Student Number: 201727840

Course: BTh

Unit: NT420

Title: Matthew Essay

Date due: 16/9/2019

Word Count: 1,617 Words

Disclaimer: Cameron Basile

The following assessment, of which I have retained a copy, is entirely my own work with any material
drawn from other sources duly acknowledged.
Abstract

Although written primarily for Jews, the Gospel of Matthew was very popular with the

Gentile church. This essay sought to explain this phenomenon by attributing the Gospel’s

popularity to its helpfulness in showing Christians what it meant to be an ideal disciple, and

its apologetic value. The essay examined numerous Christian citations of the sermon on the

mount from the 2nd and 3rd centuries to understand how they viewed the Gospel as

contributing to the discipleship process, before considering the role ascribed to Matthew

18:15-17 in discipleship. Afterwards, the essay looked at how 2nd century Christians used

Matthew in apologetic endeavours against Jews, heretics and pagans. Finally, the essay

evaluated the early Christians’ use of Matthew, and found the majority of the uses were

sound. After evaluating the usage of Matthew in the early church, practical applications were

drawn from the evaluation, and were applied to the Baptist church, as well as the church more

broadly.

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 1. Introduction

It is well established that the Gospel of Matthew was primarily written for a Jewish

audience1. At the same time, current evidence from the early church shows that the

predominately Gentile church utilised this gospel more than any other2. This essay will seek

to explain this phenomenon by attributing the Gospel’s popularity to its two most common

usages in early Christian literature – discipleship and apologetics. Afterwards, the essay will

evaluate the early church’s use of Matthew, the conclusions of which will birth practical

application for today.

2. The Ideal Disciple

First, the Gentile church found the Gospel of Matthew helpful in understanding what it meant

to be an ideal disciple of Christ.

Early Christian literature omitted Matthew 1-4 in discussions on this topic, but put significant

emphasis on the sermon on the mount. 1 Clement 13:1b-2 alludes to ‘blessed are the

merciful’ with his line ‘be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy’. However, rather than

leaving this verse freestanding, he joins it with ‘forgive, that it may be forgiven to you’ and

‘as ye judge, so shall ye be judged’; which is a reference to Matthew 6:14 and 7:1-23.

Clement has combined numerous themes from the sermon to persuade his readers, who were

1
R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 15.
2
Ian Boxall,‘Reading Matthew across the Centuries’, The Bible and Interpretation (2019).
3
Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians 13:1b-2 (ANF01).

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caught up in church politics,4 to be humble. Thus, he perceives Matthew to outline how

Christians should live.

In his letter to the Philippians, Polycarp exhorts his readers to remember Christ’s words, and

he references ‘blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy’. He combines this with

another beatitude ‘blessed…those that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the

kingdom of God’5. Although Massaux notes that the first beatitude he quotes probably

come’s from 1 Clement, given that it is joined with a reference to Matthew 6:14 and 7:1-26,

he is still using the beatitudes. The first one is an exaltation to live as a good disciple, the

second provides encouragement to continue for those who are facing persecution. Thus, his

use of the last beatitude shows that he does not think of the sermon merely as a manual for

holy living, but recognises that it contains God’s pastoral concern for his sheep.

Although quoted in The First Apology, Justin Martyr’s use of Matthew 5:28 is not so much a

defence of Christian behaviour, but an example of the Christian ideal which his audience may

inquire about7. Thus, his use of this verse, and others from the sermon, in this chapter and the

next of his apology, shows that he deems the sermon to be an example of the ideal Christian

life.

The Our Father receives attention from both Tertullian and Cyprian. Tertullian’s On Prayer

contains a commentary on the Our Father, but it frequently goes on tangents 8. However, with

eight chapters devoted to it, it is clear he recognises the importance of prayer for Christians.

