Gospel according to Matthew: origin, theology and the debate of the “Matthew Hebrew”
The Gospel according to Matthew it occupies a unique place in the New Testament by his deep-rooted jewish and decisive reinterpretation christological the Scriptures of Israel. As noted Raymond E. Brown, Matthew does not “invented” Jesus: as interpreted in the light of the Hebrew Bible, turning his gospel in a space where judaism and christianity begin simultaneously to recognize and differentiate yourself.
In the same line, John P. Meier defined to Matthew as the text of the “judeo-christian mature”: true to the Torah, and convinced that in Jesus fulfilled the prophetic promises. This tension fruitful runs through the whole of the gospel.
What is the Gospel according to Matthew
Language, date, authorship, and public
The consensus scholar argues that the canonical text of Matthew was composed in koine Greeknot translated from the original Hebrew or aramaic. The date most accepted is situated after the year 70 ce. C.with a fork approximately between 80 and 95 d. C. The gospel is anonymous from the point of view critical: the title “according to Matthew” belongs to the ancient tradition. Most experts attribute this to a christian background jewwho writes for a community judaeo-Greek languageprobably in Syria or Antioch.
Sources and connection diagram
The predominant priority of Frames: Matthew uses and expands on that gospel, incorporates material (“M”) and, according to the classical hypothesis, a collection of sayings known as source Q. This combination explains both the commonalities and the differences of Mark and Luke.
Structure and literary features
Matthew organizes his work with alternating five great speeches with sections narratives, each closed by the formula “when Jesus had finished...”. The discourses are:
- Sermon on the Mount (5-7);
- Missionary discourse (10);
- Parables of the Kingdom (13);
- Discourse community or church (18);
- Speech eschatological (23-25).
The gospel emphasizes so constant that Jesus “meets” the Scriptures, using formulas with explicit prophetic fulfillment.
Ecclesiology and end
Matthew is the only gospel that uses the term ekklesía (16:18; 18:17) and develops themes of authority, as the keys to the Kingdom and the binding and loosing. The story culminates with the Great Commission (28:16-20), which universalizes the mission and underlines the character of catechesis and community of nascent christianity.
Matthew and the Scriptures of Israel
In its appointments, compliance, Matthew is often used Septuagint (LXX), as in Isaiah 7:14 (“parthenos”) quoted in Matthew 1:23, although some passages show an affinity with the Hebrew text. The dominant feature is a method midráshico-cumplimental, which rereads the Bible of Israel from the conviction messianic.
As expressed Amy-Jill Levineread Matthew is listening to a conversation is internal to the judaism of the Second Temple: intense, familiar, and, at times, tense.
How there was a “gospel in the Hebrew Matthew”?
Here it is useful to distinguish with precision three realities:
A. The testimony of Papius
Papius, quoted by Eusebius of Caesareasaid that Matthew compiled the lodge “in the Hebrew language”. The statement is old but ambiguous: it can refer to a collection of such previously, not to the canonical gospel completely. Not a proof that our Matthew Greek is a translation of an original Hebrew.
B. The Gospel according to the Hebrews
It is a gospel judeo-christian is now lost, known only through fragments quoted by ancient authors. Is not identical to the Matthew canonical and probably dates back to the century II.
C. The “Mateos hebrews” medieval
Versions Hebrew-associated Shem Tov, Du Tillet and Münster are, according to the critical consensus, translations of medieval the Matthew Greek, used in contexts controversial jewish-christians. Although George Howard emphasized its historical interest, the majority of specialists consider that do not preserve the original Hebrew of the century I.
Cores theological Matthew
- Jesus as the Messiah, the davidic, and the Son of God.
- Kingdom of Heaven, expression characteristic of Matthew.
- Ethics of discipleshipfocused on the Sermon on the Mount.
- Church and authority, with special attention to the community, and forgiveness.
- Eschatologydeveloped in the discourse on the Mount of Olives.
Ulrich Light summarized this profile stating that Matthew writes as a type of the Kingdom, capable of combining tradition and innovation.
Conclusion academic
The opinion of the majority is clear: the Gospel according to Matthewas we know in the canon of christian, was written in Greek at the end of the first century. Not retained gospel Hebrew authentic Matthew century I. What does exist is:
(a) an ancient witness on lodge in Hebrew or aramaic;
(b) a gospel judeo-christian lost other than Matthew;
c) translations of medieval Hebrew of the canonical text.
As synthesized Géza Vermes, Matthew is perhaps the evangelist jew and, therefore, one of the most decisive for understanding the emergence of christianity.
