1) The Gospel of Matthew was written for a Jewish-Christian community around AD 80-90 in Antioch. 2) It uses the Gospel of Mark and the hypothetical source Q as source material, arranged in a classical biography format to present Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy and model for Christian living. 3) Matthew's community was seeking to secure its identity on the margins of both the Roman Empire and Judaism, so the Gospel legitimates and guides the community's values and lifestyle through the words and deeds of Jesus.

1. The Gospel of
Matthew

2. Map of Palestine at the Time of Jesus

3. Judaism at the time of Jesus
• Jerusalem Temple
• Synagogue
• Sadducees
• Samaritans
• Pharisees
• Zealots
• Essenes
• A broad spectrum of me
ssianic hopes and expec
tations
• Apocalyptic perspective
expressed in certain mo
vements and literature

4. The Development of the New Testament
• The New Testament is a coll
ection of writings that witne
ss to the faith of the early C
hurch in Jesus Christ, the So
n of God.
• It came about as a result of
a process that began with th
e public life of Jesus and en
ded with the last of the Gos
pels, probably John
The Public Life of Jesus
30 -33ad
The Preaching of the Apostles
The Letters of Paul
50-62ad
The Written Gospels
70-90ad

5. What a “historian” may say about
Jesus
• Grew up in Galilee in a family of modest means
• Was a Jew but his place on the spectrum is unclear
• Was baptized by John and was linked with his mov
ement for a while
• Called disciples to share in his mission
• Was a teacher and preacher
• Message focussed on the present and coming “Kin
gdom of God”
• Jesus was crucified by the Roman governor of Jude
a

6. The Sources of the Gospels
• Individual Memory – doubtless an influence but d
oes not account for the texts of the gospels as we h
ave them.
• Community tradition: the link between Jesus and t
he Gospels is the Christian community that collect
ed, preserved and interpreted these materials as th
e expression of a vibrant faith.

7. Types of material from and about
Jesus
• Individual stories and sayings circulated as separ
ate units and where then combined in various w
ays in the process of tradition and redaction - li
ke stringing beads!
• Narrative traditions
Miracle stories,
Historical stories,
Sayings,
Parables

8. The Synoptic Gospels
Mark
Q
M L
Matthew Luke
• Q is a source that Luke and Matthew used that containe
d sayings of Jesus not found in Mark. M and L are sourc
es unique to each evangelist.

9. The Evangelist
• Matthew the Apostle? (9:9)
• Why rely on Mark?
• Perhaps a signature in 13:52,
"Therefore every scribe w
ho has been trained for
the kingdom of heaven is
like the master of a hous
ehold who brings out of h
is treasure what is new a
nd what is old.“

10. Matthew
• A Jewish Scribe (expert in the Torah) who has beco
me a Christian.
• Well versed in the Jewish tradition yet steeped in a
resurrection faith
• Understands Jesus as the fulfilment of Jewish Mes
sianic hopes and more. (infancy narrative)
• Uses Mark, “Q” and “M” as sources.
• Writes a “ bios” – a biography of Jesus according t
o classical norms.

11. Gospel as Biography
bios
• In the ancient world biography did not atte
mpt a detailed and comprehensive presentat
ion of the subject.
• Readers expected a narrative account of the
career and contribution of a notable figure u
sually spanning from birth to death.
• Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, etc.

12. Function of the bios
The ancient audience expected a bios
• To present the figure’s life and teaching as a poss
ible model for its own living.
• To legitimate or discredit important community
values and practices.
• To shape the identity and guide the audience’s w
ay of life.

13. Matthew’s audience
• A minority community in Antioch a large an
d culturally diverse city in the Roman Empir
e.
• Recently separated from the synagogue
• Seeking to secure an identity and lifestyle wi
th words of legitimation, explanation and di
rection.
• On the margins both in relation to Empire a
nd synagogue.

14. What the Gospel of Matthew tells us
about its readers
They recognise:
1. The central importance of the Jewish heritage an
d the Scriptures, seen in the genealogy and the fre
quent use of “fulfilment” formulae.
(1:22, 2:5-6, 8:17, 12:17-20)
1. Jesus as Lord – they have heard and accepted the
Easter message. In the Gospel people “approach
” Jesus (51x proserchomai). In Greek used for ap
proaching God or the temple for worship. (4:11, 5:
1, 8:2, 15:30, 18:1)

15. The Shape of Matthew (1)
• Birth Narrative 1:1-2:23
• Narrative: preparation for ministry: 3:1-4:17
Discourse: Sermon on the Mount 4:18-7:29
• Narrative: Signs of the Kingdom 8:1-9:38
Discourse on Mission 10:1-11:1
• Narrative: A Divided Response 11:2-12:50
Discourse: Parables of the Kingdom 13:1-13:
53

16. The Shape of Matthew (2)
• Narrative: Preparation for the Church 13:54- 17:23
• Discourse: The Community 17:24-19:2
• Narrative: Preparation for the Passion 19:3-24:2
• Discourse: The Last Judgment 24:3-25:46
• Death and Resurrection 26:1-28:20
Five Discourses – Five Books of Torah!