PowerPoint Notes – Unit 2 Gospel of Matthew
A. Basic Information
1. Author
a. Jewish Christian of Palestinian origin
b. Attributed to Matthew the Tax Collector
c. Teacher/Scribe versed in Jewish methods of interpretation
2. Date
a. 70-85 C.E.
3. Location
a. Antioch of Syria
4. Audience
a. Jewish Christians
5. Portrait of Jesus
a. The Gospel according to Matthew accepts and uses the main Christological
titles found already in his main narrative source (Mark's Gospel), including
Christ/Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man, Rabbi, and Teacher.
i. But in contrast to Mark, Matthew adds several new titles and
emphasizes certain aspects of Jesus' identity differently from Mark.
ii. Matthew's Gospel begins by identifying Jesus as "the son of David, the
son of Abraham" (1:1), thus indicating Jesus' Davidic/royal and
Abrahamic/Jewish heritage, respectively.
iii. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is also presented as "the New
Moses" for the people of Israel, and is given a variety of other titles,
including Emmanuel, Savior, Prophet, and King of the Jews.
b. Jesus as the Son of Abraham (and Isaac and Jacob) - stresses Jesus' Jewish
heritage much more directly than Mark's Gospel did
c. Jesus as the Son of David and King of the Jews (and King of Israel)
d. Jesus as a great Prophet and Teacher, like a new Moses
i. The name "Moses" is not directly used in a Christological Title, nor can
Jesus be called the "Son of Moses," since Jesus belongs to the Tribe of
Judah, while Moses belongs to the Tribe of Levi.
ii. However, Jesus is portrayed as being very similar to Moses in several
interesting and significant ways:
a. Just as Pharaoh (King of Egypt ca. 1300 BC) killed all the baby
boys of the Hebrews, and only Moses is saved (Exod 1:22–2:10),
i. so also, Herod (King of Israel at that time) kills all the
male babies in Bethlehem, and only Jesus is saved (Matt
2:13-18).
b. When Moses' life is in danger, he flees from Egypt to Israel, but
returns to Egypt after many years (Exod 2:15; 7:6-7);
i. when Jesus' life is in danger, he takes the reverse
itinerary: from Israel to Egypt and later back to Israel
(Matt 2:13-21).
1
, PowerPoint Notes – Unit 2 Gospel of Matthew
c. Just as Moses goes up to a mountain to receive the Law (incl.
the Ten Commandments) from God (Exod 19:3),
i. so also, Jesus goes up to a mountain to give a new Law
(incl. the Eight Beatitudes) to the people (Matt 5:1).
d. Just as Moses does not eat or drink for forty days and forty
nights while on the mountain, recording God's Law (Exod
34:28),
i. so also, Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights in the
desert, being tempted by Satan (Matt 4:2).
e. Just as Moses was thought to have written the first five books of
the Hebrew Bible (Gen, Exod, Lev, Num, Deut),
i. so also, the teaching of Jesus is contained in five
speeches or extended "discourses" in Matthew (ch. 5–7,
10, 13, 18, 23–25).
f. Overall, Moses was considered the greatest teacher, prophet
and lawgiver in the Hebrew Bible (and throughout the NT);
i. so also, Jesus is portrayed in Matthew's Gospel as a
great teacher, prophet and lawgiver, equal to or even
greater than Moses.
g. Moses is explicitly mentioned seven times in Matthew (8:4;
17:3-4; 19:7-8; 22:24; 23:2), most of which have parallels in
Mark;
i. the Matthean Jesus also explicitly upholds the law of
Moses, rather than abolishing it (5:17-20; 22:35-40;
etc.)
e. Jesus as Emmanuel ("God with Us") and Savior
6. Genealogy
a. Begins with Abraham, the first ancestor of the Jews
7. Theological Themes
a. 5 teaching sections like the Torah
b. Jesus is the New Covenant who fulfills the Old Covenant
8. Symbol of Matthew
a. Man with Wings
B. Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospel writers
1. Over 130 passages in Matthew refer to the Old Testament
2. Jewish Law is still important
a. “I have come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.”
