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Gospel of Matthew

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St Matthew writing his gospel. Picture from a Medieval Bible.

The Gospel of Matthew (or Gospel according to Matthew, also Matthew) is a gospel in the New Testament that tells the story of the life and teachings of Jesus. It is called one of the Synoptic Gospels because much of its parables and language are shared by the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke.

It is not thought to have been written by the Matthew, who was one of the Twelve Apostles, though it is possible that it was on something that was written by Matthew.[source?]

This gospel was written mainly to show the Jewish people that Jesus was the Messiah spoken of in the Torah[source?] and often quotes from it.

Date and author

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In early church tradition, this gospel was written by Matthew, but this is rejected by modern scholars.[1][2] The name of the author is unknown, but they were probably the leader of an early Christian community.[source?] According to Bart Ehrman, the gospel was an anonymous work, meaning the author did not name themselves when they wrote it.[3]

It was likely spread in a city because of how famous it became,[source?] traditionally in Syria.[source?] It was probably written in the last quarter of the first century.[source?]

The Gospel of Mark, which is thought to be from the 40s–50s CE,[source?] was probably the first of the four gospels to be written[source?] and was probably used as a source for the rest.[source?] In addition, many scholars argue that Matthew and Luke used a collection of sayings that is now lost,[source?] which is the hypothetical Q source, though this view has been recently challenged.[source?]

Matthew did not simply copy Mark but rather used it to demonstrate that Jesus had his place in Jewish tradition.[source?]

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References

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  1. ↑ Burkett, Delbert 2002. An introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00720-7
  2. ↑ 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 R.T. France 2007. The Gospel of Matthew, p. 18.
  3. ↑ BDEhrman (2014-11-28). "Why Are the Gospels Anonymous?". The Bart Ehrman Blog. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
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