INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW

INTRODUCTION The term "Introduction" is a technical term used in textual studies for that aspect of  study in which one is introduced to detailed and scholarly information regarding the text.  In the Introduction one considers such matters as authorship, date of writing, recipients of the text, literary style, textual foundation, language, structure, message, theology, style, sources, and critical problems that may be encountered in the text.

ORDER OF WRITING
As we have observed in the discussion on the Synoptic Problem, Mark is considered by many today to be the first in order of writing
of the Synoptic Gospels, or at least the basis for the other two Synoptic Gospels.  Factors in favor of this are Mark's vivid and
dynamic literary style, the simplicity of his chronological structure, and his straightforward movement toward the passion (death,
burial, and resurrection) of Jesus.

Most scholars today follow what is known as B. F. Streeter's two source theory of Gospel origins.  Working with the assumption that
Mark was the first of our canonical gospels written, it is assumed that Matthew used Mark's Gospel as a basis for his Gospel.  Since
Matthew was writing for a predominantly Jewish audience or church, and mark was written for a Roman audience, Matthew would
need to build into the gospel narrative materials and events from Jesus' ministry that would be more meaningful to a Jewish audience. 
Streeter's view (the basis for most approaches to Synoptic studies today) held that Matthew built into Mark's narrative "sayings"
materials (teachings of Jesus), usually identified as "Q" from the German word quella (source), and other material obtained by Matthew
from a variety of sources (this material is normally known as "M").   Hence we have two sources in addition to Mark, "Q" and "M".

We should note that Streeter's Markan priority and two source theory have in recent years been challenged by Prof. William J. Farmer
who has proposed Matthean priority and Markan reduction of Matthew.  Farmer's theory is among other matters, an attempt to do away
with "Q".  Farmer argues that Matthean priority was the view of the ancient church.  The theory of Matthean priority is not new, having
been proposed by Johannes Griesbach in the 19th century.   For this reason, the Matthean theory is often called the Griesbach theory.

MATTHEW AND THE EARLY CHURCH
Although Mark appeared first and was early accepted by the church, it seems as though Matthew soon became the church's favored
Gospel.  For a number of reasons, Matthew throughout the centuries has continued to be the most prominent of the Synoptic Gospels. 
First, it is commonly believed to have been written by one of the original apostles.  Second, it is more comprehensive than Mark,
containing a Messianic genealogy, birth narratives, and considerable "sayings" or Jesus' teaching material.  Furthermore, when one
reads Matthew one gets almost all of Mark's Gospel, since Matthew used Mark as a basis for his Gospel and incorporated more than
90% of Mark.  Finally, Matthew's incorporation of large blocks of Jesus' teaching material, especially the Sermon on the Mount, left the
impression that Matthew was preserving the "new law" of the church.  The didactic (teaching) and catechetical (church instructional)
material of Matthew's Gospel has addressed the curricula (educational) and liturgical (worship) needs of the church through the
centuries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR MATTHEW & THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM
For a detailed and comprehensive bibliography see Donald Hagner, Matthew 1-13: Word Biblical Commentary, 1993

Advanced
Donald Hagner, Matthew 1-13: Word Biblical Commentary, 1993
Donald Hagner, Matthew 14-28: Word Biblical Commentary, 1995
David Hill, The Gospel of Matthew, Eerdmans, 1972
Douglas R. A. Hare, Matthew, Interpretation, 1993
Jack Dean Kingsbury, Matthew, Fortress Press, 1986
Jack Dean Kingsbury, Matthew: Structure, Christology, Kingdom, Fortress Press, 1975
John R. W. Stott, The Sermon on the Mount , IVP, 1978
R. H. Gundry, The Use of the Old Testament in St. Matthew's Gospel, Brill, 1967
R. H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on His Literary and Theological Art, Eerdmans, 1982
E. P. Sanders, Jesus and Judaism, Fortress, 1985.
Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Matthew, 1975

Synoptic Problem and Source Theories
"Synoptic Problem", Dictionary of Jesus and The Gospels, IVP, 1992
Robert H. Stein, The Synoptic Problem, 1987
Ned B. Stonehouse, Origins of the Synoptic Gospels, 1963
F. C. Grant, The Gospels: Their Origen and Growth, 1957
William R. Farmer, The Synoptic Problem, 1976

Bible Dictionary Articles
Read the following articles in The Anchor Bible Dictionary or The Interpreter's Dictionary of the
Bible:
    "The Synoptic Gospels", "The Synoptic Problem", "The Gospel of Matthew", "The Gospel of
    Mark", "The Gospel of Luke".

