{"id":1504,"date":"2012-09-16T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2012-09-16T00:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2022-04-19T17:37:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T09:37:55","slug":"64-saint-matthew-a-reflection-on-his-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=1504","title":{"rendered":"64. Saint Matthew: A Reflection on His Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham<\/span>.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (Matthew 1:<\/span>1)<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/a>\"\"\u00a0<\/a>\"\"<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

[1] The Lindisfarne Gospels: a 7th cent. AD illustration of\u00a0the evangelist Matthew and his symbol. [2]\u00a0Saint Matthew and the Angel Giovanni Gerolamo Savoldo. Savoldo\u2019s painting shows Saint Matthew\u2014inspired by an angel, the traditional symbol of the Evangelist\u2014writing his gospel. In the background are two scenes from the Saint’s life: (right) the Saint receiving hospitality from the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, and (left) the Saint’s martyrdom, which took place in a church built for him in Ethiopia. [3]\u00a0St. Matthew and the Angel by Rembrandt<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Matthew the Evangelist on September 22. The first book of the New Testament is attributed to his name.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gospel According to Matthew is not just one of the four canonical gospels<\/a>, one of the three synoptic gospels<\/a>, and the first book of the New Testament<\/a>. It does not only tell of the life<\/a>, ministry<\/a>, death<\/a>, and resurrection<\/a> of Jesus of Nazareth<\/a>. The longest of the four texts, Matthew\u2019s Gospel is known as the \u201cecclesiastical gospel\u201d because, of the four written forms of the gospel, it is the only one which mentions the church as such \u2013 once in Matthew 16 where it is concerned with church order (Peter) and twice in Matthew 18. Moreover, Matthew is concerned with church teaching (the Great Commission in Matthew 28, the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7\u2026) For centuries the most used gospel text in all the churches, Matthew\u2019s Gospel has been the most influential in shaping the collective memory of all Christians about their Lord down through the ages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew\u2019s Gospel was known to the point that it entered into the European Christianised culture. And in so far as the two manifestations of any civilized culture are its religious traditions and its language, Matthew\u2019s gospel played a key role in shaping Christian consciousness as the faith spread from Europe to the rest of the world. To cite an example, we know the \u201cOur Father\u201d according to the version in Mathew 6. We are unable to reproduce by memory the version of Luke who simply says \u201cFather\u201d. Similarly with the Beatitudes: we are taught there are eight and that\u2019s according to Matthew, while Luke has only three. Influenced by Matthew, we speak of Jesus\u2019 forerunner as \u201cJohn the Baptist\u201d who is referred to as \u201cJohn the Baptiser\u201d according to Mark. The term \u201cpharisaic\u201d in the dictionary means \u201chypocritical\u201d as found in Matthew 23: \u201cYou Pharisees \u2026. you hypocrites!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The most important statement in the manuscript tradition about the gospel of Matthew was made by Papias of<\/span> Hierapolis, a bishop of the early Church<\/a>, canonized<\/a> as a saint<\/a>. Writing in the first third of the second century. he said Matthew \u201ccompiled the words of the Lord in the Hebrew dialect\u201d and each one interpreted them as he or she could. Generations of scholars saw this description of Matthew as an actual description of the longest gospel text. Three features in Papias\u2019 text deserve attention.<\/span><\/p>\n