3. Ethical teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and in his debates are analogous to
Jewish Halakah, advice on how people are to behave
4. Kingdom of Heaven rather than Kingdom of God
5. His Gospel contains five major discourses structured like the first five books of the Bible
(Torah)
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A. Basic Information
1. Author
a. Jewish Christian of Palestinian origin
b. Attributed to Matthew the Tax Collector
c. Teacher/Scribe versed in Jewish methods of interpretation
2. Date
a. 70-85 C.E.
3. Location
a. Antioch of Syria
4. Audience
a. Jewish Christians
5. Portrait of Jesus
a. The Gospel according to Matthew accepts and uses the main Christological
titles found already in his main narrative source (Mark's Gospel), including
Christ/Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man, Rabbi, and Teacher.
i. But in contrast to Mark, Matthew adds several new titles and
emphasizes certain aspects of Jesus' identity differently from Mark.
ii. Matthew's Gospel begins by identifying Jesus as "the son of David, the
son of Abraham" (1:1), thus indicating Jesus' Davidic/royal and
Abrahamic/Jewish heritage, respectively.
iii. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is also presented as "the New
Moses" for the people of Israel, and is given a variety of other titles,
including Emmanuel, Savior, Prophet, and King of the Jews.
b. Jesus as the Son of Abraham (and Isaac and Jacob) - stresses Jesus' Jewish
heritage much more directly than Mark's Gospel did
c. Jesus as the Son of David and King of the Jews (and King of Israel)
d. Jesus as a great Prophet and Teacher, like a new Moses
i. The name "Moses" is not directly used in a Christological Title, nor can
Jesus be called the "Son of Moses," since Jesus belongs to the Tribe of
Judah, while Moses belongs to the Tribe of Levi.
ii. However, Jesus is portrayed as being very similar to Moses in several
interesting and significant ways:
a. Just as Pharaoh (King of Egypt ca. 1300 BC) killed all the baby
boys of the Hebrews, and only Moses is saved (Exod 1:22–2:10),
i. so also, Herod (King of Israel at that time) kills all the
male babies in Bethlehem, and only Jesus is saved (Matt
2:13-18).
b. When Moses' life is in danger, he flees from Egypt to Israel, but
returns to Egypt after many years (Exod 2:15; 7:6-7);
i. when Jesus' life is in danger, he takes the reverse
itinerary: from Israel to Egypt and later back to Israel
(Matt 2:13-21).
1
, PowerPoint Notes – Unit 2 Gospel of Matthew
c. Just as Moses goes up to a mountain to receive the Law (incl.
the Ten Commandments) from God (Exod 19:3),
i. so also, Jesus goes up to a mountain to give a new Law
(incl. the Eight Beatitudes) to the people (Matt 5:1).
d. Just as Moses does not eat or drink for forty days and forty
nights while on the mountain, recording God's Law (Exod
34:28),
i. so also, Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights in the
desert, being tempted by Satan (Matt 4:2).
e. Just as Moses was thought to have written the first five books of
the Hebrew Bible (Gen, Exod, Lev, Num, Deut),
i. so also, the teaching of Jesus is contained in five
speeches or extended "discourses" in Matthew (ch. 5–7,
10, 13, 18, 23–25).
f. Overall, Moses was considered the greatest teacher, prophet
and lawgiver in the Hebrew Bible (and throughout the NT);
i. so also, Jesus is portrayed in Matthew's Gospel as a
great teacher, prophet and lawgiver, equal to or even
greater than Moses.
g. Moses is explicitly mentioned seven times in Matthew (8:4;
17:3-4; 19:7-8; 22:24; 23:2), most of which have parallels in
Mark;
i. the Matthean Jesus also explicitly upholds the law of
Moses, rather than abolishing it (5:17-20; 22:35-40;
etc.)
e. Jesus as Emmanuel ("God with Us") and Savior
6. Genealogy
a. Begins with Abraham, the first ancestor of the Jews
7. Theological Themes
a. 5 teaching sections like the Torah
b. Jesus is the New Covenant who fulfills the Old Covenant
8. Symbol of Matthew
a. Man with Wings
B. Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospel writers
1. Over 130 passages in Matthew refer to the Old Testament
2. Jewish Law is still important
a. “I have come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.”
3. Ethical teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and in his debates are analogous to
Jewish Halakah, advice on how people are to behave
4. Kingdom of Heaven rather than Kingdom of God
5. His Gospel contains five major discourses structured like the first five books of the Bible
(Torah)
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