How to Read the Book of Matthew from Matthew’s Perspective
This is part 1 of 2 teachings. You are going to understand more about the authorship, background, audience, and overall context of the Book of Matthew.
In part 1, you’ll learn:
- Who wrote the Book of Matthew, what we need to know about him, and what evidence leads us toward these conclusions.
- The time and place for the writing of this gospel, and
- For whom this gospel was written.
What Context Can Do For You
These contextual mile-markers set you up for diving into your own study of the Book of Matthew. They also equipped you with perspective and insight that opens up and informs new avenues of study.
Exploratory engagement might be new for some of you, but I promise it’s lots of fun!
If you have no idea how to do that or what that might look like, download my FREE resource: Five Practices for Engaging Bible Study. I’ll link to that below
How to Apply What You Learn
At the end, I’ll make sure the setting and scene surrounding the book of Matthew are clear for you; in part 2, we’ll study some of the significant ideas and themes in this book. And you’ll already be ready!
The Big Ideas and Helpful Highlights for the Book of Matthew
Who Wrote It?
The short answer is probably Matthew. He was the son of Levi, a tax collector and one of the original 12 disciples. Probably. (More detail is in the full teaching above.) Perspective on who wrote this book shapes our assumptions and understandings. With these in the proper place, we can interpret was he wrote more skillfully.
When Was It Written?
Probably around 70CE, give or take 10 years. It’s not entirely clear whether or not this gospel was written before or after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Parts of the text seem to point to both before and after. So, we’re not sure.
Scholars also debate which gospel came first: Matthew or Mark. Many scholars believe that Mark came first, and Matthew (like Luke) used it as source material for his gospel. Naturally, you might wonder why someone who was an eye-witness to these events would use the account of another person as his source. There are various possible answers to this question. (More detail is in the full teaching).
Where Was it Written?
Next, we consider setting. Many believe that Matthew wrote from Antioch in what was, at the time, part of Roman province of Syria. Today, however, this is in the province of Antakya in southernmost Turkey. At the time, the rabbinic movement was emerging within Jewish culture. The evolution and timing of that movement line up with many of the themes and ideas reflected in the book of Matthew as well.
How This Helps You Read the Bible Better
Understanding where this gospel was written helps us better understand to whom it was written. And this has a huge influence on how we interpret its contents. The cultural situation in which it was written can teach us something about its author. And, we can learn more about the intended audience. Because of this, we learn how to weight different themes and shades within the writing.
Simply put, understanding the cultural context for this book helps us understand the book in the way it was intended to be received. This, of course, is incredibly important in our ambition to understand the Bible well as we study and learn from it.
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