General
Jack P. Lewis, The Gospel According to Matthew, 2 Vols., 1976
John R. W. Stott, The Sermon on the Mount , IVP, 1978
R. T. France, Matthew, Tyndale, 1985

THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF MATTHEW'S GOSPEL
Several characteristics of Matthew's Gospel are immediately apparent:

• A Strong Jewish Interest
  • Eusebius records that Papias had written/said that "Matthew composed the sayings (ta logia) of Jesus in the Hebrew
    language".  It is assumed by some that this could refer to the fact that Matthew had early (possibly before Mark or the
    other Gospel writers) written either a gospel in Hebrew (Aramaic), or that he had written down some of the "sayings" or
    teachings of Jesus (possibly an early "Q" source) in Hebrew (Aramaic).  There is considerable debate as to the reliability
    or meaning of this expression by Eusebius, but at least it seems possible that Papias had knowledge that Matthew
    had written something in Hebrew or Aramaic.   Coupled with other indicators in Matthew, this does give some credence
    to Matthew being a Gospel for the Jewish community.
  • Matthew uses a number of literary devices that indicate a Jewish audience. 
    • He is greatly interested in what the teacher said.
    • He couples material and sayings into groups of 3, 5, 7, etc, all of which are good Rabbinic style.
    • He apparently adopts a style of giving numerical weight to the Hebrew alphabet.  This is known as Gematria. 
      Although there is some debate on this, it does seem possible that we encounter this in Matt 1:1-17 in the
      genealogy of Jesus.  Matthew stylistically groups names into three groups of 14.   14 would be the numerical
      code for David.  David is central as king to the genealogy of Jesus.
  • There is a strong sense of Messianic expectation and fulfillment in Matthew.
  • Matthew makes much of fulfilled prophecy in his narrative.  Quoting heavily from the Old Testament, Matthew claims
    that 15 Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus ministry.  Robert Gundry argues that 10 of these fulfillments
    are of a unique character which would be of significant interest to the Jewish mind (we will discuss these below).
  • Matthew presents the limited commission of Mat 10:5, 6 in a unique manner, being the only one of the three Synoptics
    to include the instruction "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter not town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the
    lost sheep of the house of Israel."  This would be understandable to a Jewish community, but difficult to explain to a
    Gentile community.  Mark and Luke wisely omit this expression!
  • Matthew shows great interest in Jesus' teaching on the Law of Moses.  Jesus' teaching in Mat 5:17-20 ("I came not
    to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them...")   is found exclusively in
    Matthew.
  • In the same section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' discussion of Rabbinic interpretation of the law is also
    found exclusively in Matthew.

• Universalism and Missions
  Although Matthew writes for a Jewish community, he is not a Jewish National Zealot.  He sees Christianity beyond the Jews,
  among the Gentiles. 
  • The messianic mission and messianic focus is not for the Jews only, nor only in Jerusalem.
  • Jesus condemns the Scribes and Pharisees in Mat 23.
  • He prophecies the destruction of Jerusalem as an act of God's judgment, Mat 24.
  • Israel is rejected, Mat 8:11, 12; 21:43.
  • Christ is to be a light to the Gentiles, Mat 2:1-12 (the Magi); 4:15; 8:5-13; 12:18, 21; 13:38; 21:43; 28:18-20 (the Great
    Commission).
    
• "Pastoral" & Ecclesiastical Interest
  Matthew is in every sense of the word a church gospel:
  • Matthew is the only Gospel in which we encounter the term ekklesia, meaning "church" (Mat 16:18; 18:17).
  • Matthew is interested in the church corporate life and the issues of living in a close-knit body (Mat 18:15-20).

• Matthew Includes Extensive Didactic & Catechetical (Church Instruction) Teaching Material
  • Matthew emphasizes Jesus' role as an authoritative teacher (Mat 7:29).
  • Matthew builds into the basic Markan narrative blocks of teaching material in a manner unique to Matthew (see the
    Structural Outline below).
  • Matthew emphasizes Jesus' instruction regarding the kingdom (Mat 13: kingdom parables).
  • Matthew includes Jesus' warnings against false teachers such as the Scribes and Pharisees, and against legalism
    and antinomianism (Mat 23; et al).

• Messianic Kingdom Interests
  • Matthew is from the first paragraph of his Gospel concerned with Jesus as the Messiah, the King of God's Kingdom.
  • His purpose is to show that Jesus is the long expected Messiah.
  • He demonstrates that Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecies, and adopts a unique formula ("to fulfill what the Lord had
    spoken by the prophet..." Mat 1:22) and Midrashic style to make his point.
  • Matthew traces Jesus' royal lineage through the legal genealogy of the tribe of Judah, through David, to Abraham 
    Mat 1:1-17).  This highly theologically charged genealogy argues that Jesus as the Messiah is in the correct royal 
    lineage.
  • Matthew uses a number of titles for Jesus that emphasize his royal Messianic role:
    • The King of the Jews (Mat 2:2; 27:11, 29, 37).
    • The King of Israel (Mat 27:42).
    • Your king (Mat 21:5).
    • The king (Mat 25:34, 40).
    • His kingdom (Mat 16:28).

