View source for Gospel of Matthew

{{Short description|Book of the New Testament}}
{{For|the film|The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film){{!}}''The Gospel According to St. Matthew'' (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}<!-- Use BC / AD per WP:ERA; this is the current convention and should not be changed without clear consensus. -->
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox religious text
| name = Gospel of Matthew
| image = Oxford, Sackler Library Ms LXIV 4404 (Papyrus 104) recto Matt 21, 34-37.jpg|thumb|Matthew 21:34–37 on [[Papyrus 104]] (''recto''; {{Circa|AD 150}})
| caption = {{Bibleverse|Matthew|21:34–37|nrsvue}} on Papyrus 104 (recto; c. AD 150)
| religion = [[Christianity]]
| author = Traditionally [[Matthew the Apostle]]
| period = 80-90 AD
| language = [[Koinē Greek]]
| chapters = 28
| verses = 1071
| native_wikisource = Κατά Ματθαίον
| orig_lang_code = el
| wikisource = Gospel of Matthew
| next = Gospel of Mark
| footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Jongkind |first=Dirk |date=January 13, 2015 |title=What is the Oldest Manuscript of the New Testament? |url=https://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-is-oldest-manuscript-of-new.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250517043441/https://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-is-oldest-manuscript-of-new.html |archive-date=May 17, 2025 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |website=Evangelical Textual Criticism}}</ref>
}}

The '''Gospel of Matthew'''{{efn|The book is sometimes called the '''Gospel according to Matthew''' ({{langx|el|Κατὰ Ματθαῖον/Μαθθαῖον Εὐαγγέλιον|translit=Katà Mat(h)thaîon Euangélion}}), or simply '''Matthew'''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HiPouAEACAAJ |title=ESV Pew Bible |publisher=Crossway |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4335-6343-0 |location=Wheaton, IL |pages=807 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603093159/https://www.google.com/books/edition/ESV_Pew_Bible_Black/HiPouAEACAAJ |archive-date=June 3, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Book Abbreviations |url=https://www.logos.com/bible-book-abbreviations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421100743/https://www.logos.com/bible-book-abbreviations |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=April 21, 2022 |website=Logos Bible Software}}</ref>}} is the first book of the [[New Testament]] and one of the three [[synoptic Gospels]]. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's [[messiah]] ([[Christ (title)|Christ]]), [[Jesus]], [[resurrection of Jesus|his resurrection]], and his [[Great Commission|mission to the world.]]{{sfn|Luz|2005b|pp=233-34}} The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy.

Matthew wishes to emphasize that the [[Jewish Christianity|Jewish tradition]] should not be lost in an increasingly [[gentile]] church.{{sfn|Davies|Allison|1997|p=722}}{{sfn|Storkey|2022|p=84}} The gospel reflects conflicts between [[Jewish Christians]] and other Jews, particularly with its criticism of the scribes and [[Pharisees]],{{sfn|Burkett|2002|p=182}} presenting the view that the [[Kingdom of God (Christianity)|Kingdom of Heaven]] has been taken away from them and given to the church.{{sfn|Strecker|2000|pp=369–70}} It emphasizes Jesus’s role as the [[Davidic line|Son of David]], [[Son of man|Son of Man]], and [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]], and frames his teachings, miracles, and parables to reflect both [[Torah|Jewish law]] and the Christian church. Structured around alternating narratives and discourses—including the [[Sermon on the Mount]], [[parable]]s, and instructions for discipleship—it culminates in the [[Passion of Jesus|Passion]], [[Resurrection of Jesus|Resurrection]], and the [[Great Commission]].

The gospel was written in the last quarter of the first century by an anonymous Jew familiar with technical legal aspects of scripture, though the traditional attribution still has conservative defenders.{{sfn|Burkett|2002|p=174}}{{sfn|Duling|2010|pp=301–02}}<ref name=":2" /> Widely popular in the early church, it was likely used as a source by the author of the [[Gospel of John]] (traditionally attributed to "[[Disciple whom Jesus loved|the beloved disciple]]").<ref name=":122">{{Cite book |last=Goodacre |first=Mark |title=The Fourth Synoptic Gospel: John's Knowledge of Matthew, Mark, and Luke |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2025 |isbn=978-0802875136 |pages=94 |quote=}}</ref> It is possible the gospel incorporates a source written by the disciple.<ref name=":2"/><ref name="n3072">{{cite book |last=Theissen |first=Gerd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZdAxLt4lVUC&pg=PT109 |title=The New Testament: A Literary History |last2=Maloney |first2=Linda M. |publisher=Fortress Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-8006-9785-3 |series=G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series |page=unpaginated |quote= |access-date=}}</ref>{{sfn|Duling|2010|pp=301–02}} Most scholars believe Matthew used the [[Gospel of Mark]] and the [[Q source]],{{Sfn|Duling|2010|p=306}}{{sfn|Turner|2008|pp=6-7}} though alternative hypotheses that posit use of Matthew by [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] or vice versa are growing.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Runesson |first=Anders |title=Jesus, New Testament, Christian Origins |date=2021 |publisher=Eerdmans |isbn=9780802868923}}</ref><ref name="TSP20222">{{Cite book |title=The Synoptic Problem 2022: Proceedings of the Loyola University Conference |publisher=Peeters Pub and Booksellers |year=2023 |isbn=9789042950344}}</ref> The Synoptics follow Mark closely compared to other ancient historians’ usage of sources, though the parallels and variations are typical of ancient historical biographies.<ref name="Kloppenborg 49–792">{{Cite journal |last=Kloppenborg |first=John |title=Variation in the Reproduction of the Double Tradition and an Oral Q? |journal=Ephemerides Theologicae Lovaniensis |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=49–79}}</ref> The text is the product of the second generation of the Christian movement, although it draws on the memory of the first generation of the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples of Jesus]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dunn|first=James|year=2017|title=Who Was Jesus?|publisher=Church Publishing|page=4|isbn=978-0898692488}}</ref>{{sfn|Scholtz|2009|pp=34-35}}

