A brief history and overview of the 1 st of the canonical Gospels.

 An apostle of Jesus  A former tax collector  Related to Abraham  Jewish writer  Born in Palestine  Said to have died by an axe.

 He wrote his gospel between 50 and 70 A.D.  A Jewish Christian who was writing for Jews who became Christian  Writes in midrash, a literary form that relates past scriptural events to the present.  Though Matthew wrote for newly converted Christians, his message was for everyone.  Loving one’s neighbor  resisting temptation  Forgiving others  sacrificing material goods

 Matthew’s Gospel can be broken up into 8 parts  Genealogy  Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry  Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee  Nature Miracles Performed by Jesus  Prediction of Jesus’ Death  Jesus Entering Jerusalem/Crucifixion  Resurrection

 Matthew did not include much of Jesus’ childhood, only the major events.  Genealogy  Conception of Jesus  Birth in Bethlehem  Visit of Magi  Flight into Egypt  Slaughter of the Innocents  Return to Nazareth in Galilee  Matthew only includes 6 stories while Luke includes 12.

 The infancy narrative of Matthew is important for a few reasons.  Displays writing style  Shows synoptic qualities  Proves Jesus is the real Messiah  Matthew starts out with the genealogy  Traces Jesus back to Abraham  Identifies Jesus as being conceived immaculately

 It is here we see Matthew write using Midrash for the first time.  Also, Matthew’s writing of the flight to Egypt can be seen as a reference to Jesus’ life  Constantly being persecuted  Nomadic lifestyle

 LINK  Group 1: Matthew 8:23-27  Group 2: Matthew 8:14-17  Group 3: Matthew 15:22-33  Group 4: Matthew 15:13-21

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