Author
Most likely an anonymous Jew. Matthew the tax collector may have been the first missionary to the author’s community. It’s hard to say exactly why the book gained his name.
Date
Most scholars date this gospel between 85 and 95 AD. By then, the gospel of Mark was in wide circulation and this gospel uses Mark’s framework of events.
Theme and Purpose
Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, brings salvation history to its climax, saving his people from their sins.
The purpose was to enable Jewish Christians to explore the two loyalties that pull them:
- Jews trying to define themselves in relation to other Jews who haven’t accepted Jesus as the Messiah
- Christians trying to relate to a community which is becoming more and more Gentile and don’t adhere to Jewish law and customs
Audience
Jews with extensive knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures (which hampers our modern understanding). The original community still counted itself as Jewish (or the fulfillment of Judaism) although there is evidence of rupture:
- “their”/”your” synagogues
- “Their” scribes
- “The” Jews
Characteristics
- Genesis 5 genealogy repeats the phrase “and he died.” Matthew’s genealogy emphasizes life (“the father of….”)
- Pro Jewish flavor
- Emphasis on the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy to show continuity with the plan of God
- Jesus as the new Moses, Wisdom incarnate
- Jewish model of Halakah and Haggadah
- Halakah: A teacher teaches; his student refers back to that teaching. Schools where the teaching is tied to the teacher.
- Haggadah: illustrative events from a teacher’s life are recalled. Put a human face on the teaching.
- Anti-Jewish sentiment
- Strong denunciation of religious leaders
- Can be read as showing the law to belong to the past, no longer needed. If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, then Jewish tradition is exhausted and no longer meaningful.
- Gentiles play a role
- Worship the infant 2:1-12
- Jesus performs miracles for them and praises their faith (8:5-13, 15:21-28)
- Jesus praises the Queen of Sheba 12:42
- Jesus quotes a prophecy about the Gentiles 12:14-21
- Blessings refused by Israel would be shared with the Gentiles 22:8-10, 21:40-46
- Preach gospel to all nations 24:14, 28:19-20
- Messiah – Jesus is the Messiah but the Messiah is not what you expect
- How do the Jews grapple with the destruction of the temple (70AD)?
Narrative Structure
The gospel of Matthew has a well-defined narrative structure. You can see by the color bands above that each section has a corresponding section. For example, chapters 1-4 are Jesus’ birth and beginnings which correspond to chapters 26-29 on his death and rebirth.