== Composition==
===<span class="anchor" id="Authorship"></span>Author and date===
[[File:Papyrus BnF Suppl. gr. 1120 ii 3 (Gregory-Aland papyrus P4) - Gospel of Matthew's title, euangelion kata Maththaion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Papyrus {{Papyrus link|4}}, fragment of a flyleaf with the title of the Gospel of Matthew, {{langx|grc|ευαγγελιον κ̣ατ̣α μαθ᾽θαιον|euangelion kata Maththaion|label=none}}. Dated to late 2nd or early 3rd century, it is the earliest manuscript title for Matthew.]]
According to church tradition originating with [[Papias of Hierapolis]] ({{c.|60–130 AD}}),{{sfn|Keith|2016|p=92}} it was written by [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]], the companion of Jesus, but the large majority view the gospel as an anonymous composition, as was common for ''bios''; biographies by [[Plutarch]] and [[Suetonius]] were originally anonymous as well,{{sfn|Duling|2010|pp=301–02}}{{sfn|Burkett|2002|p=174}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Vytlacilova |first=Magdalena |title=Why Does the Genre of the Gospels Matter? The Gospels' Genre and Historical Jesus Research |journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=661}}</ref> though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders."<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Muddiman|first1=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=utMUDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA27|title=The Gospels|last2=Barton|first2=John|date=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-958025-5}}</ref> It is possible that the gospel incorporates a lost prior source attributable to Matthew.<ref name="n3072"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Koester |first=Helmut |title=Ancient Christian Gospels |publisher=ScM Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0334024590 |pages=166–67}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Allison |first=Dale |title=The Gospels |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0199580255 |pages=27}}</ref> Regardless, the gospel was attributed to Matthew very early,<ref name=":2"/> and was highly popular in the early church, and most scholars today argue that the [[Gospel of John]], often attributed to the beloved disciple, used it and the other Synoptics as a source.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Charles |title=The Early Text of the New Testament |last2=Kruger |first2=Michael |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199566365 |page=83 |chapter=The Early Text of Matthew}}</ref><ref name=":122"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kok |first=Michael |title=The Beloved Apostle? |publisher=Cascade Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-1532610219 |pages=13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mendez |first=Hugo |title=The Gospel of John: A New History |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2025 |isbn=978-0197686126 |pages=65, 285 |quote=And yet for much of the twentieth century, “a broad scholarly consensus…tended to regard John’s Gospel as quite independent of the other gospels”…Today, however, an increasing number of scholars—now a majority—have arrived at a different view...they find no reason to exclude the Synoptic Gospels from among these sources}}</ref> Most scholars hold that it was written in the last quarter of the first century by a male Jew who stood on the margin between traditional and nontraditional Jewish values and who was familiar with technical legal aspects of scripture being debated in his time.{{sfn|Davies|Allison|1988|p=128}}{{sfn|Duling|2010|p=302}}{{efn|1=This view is based on three arguments: (a) the setting reflects the final separation of Church and Synagogue, about 85 AD; (b) it reflects the capture of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD; (c) it uses Mark, usually dated around 70 AD, as a source. (See [https://books.google.com/books?id=0ruP6J_XPCEC&pg=PA18 R. T. France (2007), ''The Gospel of Matthew'', p. 18].) France himself is not convinced by the majority—see his Commentary, pp. 18–19. Allison adds that "Ignatius of Antioch, the Didache, and Papias—all from the first part of the second century—show knowledge of Matthew, which accordingly must have been composed before 100 CE. (See e.g. Ign., Smyrn. 1; Did. 8.2.)" See Dale Allison, "Matthew" in Muddiman and Barton's The Gospels (Oxford Bible Commentary), Oxford 2010, p.&nbsp;27.}} Other scholars, such as [[N. T. Wright]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wright |first1=N. T. |last2=Bird |first2=Michael F. |title=The New Testament in its world: an introduction to the history, literature, and theology of the first Christians |date=2019 |publisher=SPCK; Zondervan Academic |location=London : Grand Rapids, Michigan |isbn=978-0310499329 |pages=582–584 |oclc=
1128988591}}</ref> and [[John Wenham]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wenham |first=John |author-link=John Wenham |title=Redating Matthew, Mark, and Luke: A Fresh Assault on the Synoptic Problem |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |orig-date=1992 |isbn=9781725276659 |edition=Reprinted |date=2020 |pages=223–247 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qin4DwAAQBAJ}}</ref> hold there are problems with dating Matthew late in the first century, and argue that it was written in the 40s–50s AD.{{efn|Wenham holds that later dates are based on (a) a belief that the apocalyptic passages in the Synoptics refer to past events rather than future; and (b) a misreading of Irenaeus as claiming that Matthew wrote after Peter and Paul preached in Rome.}} According to Bas van Os, the lifetime of various eyewitnesses that includes Jesus's own family through the end of the [[First Century]] is likely.<ref>{{cite book |last= van Os |first= Bas |year= 2011 |title= Psychological Analyses and the Historical Jesus: New Ways to Explore Christian Origins |publisher= T&T Clark |pages= 57, 83 |isbn= 978-0567269515}}</ref> [[Markus Bockmuehl]] finds this structure of lifetime memory in various early Christian traditions.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bockmuehl |first= Markus |author-link= Markus Bockmuehl |year= 2006 |title= Seeing the Word: Refocusing New Testament Study |publisher= Baker Academic |pages= 178–184 |isbn= 978-0801027611}}</ref>

