The book of Matthew
The Book of Matthew
What is the book of Matthew about?
The book of Matthew is the first of four books in the New Testament called the Gospels. Matthew, whose name means "gift of the Lord," was a tax collector who left his work to follow Jesus (9:9-13). In the books of Mark and Luke, he is called by his other name "Levi." He is also further identified as "son of Alphaeus."
The main purpose of this book is to confirm for the readers that Jesus is the Messiah. This is primarily done by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.
Especially noteworthy events described in this book include:
- Jesus' genealogy tracing to David and Abraham
- The beginnings of his Ministry, including his baptism by John the Baptist
- A collection of miracles
- the Commissioning of the 12 Apostles
- Prediction of Jesus' death
- Jesus' parables and teaching
- The arrest, trials, and death of Jesus
- Jesus' resurrection
Who wrote the book of Matthew?
The author of Matthew is Matthew himself. Matthew is also known as "Levi" (Mark 2:14).
Who is the audience?
Greek-speaking Jewish Christians.
Timeframe Matthew was written:
Written sometime between 50-70 AD.
"In short" (One sentence summary):
The book of Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies.
Fun facts about Matthew/Did you know?
A mathematical comparison shows that 91% of Mark's Gospel is contained in Matthew, while 53% of Mark is found in Luke. This raises questions as to the origin of the Synoptic Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke which all have similar viewpoints). Did the authors rely on a common source? Were they interdependent? These questions constitute what is known as the Synoptic Problem.
The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called the Gospels, from the Greek word for "good news."
