THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM (Part 8)

The Gospel Of Matthew

The sources behind Matthew can easily be demonstrated. It includes almost the whole of Mark; it shares a great deal of material with Luke, which it derived from the source Q, and, in addition, it has drawn upon a source which was unknown or neglected by the other evangelists, usually referred to as M. Whether the birth narratives in chapters one and two should be included  in M or regarded as a distinct tradition is a matter of debate.

When was it written?

The date of compilation of this Gospel is much disputed. Since Matthew included Mark, it is at least to be dated after 65 Ad.. Many have argued for a date as late as 90 - 100 Ad; other place it between 80 and 90 Ad. The reasons suggested for regarding Matthew as late are many.

In addition to its incorporation of Mark, which implies a distance in time from it, there are other indications that much time has passed since the days of Jesus. See Matthew 11: 12; 27: 8; 28: 15.  Scholars have also pointed to the developed idea of the Church in Matthew.

• There is a marked concentration in Matthew on the coming end of all things. This revealed in some of the parables peculiar to Matthew:
• the parable of The Ten Virgins, ending with the warning, “Watch, therefore, for you know not neither the day nor the hour”;
• the parable of The Talents, which consigns the unprofitable servant to utter darkness and to weeping and gnashing of teeth (25: 30);
• that of Sheep and the Goats, which describes the day when the Son of Man comes in his glory,, and all the angels with him, and will sit on the throne of his glory to divide the sheep and goats (25:31F.).

Furthermore, Matthew adds certain details to those of Mark in his picture of the end whish his about to come (24: 14); He alone mentions the “sign” of the Son of Man in heaven, and the angels coming to the sound of a trumpeter (24: 30 - 31). The emphasis in Matthew on the end points to a time when there was a revival of Messianic expectation and excitement ( see 24: 23f). When was this to be?  The time of the rising of Bar Kochba against Rome (135 AD) has been suggested. The distress of such a war-torn period would also explain Matthew’s emphasis on peace. Recall his words, “All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword” (26: 52), and the wartime atmosphere is also reflected in Matthew’s insistence that “lawlessness” has multiplied in his day.
 

(to be continued)