Mark was the [[Marcan priority|first gospel to be composed]] and was later used by Matthew.{{sfn|Turner|2008|pp=6–7}}{{sfn|Senior|1996|p=22}} The author used Mark as a base, emphasizing [[Jesus]]'s place in the Jewish tradition and including details not found in Mark.{{sfn|Harrington|1991|pp=5–6}} Luke and Matthew treat their sources more conservatively than other ancient historians like [[Diodorus Siculus]], though the parallels and variations of the Synoptic gospels are typical of ancient historical biographies.<ref name="Kloppenborg 49–79">{{Cite journal |last=Kloppenborg |first=John |title=Variation in the Reproduction of the Double Tradition and an Oral Q? |journal=Ephemerides Theologicae Lovaniensis |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=49–79}}</ref><ref name="Licona 2016 XIII-XIV">{{Cite book |last=Licona |first=Mike |title=Why are there Differences in the Gospels? What we can Learn from Ancient Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-0190264260 |pages=XIII-XIV}}</ref> 

This  does not necessarily show a linear approach of continual development and addition only, as some of what [[Paul the Apostle]] says is more similar to Matthew's details.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Hurtado |first= Larry |author-link= Larry Hurtado |year= 2013 |title= Interactive Diversity: A Proposed Model of Christian Origins |journal= The Journal of Theological Studies |volume= 64 |issue= 2 |pages= 445–462|doi= 10.1093/jts/flt063 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Ferda |first= Tucker |year= 2024 |title= Jesus and His Promised Second Coming: Jewish Eschatology and Christian Origins |publisher= Eerdmans|pages= 521–522 |isbn=9780802879905}}</ref> Matthew could have depended on Mark through oral tradition or used memorization rather than simply copying.<ref>{{cite book |last= Derico |first= Travis |year= 2018 |title= Oral Tradition and Synoptic Verbal Agreement: Evaluating the Empirical Evidence for Literary Dependence |publisher= Pickwick Publications, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers |pages= 368–369 |isbn= 978-1620320907}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Kirk |first= Alan |year= 2019 |title= Q in Matthew: Ancient Media, Memory, and Early Scribal Transmission of the Jesus Tradition |publisher= T&T Clark |pages= 148–183 |isbn=  978-0567686541}}</ref> Alan Kirk praises Matthew for his "scribal memory competence" and "his high esteem for and careful handling of both Mark and Q", which makes claims the latter two works are significantly different in terms of theology or historical reliability dubious.<ref>{{cite book |last= Kirk |first= Alan |year= 2019 |title= Q in Matthew: Ancient Media, Memory, and Early Scribal Transmission of the Jesus Tradition |publisher= T&T Clark |pages= 298–306 |isbn=  978-0567686541}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Rodriguez |first= Rafael |year= 2017 |title= Matthew as Performer, Tradent, Scribe |journal= Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus |volume= 15 |issue= 2–3 |page= 203 |doi= 10.1163/17455197-01502003}}</ref>

Matthew has 600 verses in common with Mark, which is a book of only 661 verses. There are approximately 220 verses shared by Matthew and Luke but not found in Mark. While the [[Two-source hypothesis]] considers this to be drawn from a hypothetical [[Q source]],{{sfn|McMahon|2008|p=57}}{{sfn|Burkett|2002|p=175-176}}{{sfn|Duling|2010|p=306}}{{sfn|Senior|1996|p=22}} a growing number of scholars support alternative hypotheses, such as the [[Farrer hypothesis]] and the [[Matthean Posteriority hypothesis]], which argue for Luke's direct usage of Matthew and Matthew's dependence on Luke, respectively, and dispense with Q,<ref name=":02" /><ref name="TSP2022">{{Cite book |title=The Synoptic Problem 2022: Proceedings of the Loyola University Conference |publisher=Peeters Pub and Booksellers |year=2023 |isbn=9789042950344}}</ref> and a unified M source is largely rejected by scholarship today.{{sfn|Senior|1996|p=22}}{{sfn|Burkett|2002|pp=180–81}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Foster|first=Paul|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Synoptic Gospels|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2023|isbn=978-0190887452|quote=Where does this virtually unanimous rejection of a unified, written M leave scholarship on the unique Matthean material...the overarching hypothesis finds few, if any supporters...The insights into the ideological character of individual sayings and complexes of material are no longer attributed to a preexisting source but are now to be taken into account as part of the overall message and theology of the first evangelist.}}</ref> [[Michael Goulder]] argued that non-Markan material in Matthew were mostly authorial creations, but modern advocates of the Farrer hypothesis have abandoned this idea.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kirk |first=Alan |title=Jesus Tradition, Early Christian Memory, and Gospel Writing |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2023 |isbn=9780802882950 |pages=334–335}}</ref> The author also had the Greek scriptures at his disposal, both as book-scrolls (Greek translations of [[book of Isaiah|Isaiah]], the [[Psalms]] etc.), "testimony collections", and the oral stories of his community.{{sfn|Beaton|2005|p=116}} Many of the quotations of the scriptures in Matthew are more closely matched with the [[Masoretic]],{{sfn|Barber|2023|p=243}} leading many scholars to believe that the author could understand [[Hebrew]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Ferda |first= Tucker |year= 2020 |title= Doubling Down: Zechariah's Oracle, Judah's Blessing, and the Triumphal Entry in Matthew |journal= The Journal of Theological Studies  |series=New Series |volume= 71 |issue= 2 |pages= 466–512 |doi= 10.1093/jts/flaa088}}</ref>

