Synopsis of the of Matthew in the Bible - Book Report/Review Example

Synopsis of the Book of Matthew Information Synopsis of the Book of Matthew The book of Matthew is considered to be the best known among the gospels; this is because it contains parables, miraculous events, and the elaborate Sermon on the Mount. It is also recognized as the best introduction of the New Testament by the early church. The book’s main aim is to depict Christ as the fulfilment of the Old Testament; it focuses on the law based on the ethics of the traditional theology of a covenant.

It centres majorly on the hope of the messiah. The book further emphasises that the coming of Christ to fulfil the law and not to abolish it is a fact that must be approached with seriousness1. The book of Matthew is believed to have been written by Matthew who was one of the twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Luke, he was also called Levi Luke (5:27) and was the son of Alphaeus (5:27)2. He was a tax collector by profession, a fact that qualifies him to have made such an account of the gospel.

The date of writing of the book greatly depends on when the book of Mark was written as it is widely accepted that both Matthew and Luke relied on the book of Mark for accounts reproducing about 90 percent and 60 percent of it respectively. It is believed that the book could have been written somewhere between AD 55 and AD 603. The book of Matthew is written to a church that majorly consists of the Jews, though adopting the basic structure of Mark, the author changes a number of perspectives of Mark.

He adds extra accounts such as the genealogy of Jesus, his birth and resurrection among others as well as a number of teachings from Jesus. Matthew singles out Jesus as the Messiah that is to fulfil God’s purpose. This he does by tracing Christ’s genealogy through kings of the land of Israel. This is confirmed by both the Magi and King Herod who acknowledges that the infant Jesus is to be the king. Matthew also affirms Jesus as an authoritative interpreter of the law (Torah). In the church that Matthew belongs to the Jews uphold the Torah differently from other Jews, only that they accept Jesus’ interpretation as the correct one.

This is evident in the way Matthew elaborately inserts the Sermon on the Mount being the first of the five long teachings of Christ as an example4. Matthew also connects Jesus to the experiences of God that the children of Israel had by quoting a number of scriptures that show such fulfilments. As he relates a lot of things in Jesus’ life that deal with the fulfilment of the scriptures, he writes, “This was done to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet.” this is a formula he uses to tie the life of Jesus and the hope of Israel and a relationship God that is proper5.

By so doing, he brings out a meaning that the passage gives more insight to who Jesus is and not just to predict His life. He finds new meanings that seem hidden and can only be found by those who believe in Jesus Christ. In the same manner as other ancient Jews, he finds many meanings in the texts; this is the key that opens these scriptures in Hebrew text. Besides fulfilment quotes, he uses other devices to bring out Christ as the obedient child that points others to this obedience. He points to this obedient one as the Messiah and the King of the army of God who will come back to defeat evil.

This position spells out the importance of faith for those who want to follow Christ6. BibliographyAlbright, William and Mann, Christopher, Matthew: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 26. Baltimore: Doubleday, 1971. Argyle A.W, The Gospel According to Matthew. London: Cambridge University Press, 1963.blueletterbible.org. “Study Resources: Intros to the Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Blue letter Bible”, https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/intros/matthew.cfm Nixon R. E, "Matthew"; in Donald Guthrie, et al.

, The New Bible Commentary: Revised. London: Inter-Varsity Press, 1970. Robert Mounce. Matthew. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.