Matthew's Eschatological Interests
Matthew manifests significant interest in the eschatological age, meaning the final age of history.  For Matthew the final 
eschatological age is the Messianic, or Christian age.

• Matthew includes several parable of Jesus, which are peculiar to his Gospel, that have eschatological themes relating 
  to the final judgment.
  • The parable of the tares (Mat 13:36).
  • The ten virgins (Mat 25:13)
  • The parable of the talents (Mat 25:30)
• The eschatological nature of the kingdom is of interest to Matthew who describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 
  much greater detail than either Mark or Luke. 
  • In Mathew three chapters are devoted to the destruction of Jerusalem and the confusion of the disciples 
    over the final end of the age (Mat 23; 24; 25).
  • Mark and Luke use only one chapter to discuss this (Mk13; Lk21).

AUTHORSHIP AND DATE
Discussion of authorship are somewhat related and obviously impact one another.  We will begin with a discussion of authorship.

Authorship

• The title kata mathaion is not original but was testified to by witnesses as early as A.D. 125.
• By the end of the 2nd century A.D. the Gospel was widely acknowledged to be from the hand of the Apostle Matthew.  
  Early church tradition was almost unanimous in this regard.
  • Papias (A.D. 130)
  • Irenaeus (A.D. 180)
  • Tertullian (A.D. 200)
  • Origen (A.D. 220)
  • Eusebius (A.D. 300+)
• In the modern period the early Matthean tradition has been challenged
  • Krister Stendahl (1954) suggested that a Christian community, similar to the Jewish community at Qumran, with 
    teachers and disciples, embodied their catechetical teachings into a Gospel for didactic (teaching) and liturgical 
    (worship) purposes.  Matthew does manifest Christian community and catechetical material and interests, but 
    Stendahl's solution may be stretching the authorship a little far.
  • Günter Bornkamm and others of the Redactionsgeschichteschule (Redaction History School) have seen the 
    author as a single author, often identified as the evangelist, who has had a specific theology of Jesus he has built 
    into the narrative of Jesus.  The Redaction History School has often paid more attention to the Sitz Im Leben of the 
    evangelists audience than to events in the life of Jesus being recorded.
• There are arguments presented against Matthew being written by the Apostle.  One is that Matthew manifests considerable 
  Rabbinic style, which would be beyond the skill of Matthew (Levi), a tax collector.  This argument, while worthy of 
  consideration is not that strong, for Matthew in 40 years may have learned enough Rabbinic style to have been able to 
  write the Gospel in Rabbinic style.
• Our position will be to keep an open mind on the authorship while holding to the view that the Gospel could have been 
  written by Matthew, the Apostle (based on the 1st century church's testimony).  What is important for us today is that 
  the Gospel was accepted without question by the early church and incorporated into the New Testament Canon.

Date
Most modern scholars date Matthew after A.D. 70, and many consider the A.D. 80's possible.

• John A. T. Robinson, noted British scholar, Oxford Don, and author of Redating the New Testament, 1972, suggested a date 
  of A.D. 45 - 60.  This may be a little extreme!
• If we believe Matthew to have used Mark as a basis for his narrative, then the dating of Mark will be foundational to the 
  discussion.   If Mark was written in the late 60's then it may be presumptuous to date Matthew much before A.D. 70.
• Our view will be that Matthew wrote sometime after A.D. 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem. His community were a group 
  of Jewish Christians or Jewish church communities who had escaped Jerusalem between A.D. 66 and the destruction of 
  Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  Eusebius tells us that some Christians, heeding Jesus' admonition in Mat 24, fled Jerusalem.  
  Needing to know that their Messianic faith should not be focused on Jerusalem and the Temple, now destroyed, but on 
  Jesus the Messiah, Matthew wrote for dislodged Jewish Christian communities who needed to refocus their faith and 
  discipleship.

STRUCTURE
Careful examination of the Gospel of Matthew reveals a deliberate and careful literary and theological structure and design 
written by a writer with considerable Rabbinic skill.  The writer has a specific theological purpose (tendenz).

There are two major factors when considering the structure of Matthew: 1)  Jack Dean Kingsbury's proposed structure, and 2) a 
structure around the Five Major Teaching Blocks encountered in Matthew.