=== Setting ===
Most scholars view the gospel of Matthew as a work of the second generation of Christians, though it draws on the memory of the first generation of Jesus's disciples.<ref>{{cite book|last= Dunn |first= James |author-link= James Dunn (theologian)|year= 2017 |title= Who Was Jesus? (Little Books of Guidance) |publisher= Church Publishing |page= 4 |isbn= 978-0898692488}}</ref> For these early Christians the defining event was the [[destruction of Jerusalem]] and the [[Second Temple|Temple]] by the Romans in 70 AD in the course of the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] (66–73 AD); from this point on, what had begun with Jesus of Nazareth as a Jewish [[messiah|messianic]] movement became an increasingly gentile phenomenon which would evolve in time into a separate religion.{{sfn|Scholtz|2009|pp=34–35}} The author appears to have written for a community of Greek-speaking Jewish Christians located probably in Syria; [[Antioch]], the largest city in Roman Syria and the third largest city in the empire, is often proposed.{{sfn|Nolland|2005|p=18}} Alternatively, towns in [[Galilee]] such as [[Sepphoris]] or [[Tiberias]], or adjacent regions such as [[Transjordan (region)|Transjordan]], could also fit.{{Sfn|Saldarini|1992|pp=661–662}} Other scholars hold that the [[historical Jesus]] had already predicted that the Jerusalem Temple would be destroyed.{{sfn|Barber|2023|p=84}}

The community to which Matthew belonged, like many 1st-century Christians, was still part of the larger Jewish community.{{sfn|Saldarini|1994|p=4}} The relationship of Matthew to this wider world of Judaism remains a subject of study and contention, the principal question being to what extent, if any, Matthew's community had cut itself off from its Jewish roots.{{sfn|Senior|2001|pp=7–8, 72}} It is evident from the gospel that there was conflict between Matthew's group and other Jewish groups, and it is generally agreed that the root of the conflict was the Matthew community's belief in Jesus as the Messiah and authoritative interpreter of the law, as one risen from the dead and uniquely endowed with divine authority.{{sfn|Senior|2001|p=11}}

The divine nature of Jesus was a major issue for the Matthaean community, the crucial element separating the [[early Christians]] from their Jewish neighbors; while Mark begins with [[Baptism of Jesus|Jesus's baptism]] and [[Temptations of Christ|temptations]], Matthew goes back to Jesus's origins, showing him as the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]] from his birth, the supposed fulfillment of [[Christian messianic prophecies|messianic prophecies]] of the [[Old Testament]].{{sfn|Peppard|2011|p=133}} The title [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament#Son of David|Son of David]], used exclusively in relation to miracles, identifies Jesus as the healing and miracle-working Messiah sent to Israel alone; the reason for disregarding the gentiles and [[Samaritans]] is not due to prejudice but the immediate needs of God’s people: Israel.{{sfn|Luz|1995|pp=86, 111}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Allison |first=Dale |title=Matthew: A Shorter Commentary |publisher=Bloomsbury T&T Clark |year=2005 |isbn=9780567082497 |pages=152}}</ref> As [[Son of Man]] he will return to judge the world, an expectation which his disciples recognize but of which his enemies are unaware.{{sfn|Luz|1995|pp=91, 97}} As [[Son of God]], God is revealing himself through his son, and Jesus proving his sonship through his obedience and example.{{sfn|Luz|1995|p=93}}

Unlike Mark, Matthew never bothers to explain Jewish customs, since his intended audience was a Jewish one; unlike Luke, who traces Jesus's ancestry back to Adam, father of the human race, he traces it only to Abraham, father of the Jews. Writing from within a Jewish-Christian community growing increasingly distant from other Jews and becoming increasingly gentile in its membership and outlook, Matthew put down in his gospel his vision "of an assembly or church in which both Jew and Gentile would flourish together".{{sfn|Senior|2001|p=19}}

==Structure and content==
===Structure: narrative and discourses===
Matthew alternates five blocks of narrative with five of discourse, marking each off with the phrase "When Jesus had finished"{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=9}}. Some scholars see in this a deliberate plan to create a parallel to the first five books of the Old Testament; others see a three-part structure based around the idea of Jesus as [[Messiah]], a set of weekly readings spread out over the year, or no plan at all.{{sfn|Davies|Allison|1988|pp=59–61}} Davies and Allison, in their widely used commentary, draw attention to the use of "triads" (the gospel groups things in threes),{{sfn|Davies|Allison|1988|pp=62ff}} and [[Richard Thomas France|R. T. France]], in another influential commentary, notes the geographic movement from [[Galilee]] to Jerusalem and back, with the post-resurrection appearances in Galilee as the culmination of the whole story.{{sfn|France|2007|pp=2ff}} An 'eleven' sectioned structure is also recognized, where the sections alternate between narrative and teachings in a 1,2,3,4,5,C,5',4',3',2',1' arrangement (and the parables of the Kingdom take central place). In this reading, the sections comprise 'fourteens' of units of text, where in the first and last units of the gospel the writer provides these numbers, 'threes', 'fourteens' and 'eleven', as a reading check.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Palmer|first1= David G |year=2023|title=Challenging New Testament Scholarship: The Texts in Full and in Detail|publisher=Ceridwen Press|location=Church Gresley|ISBN=978-1-9161068-5-7}}</ref>

