The first attribution to Matthew as the author of the first Gospel comes from Papias of Hierapolis (modern-day Turkey), who lived sometime between the mid-first until the mid-second century. According to the early Christian historian Eusebius (AD 265-339), Papias noted that the first Gospel was written by a disciple named Matthew who had previously been a tax collector (9:9; 10:3) and had \u201ccompiled the Sayings in the Aramaic language, and translated them as well as he could\u201d (Ecclesiastical History<\/em> 3.39). And while the assertion of authorship has been generally accepted, there are a couple of problems with Papias\u2019 claim. First, the Gospel was written (and written very well) in Greek, not Aramaic. Second, what is presented to us in the first Gospel is more than a collection of sayings, as this book is more closely akin to Deuteronomy than Proverbs (although the first Gospel has been classified as a type of wisdom literature).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, there is a noted difference in Mark and Luke\u2019s narratives. In both the second and third Gospels, Jesus calls a tax collector named Levi\u2014not Matthew\u2014to follow him (Mark 2:13-14; Luke 5:27-28), although both Gospels note that one of the core disciples is named Matthew, not Levi (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). While this certainly causes confusion, many scholars seem to agree that we should see Matthew and Levi as one in the same, much as we understand Peter also going by his Hebrew name Simon (cf., Luke 5:8; Acts 15:14; 2 Peter 1:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next matter of background focuses on when this Gospel was written. We have been referring to this Gospel as the first gospel, however that is only accurate in one sense. While it is the first Gospel in the New Testament, it was not the first Gospel written. That honor belongs to Mark\u2019s Gospel. In fact, it was likely not even the second Gospel written, as that honor has traditionally fallen to Luke\u2019s Gospel. Although we cannot specifically pinpoint the date of authorship, there are a couple of factors which can help us establish a hypothetical timeframe. On the one hand, the text itself provides a handful of vivid clues that Jerusalem has been destroyed (the heavily eschatological imagery in chapter 25) and that the church is in existence (18:15-20). On the other hand, Matthew\u2019s Gospel was a favorite text of Ignatius of Antioch, who was writing and preaching in the early first century. Add to this the rising tensions between Jews and Christians following the destruction of Jerusalem, most notably cemented at the Council of Jamnia (ca. AD 85) which seem to be reflected in Matthew\u2019s narrative, and we likely have a composition window of AD 80-90.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much like the Book of Hebrews, this Gospel seems to be addressed primarily to Jewish Christians who found themselves caught between their cultural calling as children of Abraham and their spiritual calling as disciples of Jesus. However, let us know not forget that this is, at its core, a narrative about the life of Jesus and his invitation to follow in discipleship, meaning there is a universal audience ultimately in mind here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In defining the literary background of a book like the first Gospel, we must begin with a bit of semantics. There is, in Christian theology, a difference between the<\/em> gospel and a<\/em> Gospel. The<\/em> gospel is the continuing redemptive work of God begun at Eden, progressed in the Passion of Jesus, and awaiting its culmination in the eschatological return of Christ. In short, as first articulated by Karl Barth (1932) and best defined by the late David Bosch, the<\/em> gospel is the essence of mission, which is the \u201cactivity of God himself\u201d (Transforming Mission<\/em>, 389). In a practical sense, the<\/em> gospel is \u201cthe content of Christian preaching\u201d (Mark Allan Powell, Introducing the New Testament<\/em>, 82).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this is the case, why do we call the first four books of the New Testament \u201cGospels\u201d? The short answer to this question is that these theological documents seek to articulate the \u201cactivity of God himself\u201d through the nature and function of each book\u2019s main character\u2014Jesus. As the pinnacle event of God\u2019s mission is the resurrection of Jesus, these books receive the label \u201cGospel\u201d because they serve as the best articulation of God\u2019s mission, of how God continues his redemptive work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than communicating this material in didactic form (e.g., the letters of Paul, Peter, and John), the Gospel authors use the genre of bios<\/em>, an ancient biography. However, unlike modern biographies where an individual\u2019s history is recited in chronicled history, the Gospels function more like narratives, blending a variety of rhetorical and literary tools (i.e., parables, pronouncement stories, divine reversals, etc.) to serve a missional agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of employing this genre is to present the argument that Jesus lives an ethical life worth emulating but that Jesus holds the \u201cword of life\u201d (Phil. 2:16; cf., Matt. 7:24-27). In reading a<\/em> Gospel, one is presented with the<\/em> gospel. And one cannot simply ignore the<\/em> gospel once it has been communicated. One must either choose to accept it or reject it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We know the weekly grind of sermon prep is hard, whether you are in the midst of series or planning a new series. Trying to find key verses you need to highlight in your sermon, finding the historical background to the book, discovering the flow\/structure of book, and even figuring out what is the theme of each section.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLiterary Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Chart: Preaching Through Matthew<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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