In our time, with its social turbulence similar to what the Early Church experienced, the first gospel could restore broken bodies and spirits as in the days of Jesus and the apostles. To get behind all later formulations and systems of Christianity, the gospel merits the attention of Christians everywhere. The Gospel contained in Matthew was certainly proclaimed in great detail by the NT prophets and apostles ( Eph 2:20 3:5) long before it was written down, and those who would learn what was preached and taught during the apostolic era have generally turned to the first gospel. Everyone welcomes new insights into its treasured message. produced on the gospel of Matthew during recent decades indicates that the gospel still commands the attention of the Church and Biblical scholars. Because it bridges the OT and NT, it is still basic to both church and the world for the understanding of the teachings of Jesus Christ and of historical Christianity. The gospel is still doing for the church what it has always done. All things considered, the first gospel is perhaps the most powerful document ever written. Furthermore, it was an ecumenical gospel, upholding both Jewish and Gentile Christianity. Whether or not it was the first gospel committed to writing, its position in the NT testifies to its importance and influence in the eyes of Christians through the years, particularly during the first two centuries. Converts readily saw that it interprets the OT as a Christian book. The first gospel became a favorite of the Church because of its close relationship to the OT. The unique combination of the Lord’s life and teaching, and the theological theme of Jesus as the Messiah, became the final touchstone for its use and authority in the Church. It also became popular because of the full and orderly way in which it describes events and records the pronouncements and teachings of the Lord. In the years both before and after the writing of the gospel, the Church had great need for the authoritative Word of our Lord to instruct the faithful and to refute those who would divide the Church. Another reason for its wide acceptance has been the apostolic authority associated with Matthew’s name, an eyewitness and apostle of our Lord. The theology of Matthew, particularly the ethical content, has dominated the Church’s teaching perhaps even more than the theology of the gospel of John. Bach used Matthew’s VS of the Lord’s passion for his great oratorio known throughout the world as the St. and in the Church’s preaching and teaching. Matthew’s formulations of favorite texts, such as the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and the passion narrative have been widely used in Christian lit. It also has had much influence on lit., music and the fine arts both in and out of the Church. More lessons were chosen from Matthew’s gospel than from any other. For this reason the gospel lessons or pericopes from Matthew to be read in the churches have been favored by the church’s liturgies. In fact, many believe the gospel was written to fulfill this need. After the Lord’s death and resurrection, there was much interest in knowing who Jesus really was and what He said and did. In particular, it is the most complete record of the life, works and words of Jesus Christ in existence. The writings of the Early Church Fathers reveal that it was the most frequently quoted and perhaps the most widely read gospel during the first two centuries of the church’s history. William Barclay writes, “When we turn to Matthew, we turn to the book which may well be called the most important single document of the Christian faith, for in it we have the fullest and the most systematic account of the life and the teachings of Jesus” ( The First Three Gospels, p. This, in part, may be due to the fact that it heads the four gospels and is the first book of the NT, forming a bridge between the Old and New Covenants but on the contrary, it would seem that the Early Church placed it in first position in the NT Canon, precisely because of the profound influence of its contents on the Church and the world so much so, that many have termed it the greatest book ever written. The gospel according to Matthew has always occupied a position of highest esteem in the faith and life of the Christian Church.
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