=== Prologue: genealogy, Nativity and infancy ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|1-2|nrsvue}}) ===
{{Main|Genealogy of Jesus|Nativity of Jesus}}

The Gospel of Matthew begins with the words "The Book of Genealogy [in Greek, 'Genesis'] of Jesus Christ", deliberately echoing the words of {{Bibleverse|Genesis|2:4|nrsvue}} in the [[Septuagint]].{{efn|France, p. 26 note 1, and p. 28: "The first two words of Matthew's gospel are literally "book of genesis".}} The genealogy tells of Jesus's descent from [[Abraham]] and [[King David]] and the miraculous events surrounding [[Virgin birth of Jesus|his virgin birth]],{{efn|France, p. 28 note 7: "All MSS and versions agree in making it explicit that Joseph was not Jesus' father, with the one exception of sys, which reads "Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the virgin, begot Jesus."}} and the infancy narrative tells of the [[Massacre of the Innocents|massacre of the innocents]], the [[flight into Egypt]], and eventual journey to [[Nazareth]].

===First narrative and Sermon on the Mount ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|3:1–8:1|nrsvue}})===
{{Main|Baptism of Jesus|Sermon on the Mount}}

Following the genealogy and nativity of Jesus, the first narrative section begins. [[John the Baptist]] baptizes Jesus, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him. Jesus prays in the wilderness for forty days and is tempted by [[Satan]]. His early ministry in Galilee meets with much success, and leads to the [[Sermon on the Mount]], the first of the discourses. The sermon presents the ethics of the [[kingdom of God]], introduced by the [[Beatitudes]] ("Blessed are..."). It concludes with a reminder that the response to the kingdom will have eternal consequences, and the crowd's amazed response leads into the next narrative block.{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=101}}

===Second narrative and discourse ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|8:2–11:1|nrsvue}})===
From the authoritative words of Jesus, the gospel turns to three sets of three [[miracles of Jesus|miracles]] interwoven with two sets of two [[disciples of Jesus|discipleship]] stories (the second narrative), followed by a discourse on mission and suffering.{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=226}} Jesus commissions the [[Twelve Disciples]] and sends them to preach to the Jews, perform miracles, and prophesy the coming of the Kingdom, commanding them to travel without staff or sandals.{{sfn|Harris|1985|p=}}

===Third narrative and discourse ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|11:2–13:53|nrsvue}})===
Opposition to Jesus comes to a head with an accusation by the Pharisees that his deeds are done through Satan.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|12:22-28}}</ref> Jesus in turn accuses his opponents of [[Blasphemy|blaspheming]] the Holy Spirit. The discourse is a set of [[Parables of Jesus|parables]] emphasizing the sovereignty of God, and concluding with a challenge to the disciples to understand the teachings as scribes of the [[Kingdom of heaven (Gospel of Matthew)|Kingdom of Heaven]].{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=285}} (Matthew avoids using the [[names of God in Judaism|holy word God]] in the expression "Kingdom of God"; instead he prefers the term "Kingdom of Heaven", reflecting the Jewish tradition of not speaking the name of God).{{sfn|Browning|2004|p=248}}

===Fourth narrative and discourse ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|13:54–19:1|nrsvue}})===
{{see also|Confession of Peter}}
The fourth narrative section reveals that the increasing opposition to Jesus will result in [[Crucifixion of Jesus|his crucifixion]] in Jerusalem, and that his disciples must therefore prepare for his absence.{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=265}} The instructions for the post-crucifixion church emphasize responsibility and humility. This section contains the two [[Feeding of the multitude|feedings of the multitude]] ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|14:13–21|nrsvue}} and {{Bibleverse|Matthew|15:32–39|nrsvue|15:32–39}}) along with the narrative in which Simon, newly renamed Peter ({{langx|grc|Πέτρος|Petros|stone|label=none}}), calls Jesus "the Christ, the son of the living God", and Jesus states that on this "bedrock" ({{langx|grc|πέτρα|petra|label=none}}) he will build his [[Christian Church|church]] ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|16:13–19|nrsvue}}).

===Fifth narrative and discourse (Matthew 19:2–26:1)===
{{Main|Second Coming}}

Jesus travels toward Jerusalem, and the opposition intensifies: he is tested by the Pharisees as soon as he begins to move toward the city, and when he arrives he is soon in conflict with the Temple's traders and religious leaders. He teaches in the Temple, debating with the chief priests and religious leaders and speaking in parables about the Kingdom of God and the failings of the chief priests and the Pharisees. The [[Herodians|Herodian]] caucus also becomes involved in a scheme to entangle Jesus,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|22:15–16}}</ref> but Jesus's careful response to their enquiry, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's", leaves them marveling at his words.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|22:21–22}}</ref>

The disciples ask about the future, and in his final discourse Jesus speaks of the coming end, predicting false Messiahs, earthquakes, and persecutions before all the prophecies are fulfilled.{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=445}}{{sfn|Harris|1985|p=}} The disciples must steel themselves for ministry to all the nations. At the end of the discourse, Matthew notes that Jesus has finished all his words, and attention turns to the crucifixion.{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=445}}

