From the tollbooth of Capernaum to the spiritual foundation of the New Testament, Matthew emerges not only as an apostle but as an architect of Christian memory. A Hebrew tax collector turned evangelist, his life and Gospel reflect a seamless fusion of Jewish heritage and Messianic fulfillment. His writing preserves the voice of Christ and transmits it with a clarity and conviction that shaped the very structure of Christian instruction across the centuries.
Critical Literature
The study of Matthew’s Gospel has inspired extensive scholarship. Bernhard Weiss’s Das Matthäusevangelium und seine Lucas-Parallelen erklärt (Halle, 1876) is noted for its meticulous detail. Edw. Byron Nicholson’s The Gospel according to the Hebrews (London, 1879) offers a valuable translation and annotation of fragments from the ancient gospel tradition.Exegetical commentaries span from patristic giants like Origen, Jerome, and Chrysostom to Reformation voices such as Melanchthon (1523), and later scholars like De Wette, Alford, Wordsworth, and Lange—whose edition was both translated and expanded by Schaff himself. Noteworthy contributions also include those of Meyer, Plumptre, and Carr, reflecting a broad ecumenical and chronological range of theological insight.
Life of Matthew
Matthew, formerly known as Levi, was a publican in Capernaum—a role demanding literacy in both Hebrew and Greek, as well as meticulous bookkeeping. Such a background suited him uniquely to compose a Gospel of structured, thematic precision. Associated in apostolic lists with Thomas, some traditions suggest a deeper link, possibly even kinship, with the twin-named Didymus. Yet where Thomas doubted and questioned, Matthew seems to have discerned and followed with decisive faith.Of his apostolic journeys, history provides no unanimity. Ancient traditions variously place him in Palestine, Ethiopia, Macedonia, Persia, and Media. While some accounts report a martyr’s death, earlier sources affirm a peaceful end. Regardless of the manner of his departure, his enduring legacy is found in his Gospel—his “imperishable work.”
A publican forsaking wealth for discipleship, Matthew’s call encapsulates the paradox of grace: from social outcast to chosen witness. The banquet he hosted in farewell to his past life became a foretaste of Christ’s call to sinners. Significantly, the earliest post-apostolic citation from his Gospel includes Jesus’ declaration: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Character and Aim of the Gospel
Matthew’s Gospel is rooted in the soil of Israel, yet points forward to the global harvest. He writes with reverence for Jerusalem, the Law, and the prophets, yet his message resonates with urgent transition. The temple still stands in the background, but its shadow lengthens.This Gospel is structured to prove that Jesus is the Messiah—the Prophet like Moses, the Son of David, the fulfillment of every sacred promise. It assumes deep familiarity with Jewish customs and geography. Matthew frequently invokes prophetic fulfillment with the refrain: “that it might be fulfilled,” marking his Gospel as a bridge from covenant to consummation.
He begins with genealogy—tracing Christ from Abraham and David, emphasizing royal lineage and covenantal legitimacy. The infancy narrative positions the Magi as Gentile harbingers of a wider salvation, even as Herod’s paranoia anticipates the resistance of the Jewish establishment. Christ’s life recapitulates Israel’s: an exodus from Egypt, trials in the wilderness, and fulfillment of prophetic expectation.
Universal Vision through a Jewish Lens
While written for Jewish Christians, Matthew’s scope transcends tribal boundaries. He introduces Gentile seekers at the nativity and celebrates the faith of a Canaanite woman and a Roman centurion. The sorrowful lament over Jerusalem, the woes upon the Pharisees, and the apocalyptic judgment discourses underscore a kingdom offered and refused—and now proclaimed to all nations.The Gospel closes with the Great Commission: the universal call to discipleship, baptism, and obedience, under the abiding presence of Christ. In this sweeping conclusion, Matthew’s Jewish lens has become the window through which the global church beholds her calling.
Topical Arrangement
Matthew organizes his Gospel topically rather than chronologically, arranging the teachings and works of Jesus into five major discourses, interspersed with narrative bridges. These groupings emphasize Jesus as teacher and interpreter of divine law:
- Sermon on the Mount (Ch. 5–7)
- Mission discourse (Ch. 10)
- Parables of the Kingdom (Ch. 13)
- Denunciation of religious hypocrisy (Ch. 23)
- Eschatological prophecy (Ch. 24–25)
Smaller discourses occur between, addressing repentance, Sabbath controversies, humility, forgiveness, wealth, and eschatological preparedness. Narrative sections include miracle clusters, the Transfiguration, and the Passion. Throughout, Christ’s authority over law, nature, demons, and death is made manifest.
Peculiar Sections
Matthew includes many passages found nowhere else:
- Discourses such as the Beatitudes, the invitation to the weary, and the parable of the talents.
- Unique parables: the hidden treasure, the pearl, the laborers, the two sons, the ten virgins.
- Miracles like the healing of two blind men and the coin in the fish’s mouth.
- Narratives such as the visit of the Magi, the massacre of the innocents, and the earthquake at the resurrection.
These elements deepen the Gospel’s doctrinal and narrative texture, while reinforcing its thematic arc: the King is revealed, rejected, and resurrected.
Style of Matthew
Matthew writes with dignified simplicity. Less vivid than Mark, less literary than Luke, his Greek is Hebraic but clear, reflecting an original rather than a translation. His repeated themes—“kingdom of heaven,” “heavenly Father,” and “the holy city”—root the Gospel in reverent theology. His reporting of Jesus’ words is precise and momentous, often accumulating weight through repetition, like the crescendo of thunder from Sinai.
Early Reception and Testimony
The Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas cite Matthew early and abundantly. Papias, a hearer of John, attests that Matthew composed the “logia” of the Lord in Hebrew. Though the precise nature of this document is debated, it likely contained a collection of discourses, consistent with Matthew’s didactic emphasis.While some dismissed Papias as credulous, his testimony aligns with Origen, Irenaeus, Eusebius, Jerome, and others. There may have been an Aramaic version of Matthew that has since disappeared. Whether it was an original Gospel or a precursor to the Greek Matthew, the universal testimony of the early church attributes the canonical Gospel to the apostle.
The Greek Matthew
The Greek Gospel of Matthew bears marks of originality: idiomatic expressions, plays on words, and deliberate distinctions in how Old Testament citations align with the Hebrew text or the Septuagint. For Messianic fulfillment, Matthew often conforms quotations to the Hebrew. These features suggest the Gospel is not a wooden translation, but a fresh composition, likely by Matthew himself, written later in life in Greek for broader use.Some scholars suggest a translator shaped the Greek version; others believe Matthew reworked his earlier Hebrew account. Analogous to Josephus rewriting his history in Greek, Matthew’s second composition may have eclipsed his first. Objections based on discrepancies or embellishments are insubstantial compared to the rich doctrinal consistency and apostolic voice the Gospel maintains.
Final Affirmation
Whatever its compositional history, the first Gospel was early and universally received as Matthew’s. It was the foundation of the early church’s instruction, cited by Justin Martyr, harmonized in Tatian’s Diatessaron, and upheld by Irenaeus and succeeding fathers. The voice that once called the tax collector now calls the nations—and through the pen of Matthew, continues to do so.