PECULIARITIES OF MATTHEW

PECULIARITIES OF MATTHEW

Virgil Warren, PhD

           1.  Among the gospels, greatest number of Old Testament citations of prophecies fulfilled in

                 the life of Jesus

2.    Only gospel to use the term church (ἐκκλησία, ekklēsia): 16:18; 18:172

3.  Only gospel that uses the expression kingdom of heaven (in the same places where other

gospels say kingdom of God). Uses “kingdom of God” also: 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43.

4.  With the exception of the Cry of Dereliction (27:46), there are no explanations of Jewish customs or terms, as there are in the other gospels.

5.  Not presented wholly in chronological order as measured by the other synoptics

6.  The infancy narrative is written from Joseph’s viewpoint.

7.   The only synoptic (or gospel) to use outer darkness as a figure for condemnation/hell (8:12; 22:13; 25:30; 27:45)

8.   Has a broad use of the terms prophesy and fulfill. Some of these are rather peculiar:

            Matthew 2:15 < Hosea 11:1 (cp. Exodus 4:22)

            Matthew 2:23 < Isaiah 11:1

            Matthew 8:17 < Isaiah 53:4

9.   The only gospel to say explicitly that Jesus was sent just to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24). The parallel accounts of the mission of the twelve do not express this stipulation.

10. The only New Testament writing for which there is any possible external evidence that at one time an Aramaic original may have existed

11. “Spoken by the prophet” and so on, saying: 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 3:3; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17 (13:14, “prophesy, saying”); 13:35; 21:4; 22:31; 26:27; 27:9.

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