===Conclusion: Passion, Resurrection and Great Commission ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|26:2–28:20|nrsvue}})===
The events of Jesus's last week occupy a third of the content of all four gospels.{{sfn|Turner|2008|p=613}} Jesus [[Triumphal entry into Jerusalem|enters Jerusalem in triumph]] and drives the money changers from the Temple, holds a [[Last Supper]], prays to be spared the coming agony (but concludes "if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done"), and is betrayed. He is tried by the [[Sanhedrin]] and before [[Pontius Pilate]], and Pilate washes his hands to indicate that he does not assume responsibility. Jesus is crucified as king of the Jews, [[Mocking of Jesus|mocked]] by all. On his death there is an earthquake, the veil of the Temple is rent, and saints rise from their tombs. [[Mary Magdalene]] and [[Mary, the mother of James|another Mary]] discover the empty tomb, guarded by an [[angel]], and Jesus himself tells them to tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee.

After the resurrection the remaining disciples return to Galilee, where Jesus tells them that he has been given "all authority in heaven and on Earth." He gives the Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you". Jesus will be with them "to the very end of the age".{{sfn|Turner|2008|pp=687–88}}

== Theology ==
=== Christology ===
[[Christology]] is the theological doctrine of Christ, "the affirmations and definitions of Christ's humanity and deity".{{sfn|Levison|Pope-Levison|2009|p=167}} There are a variety of Christologies in the New Testament, albeit with a single centre—Jesus is the figure in whom God has acted for the salvation of humankind.{{sfn|Fuller|2001|pp=68–69}}

Recent scholarship focuses on explaining the gospels' relationship in terms of ancient compositional practices and comparisons with other ancient historical biographers over older redaction-critical concerns.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=James |title=The Cambridge Companion to the New Testament |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1108437707 |pages=355–56 |quote= redaction critics were often preoccupied with theological emphases but not editorial detail requires a theological rationale. Accordingly, recent advances in redaction criticism explain gospel writing more fundamentally in terms of ancient composition and rhetoric.}}</ref> According to [[Christopher M. Tuckett|Christopher Tuckett]], Matthew has taken key Christological texts from Mark, but has sometimes changed the stories found in Mark, giving evidence of his own concerns.{{sfn|Tuckett|2001|p=119}} James Barker argues that older scholarship has exaggerated the importance of the evangelists’ theological aims, with ancient rhetoric explaining many differences in the gospels instead.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=James |title=Writing and Rewriting the Gospels |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2025 |isbn=978-0802874528 |pages=46}}</ref> The title [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament#Son of David|Son of David]] identifies Jesus as the healing and miracle-working Messiah of Israel (it is used exclusively in relation to miracles), and the Jewish messiah is sent to Israel alone.{{sfn|Luz|1995|pp=86, 111}} As [[Son of Man]] he will return to judge the world, a fact his disciples recognize but of which his enemies are unaware.{{sfn|Luz|1995|pp=91, 97}} As [[Son of God]] he is named [[Immanuel]] ('God with us'),<ref>{{Bibleverse|Matthew|1:23|ASV}}</ref> God revealing himself through his son, and Jesus proving his sonship through his obedience and example.{{sfn|Luz|1995|p=93}}

=== Relationship with the Jews ===
Matthew's prime concern was that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church that was increasingly becoming gentile.{{sfn|Davies|Allison|1997|p=722}} This concern lies behind the frequent citations of Jewish scripture, the evocation of Jesus as the new Moses along with other events from Jewish history, and the concern to present Jesus as fulfilling, not destroying, the Law.{{sfn|Senior|2001|pp=17–18}} Matthew must have been aware of the tendency to distort Paul's teaching of the law no longer having power over the New Testament Christian into [[antinomianism]], and addressed Christ's fulfilling of what the Israelites expected from the "Law and the Prophets" in an eschatological sense, in that he was all that the Old Testament had predicted in the Messiah.{{sfn|France|2007|pp=179–81, 185–86}}

The gospel has been interpreted as reflecting the struggles and conflicts between the evangelist's community and the other Jews, particularly with its sharp criticism of the scribes and Pharisees.{{sfn|Burkett|2002|p=182}} It tells how Israel's [[Messiah]], rejected and executed in Israel, pronounces judgment on Israel and its leaders and becomes the salvation of the [[gentile]]s.{{sfn|Luz|2005b|pp=17}} Prior to the crucifixion of Jesus, the Jews are referred to as [[Israelites]]—the honorific title of God's chosen people. After it, they are called {{transliteration|grc|[[Ioudaios]]}} (Jews), a sign that—due to their rejection of the Christ—the "[[Kingdom of heaven (Gospel of Matthew)|Kingdom of Heaven]]" has been taken away from them and given instead to the church.{{sfn|Strecker|2000|pp=369–70}}

== Comparison with other writings ==
{{see also|Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew}}

=== Christological development ===
The divine nature of Jesus was a major issue for the community of Matthew, the crucial element marking them from their Jewish neighbors. Early understandings of this nature grew as the gospels were being written. Before the gospels, that understanding was focused on the revelation of Jesus as God in his resurrection, but the gospels reflect a broadened focus extended backwards in time.{{sfn|Peppard|2011|p=133}}