• Jack Dean Kingsbury's Topical Outline structure emphasizes two key formulaic expressions in Matthew, at Mat 4:17 and 
  Mat 16:21.  The formulaic expression is "From that time Jesus began to preach (show)...".  Kingsbury is correct in drawing 
  attention to these expressions, and in regard to their role in the Gospel.  They do divide the narrative of Matthew and 
  ministry of Jesus into three periods, hence a Topical Outline:
  • The Person of Jesus Messiah (Mat 1:1-4:16)
  • The Public Proclamation of Jesus Messiah (Mat 4:17-16:20)
  • The Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Messiah (Mat 16:21-28:20).
• It is possible to consider this Modified Topical Outline as:
  • The Period of Preparation (Mat 1:1-4:16)
  • The Period of Public Ministry (Mat 4:17-16:20)
  • The Period of Private Ministry to the Disciples (Mat 16:21-28:20)
• Another possible structural possibility is a Structural Outline (Click on Structural Outline).   These arise out of the obvious 
  factor that in addition to the two formulaic keys indicated by Kingsbury there are another five significant formulaic keys in 
  Matthew.  These are encountered following five blocks of teaching material Matthew has built into the Markan narrative.  
  These are Mat 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; and 26:1.  Although differing slightly, they read something like this "when Jesus 
  finished these sayings..." or "when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples..." or "when Jesus had finished these 
  parables...".
  • Objections to this structure arise out of proposals by B. W. Bacon (1930) that Matthew is presenting a view of 
    Christian Law in five parts to balance the five books of law in the Pentateuch.
  • Bacons view is an obvious misreading of Matthew.
  • Contrary to Bacon, Matthew is not discussing Christian Law, but five blocks of Jesus' teaching in which he discusses 
    the meaning of discipleship in the kingdom.
  • These five blocks of teaching material Matthew has built into his narrative must be significant enough to be examined 
    when considering the Structure of Matthew.
• In this study we will pay attention to both possibilities.  We will consider Kingsbury's Topical Outline and Outline of Jesus' 
  Ministry, and the five blocks and five formulas as the ingredients of Matthew's Literary Structure.
• A Brief Literary and Structural Outline which we will follow in this course, while remembering Kingsbury's Topical Outline, 
  will be as follows:
  • NARRATIVE 1  Mat 1:1-4:25  Birth and Infancy Narratives
    • Discourse 1  Mat 5:1-7:29 Sermon on the Mount
      • Formula 1 Mat 7:28
  • NARRATIVE 2  Mat 8:1-9:34  Powerful Healings
    • Discourse 2  Mat 9:35-10:42  Mission Discourse
      • Formula 2  Mat 11:1
  • NARRATIVE 3  Mat 11:1-12:50  Opposition and Controversy
    • Discourse 3  Mat 13:1-52  Kingdom Parables
      • Formula 3  Mat 13:53
  • NARRATIVE 4  Mat 13:54-17:27  Final Preparation of Disciples
    • Discourse 4 Mat 18:1-35  Instruction of Christian Community
      • Formula 4  Mat 19:1
  • NARRATIVE 5  Mat 19:2-22:46  Jesus Moves Toward and into Jerusalem
    • Discourse 5  Mat 23:1-25:46  Eschatological Discourse
      • Formula 5  Mat 26:1
  • NARRATIVE 6  Mat 26:1-28:20  The Passion, Death, Resurrection
    
    (For a detailed Structural Outline click here )

MATTHEW'S THEOLOGICAL PURPOSE
It is obvious that Matthew's Gospel is addressed to a Jewish Christian audience, or a Jewish community.  Matthew presents Jesus 
to this audience as God's Messianic King.   The message and theology of Matthew is therefore as follows:

• Jesus is the Messiah
  • His genealogy is correct
  • He fulfills messianic and prophetic expectation
  • He does the powerful works to establish his divine power
  • He teaches with authority
• Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven
  • John the Baptist comes preaching "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Mat 3:2.
  • Jesus comes preaching "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Mat 4:17.
  • Jesus instructs the disciples to preach "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" Mat 10:7.
  • Jesus teaches 7 parables on the kingdom of heaven (Mat 13).
• Matthew calls on his community to understand Discipleship
  • There is the call to discipleship
  • The meaning of discipleship
  • The mission of discipleship
  • The community of discipleship
• Matthew emphasizes the Universalism of the Messianic faith
  • Pharisaism is rejected
  • Jesus is a light to the Gentiles
  • The Scribes and Pharisees are condemned
  • Jerusalem and the temple are to be destroyed
  • Messianic faith is to be focused on Jesus, not the temple
  • The Great Commission for all nations