shared some information in there own gospels. Unfortunately, matthew doesnt have a works cited for us, but back in the day, everyone would have known exactly what he was referring to. It s also the only one that instructs the disciples to baptize people in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit 28. In his gospel he frequently refers to jesus as the son of david and the son of abraham to emphasize his messianic lineage.
Regardless, all theories recognize that luke used matthew as a source, and therefore, it follows that matthew was written before the destruction of jerusalem 70 a. Matthews gospel is the only one that features this great commission at the end. The gospel of matthew was written by matthew himself, who was jewish. Since this gospel has the most quotations from the old testament, sometimes going to ridiculous lengths to try to show that jesus was the fulfillment of old testament prophecy, its assumed that matthew was written for a jewish audience. Its widely accepted that matthew was written for a jewish audience. So there is a mixture of presentation of these ideas in the gospels, but preeminently john is the gospel that presents our lord in his divine nature and divine personality. Jan 26, 2012 matthews gospel was written to the jewish people of his day, to be contrasted with marks gospel written to the people in rome, lukes written to theophilus an todays chapter is matthew 2.
Mar 30, 2017 the timeline, thus suggested, is that matthews gospel was written before marks. The story of the storytellers the gospel of matthew from. It was written as a readers digest version of matthew, shedding very hebrew centric ideas in favor of more broadly accepted ideas. The gospel of matthew is one of four gospels in the holy bible and the first book in chronological order presented in the new testament of the bible. Its also the only one that instructs the disciples to baptize people in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit 28. Apr 19, 2012 according to tradition, the book of mark was written by the same john mark that we read about throughout the new testament here are a few examples from the book of acts. But before a date can be decided, its relation to the gospel of mark must first be addressed. Matthew s gospel is directed to an audience steeped in hebrew tradition.
In my answer to your first question, i discussed reasons for. Right at the beginning, for example, when jesus is baptized there is a voice from heaven saying thou art my beloved son, in whom i am well pleased. The gospel of matthew was possibly written in antioch, an early home of christianity. Apr 17, 2018 the book of matthew probably written sometime before the romans destroyed the temple in jerusalem in ad 70 tells of the good news that the longawaited messiah had come to save people both jews and gentiles. Unfortunately, matthew doesnt have a works cited for us, but back in the day, everyone would have known exactly what he. Matthew s gospel is the only one that features this great commission at the end. Most early dates fall around 65 ce and most late dates fall around 75 ce. Because of the reference to the destruction of the temple in jerusalem in 70 ce mark. Matthew was written after the fall of jerusalem, which occurred in a. Matthews least brothers and its application in the. The timeline, thus suggested, is that matthews gospel was written before marks.
Matthew 2 why did matthew write his account of the. Spongs thesis is grounded in the fact that matthew was written 55 years after jesuss death for an audience of firstcentury christians, most of whom. Matthew appears to be written to a community of jewish christians living in tension with a rival jewish community that has rejected jesus as messiah. Matthews gospel was written to the jewish people of his day, to be contrasted with marks gospel written to the people in rome, lukes written to theophilus an todays chapter is. Matthews gospel is directed to an audience steeped in hebrew tradition. Lately, the priority of matthew as the first written gospel has come under suspicion with mark being considered by many to be the first written gospel. For the first 1,500 years of christianity, the church unanimously held that the gospels were historically written in the order we find them in the canon. Matthew wrote his gospel to convince fellow jews that jesus was the messiah foretold in the old testament. Matthew was one of the 12 apostles that were with jesus christ throughout his public ministry on earth.