===Mark===
According to Beaton, Matthew is a creative reinterpretation of Mark.{{sfn|Beaton|2005|p=117}} [[Mark Goodacre]] writes that Matthew does not “vanquish or supplant” Mark but understands his predecessor correctly in key ways.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goodacre |first=Mark |title=Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels |publisher=T&T Clark |year=2008 |isbn=978-0567041944 |pages=74, 84}}</ref>  Michael Barber argues that Matthew provides a plausible portrayal of Jesus, while [[Dale Allison]] finds Matthean interpretation and redaction of Mark as a path instead of an obscurement of the [[Historical Jesus]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barber |first=Michael Patrick |title=The Historical Jesus and the Temple: Memory, Methodology and the Gospel of Matthew |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-009-21085-0 |pages=x, 238 |contribution=Foreword |contributor-first=Dale C. Jr. |contributor-last=Allison |contributor-link=Dale Allison}}</ref> Matthew stresses Jesus's teachings as much as his acts,{{sfn|Morris|1986|p=114}} and makes subtle changes in order to stress his divine nature: for example, Mark's "young man" who appears at Jesus's tomb becomes "a radiant angel" in Matthew.{{sfn|Beaton|2005|p=123}} The miracle stories in Mark do not demonstrate the divinity of Jesus, but rather confirm his status as an emissary of God (which was Mark's understanding of the Messiah).{{sfn|Aune|1987|p=59}}

=== Chronology ===
There is a disagreement over chronology between the [[Synoptic Gospels|Synoptics]] and John: Matthew, Mark and Luke feature one trip to Jerusalem at the end of Jesus’ ministry, where there is an [[Cleansing of the Temple|incident in the Temple]], climaxing with the crucifixion on the day of the [[Passover]] holiday. [[Gospel of John|John]] puts the Temple incident early in Jesus's ministry, has several trips to Jerusalem, and puts the crucifixion before the Passover, on the day when the lambs for the Passover meal were being sacrificed.{{sfn|Levine|2001|p=373}}<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Allison |first=Dale |title=The Gospel of John in Historical Inquiry |publisher=T&T Clark |year=2019 |isbn=978-0567681348 |pages=277}}</ref> Dale Allison is inclined to favor John’s chronology, though with caution,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Allison|first=Dale|title=The New Cambridge Companion to Jesus|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2024|isbn=978-1009232999|pages=12 |quote= He was probably more than once in Jerusalem for festivals, as John's Gospel purports...The Synoptic chronology (i.e. of Matthew, Mark, and Luke), which recounts only a single visit, is compressed}}</ref> while [[E. P. Sanders|Sanders]] defends the shorter Synoptic timeline.<ref name=":03">{{cite book |last=Sanders |first=EP |title=The Historical Figure of Jesus |publisher=Penguin |year=1996 |isbn=0140144994 |pages=68–69}}</ref> However, there are also verses such as {{Bibleverse|Mark|14:49|nrsvue}} and {{Bibleverse|Matthew|23:37|nrsvue}} that are often viewed as hints of a longer ministry.<ref name=":1" /> Ancient writing practices involved such chronological displacement and changes, with even reliable biographers including [[Plutarch]] displaying them.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vytlačilová |first=Magdalena |title=Jesus, the Gospels, and the Galilean Crisis by Tucker S. Ferda (review) |journal=Neotestamentica |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=197–202 |via=Project MUSE}}</ref>

===Canonical positioning===
The early patristic scholars regarded Matthew as the earliest of the gospels and placed it first in the canon, and the early Church mostly quoted from Matthew, secondarily from John, and only distantly from Mark.{{sfn|Edwards|2002|p=2}}

== See also ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* [[Authorship of the Bible]]
* [[Gospel of the Ebionites]]
* [[Gospel of the Hebrews]]
* [[Gospel of the Nazarenes]]
* [[Hebrew Gospel hypothesis]]
* ''[[The Visual Bible: Matthew]]''
* ''[[Il vangelo secondo Matteo]]'', a film by [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]]
* [[Jewish–Christian gospels]]
* [[List of omitted Bible verses]]
* [[List of Gospels]]
* [[Sermon on the Mount]]
* ''[[St Matthew Passion]]'' – an oratorio by [[J. S. Bach]]
* [[Textual variants in the Gospel of Matthew]]
* [[Shem Tob's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew]]
}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|20em}}

=== Sources ===
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* {{Cite book|last=Morris|first=Leon|authorlink=Leon Morris|title=New Testament Theology|publisher=Zondervan|year=1986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6D3o6fZd67EC|isbn=978-0-310-45571-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=Morris|first=Leon|title=The Gospel according to Matthew|publisher=Eerdmans|year=1992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-pwaSKcHyEEC|isbn=978-0-85111-338-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=Nolland|first=John|authorlink=John Nolland|title=The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OsarQgAACAAJ|publisher=Eerdmans|year=2005|isbn=978-0-8028-2389-2}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Peppard
|first=Michael
|title=The Son of God in the Roman World: Divine Sonship in Its Social and Political Context
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|year=2011
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AOY2YJizbdAC&pg=PA133
|isbn=978-0-19-975370-3
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Perkins
|first=Pheme
|authorlink=Pheme Perkins
|chapter=The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles: Telling the Christian Story
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSHCRgS_SAUC&pg=PR7
|editor1-last=Kee
|editor1-first=Howard Clark
|title=The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|isbn=0-521-48593-2
|date=1997
}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Saldarini |first=Anthony J. |date=1992 |title=Delegitimation of Leaders in Matthew 23 |journal=[[Catholic Biblical Quarterly]] |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=659–680 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43720975}}
* {{Cite book|last=Saldarini|first=Anthony|title=Matthew's Christian-Jewish Community|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1994|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=btSZh4_vzqoC|isbn=978-0-226-73421-7}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Saldarini
|first=Anthony
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vo-11umIZQC&pg=PA1000
|editor1-last=Dunn
|editor1-first=James D.G.
|editor-link1=James Dunn (theologian)
|editor2-last=Rogerson
|editor2-first=John William
|editor-link2=John W. Rogerson
|title=Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible
|publisher=Eerdmans
|year=2003
|isbn=9780802837110
}}
* {{Cite book|last =Saunders|first =Stanley P.|authorlink=Stanley P. Saunders|editor-last =O'Day|editor-first =Gail|editor-link=Gail R. O'Day|title =Theological Bible Commentary|contribution =Matthew|publisher =Westminster John Knox Press|year =2009|isbn =978-0-664-22711-1|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=rQWknj4ORJkC}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Scholtz
|first=Donald
|title=Jesus in the Gospels and Acts: Introducing the New Testament
|publisher=Saint Mary's Press
|year=2009
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=royKA4FeMB4C&pg=PA34
|isbn=978-0-88489-955-6
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Senior
|first=Donald
|chapter=Directions in Matthean Studies
|editor1-last=Aune
|editor1-first=David E.
|title=The Gospel of Matthew in Current Study: Studies in Memory of William G. Thompson, S.J
|year=2001
|publisher=Eerdmans
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E8lZ7BXzt0sC
|isbn=0-8028-4673-4
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Senior
|first=Donald
|title=What are they saying about Matthew?
|publisher=PaulistPress
|year=1996
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuyaPmvwnLEC&q=What+are+they+saying+about+Matthew
|isbn=978-0-8091-3624-7
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Stanton
|first=Graham
|authorlink=Graham Stanton
|title=A gospel for a new people: studies in Matthew
|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press
|year=1993
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GytxXOIsF-0C
|isbn=978-0-664-25499-5
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Storkey
|first=Elaine
|authorlink = Elaine Storkey
|title=Meeting God in Matthew
|publisher=SPCK
|year=2022
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_aTNwQEACAAJ
|isbn=978-0281081950
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Strecker
|first=Georg
|title=Theology of the New Testament
|publisher=Walter de Gruyter
|year=2000
|orig-year=1996
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_6NxpAvdrOgC
|isbn=978-0-664-22336-6
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Tuckett
|first=Christopher Mark
|authorlink = Christopher M. Tuckett 
|title=Christology and the New Testament: Jesus and His Earliest Followers
|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press
|year=2001
|isbn=9780664224318
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J5Zr0_CsEcwC&pg=PA119
}}
* {{Cite book|last=Turner|first=David L.|title=Matthew|publisher=Baker|year=2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8z9LSdKLUl4C|isbn=978-0-8010-2684-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Van de Sandt|first=H.W.M.|chapter=''Introduction''|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cTE0FQtrphwC|title=Matthew and the Didache: Two Documents from the Same Jewish-Christian Milieu ?|isbn=90-232-4077-4|year=2005|publisher=Royal Van Gorcum }}, in {{Cite book|editor-last=Van de Sandt|editor-first=H.W.M.|title=Matthew and the Didache|publisher=Royal Van Gorcum&Fortress Press|year=2005|isbn=978-90-232-4077-8}}
* {{Cite book | editor-last = Wallace | editor-first = Daniel B. | editor-link = Daniel B. Wallace| title = Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence | publisher = Kregel Academic | year = 2011 | series = Text and canon of the New Testament | isbn = 978-0-8254-8906-8 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=838A8BDUI5kC }}
* {{Cite book|last=Weren|first=Wim|chapter=The History and Social Setting of the Matthean Community|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cTE0FQtrphwC|title=Matthew and the Didache: Two Documents from the Same Jewish-Christian Milieu ?|isbn=90-232-4077-4|year=2005|publisher=Royal Van Gorcum }}, in {{Cite book|editor-last=Van de Sandt|editor-first =H.W.M.|title=Matthew and the Didache|publisher=Royal Van Gorcum&Fortress Press|year=2005|isbn=978-90-232-4077-8
}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1&version=NIV Biblegateway.com (opens at Matt.1:1, NIV)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050413192315/http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/~wie/TCG/TC-Matthew.pdf A textual commentary on the Gospel of Matthew] – detailed text-critical discussion of the 300 most important variants of the Greek text (PDF, 438 pages)
* [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/matthew.html Early Christian Writings] ''Gospel of Matthew:'' introductions and e-texts.
* {{librivox book | dtitle=Bible: Matthew| stitle=NT 01 Matthew}} Various versions

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{{S-hou|[[Synoptic Gospels|Synoptic]] [[Gospel]]|||}}
{{S-bef|before=<small>[[Old Testament]]</small><br>[[Book of Malachi|Malachi]]<br> <small>[[Minor prophet]]s</small>}}
{{S-ttl|title=<small>[[New Testament]]</small><br>[[Books of the Bible]]}}
{{S-aft| after=<small>[[Gospel]] of</small><br> [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Jesus footer}}
{{Books of the Bible}}
{{Gospel of Matthew|state=expanded}}
{{Nativity of Jesus}}
{{Sermon on the Mount}}
{{Subject bar
|book1           = The New Testament of the Bible
  |book2         = Gospel
|portal1      = Christianity
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|s-search   = Matthew (Bible)
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|v-search  = Biblical Studies (NT)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew}}
[[Category:Gospel of Matthew| ]]
[[Category:New Testament books|Matthew]]
[[Category:Works of uncertain authorship]]
[[Category:Texts in Koine Greek]]
[[Category:Synoptic Gospels]]