Cyprian writes a significantly longer commentary on the Our Father. Interestingly, he bases it

4
Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians 1:3.
5
Polycarp, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians 2:3 (ANF01).
6
Edouard Massaux in The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature before Saint
Irenaeus Book 2 The Later Christian Writings, trans. Norman J Belval and Suzanne Hecht, ed. Arthur J.
Bellinzoni (Macon, Mercer University Press, 1992), 30.
7
Justin Martyr, The First Apology 15.01 (ANF01).
8
Tertullian, On Prayer (ANF03).

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off Matthew’s version of the prayer9. Matthew’s Our Father is longer than Luke’s, as is

Matthew’s sermon on the mount than Luke’s sermon on the plain, which might also explain

the early Christians’ preference for Matthew, as it contains more of Jesus’ instruction via way

of discourse.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Ignatius writes that a person is known by their fruits. Massaux

notes that this saying echoes Jesus in both Matthew and Luke, but believes Ignatius’

rendering of the line is closer to Matthew’s, thus he believes Ignatius had Matthew’s sermon

in mind when writing10. Ignatius uses this illustration when describing the life of a righteous

person. Thus, his idea of what a disciple’s behaviour should look like is coloured by

Matthew.

Whilst Matthew continued to provide examples of ideal discipleship for the early church after

the sermon on the mount, the last example this essay will use is from Matthew 18. Boxall

notes that Matthew became important for the early church’s ecclesiology, as it is the only

Gospel to mention church discipline11. Although church discipline occurs because a disciple

has fallen short of the standard, it is still an example of ideal discipleship because it shows

other disciples how to react in this circumstance.

9
Cyprian, Treatise IV verse 7 (ANF05).
10
Edouard Massaux in The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature before Saint
Irenaeus Book 1 The First Ecclesiastical Writers, trans. Norman J Belval and Suzanne Hecht, ed. Arthur J.
Bellinzoni (Macon, Mercer University Press, 1990), 87.
11
Boxall,‘Reading Matthew across the Centuries’.

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 3. Apologetics

Second, the Gospel of Matthew became important in the Gentile church because it had great

apologetic value against Jews, heretics and pagans.

The early Christians found that the book of Matthew was useful in their debates with Jews. In

An answer to the Jews Tertullian rebuts the Jewish argument that the prophecy in Isaiah 7

does not relate to Jesus because Assyria was not brought to heel, by arguing that the Magi

represent Assyria because they came from the east. He says that their submission to Christ is

a sign of Assyria’s submission12.

In Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho, where he seemingly wishes to show the Jews that Christ’s

death had to happen at a certain time, he demonstrates from Matthew how Herod failed to kill

Christ because Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt13. Justin also quotes the woe ‘whited

sepulchres, which appear beautiful outward, and within are full of dead men’s bones; which

pay tithe of mint, and swallow a camel: ye blind guides”, which was used on the pharisees

(Matt 23:23-24,27), against the Jewish religious leaders of his day because he accuses them

of failing to teach Scripture properly, and says they prohibit Jews from listening to Christian

interpretations14.

The early Christians also found the book of Matthew helpful in their debates with heretics.

Irenaeus used Matthew to argue against the idea that the apostles promoted a god other than

the God of the Bible. He stated that the Magi, by giving gifts to Jesus, showed that they

worshipped him and not another15. Furthermore, he argued that the prophecy ‘out of Egypt I

12
Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews (ANF03).
13
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 102 (ANF01)
14
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 112 (ANF01)
15
Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book 3.9 (ANF01)

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have called my son’ shows a continuity between the God of the Old and New Testaments16.

Boxall also notes that Matthew was important in the early church because of Matthew 28:19,

where the Trinitarian formula became important for debates on the Trinity and the Nature of

Christ17.

The Gospel of Matthew was also used in apologetics against pagans. In A Plea for the

Christians Athenagoras urges his reader to look at the ethical teachings of Christianity before

accepting the rumours that Christians are immoral. He quotes the sermon on the mount,

saying that Christians are called to be like their Father in heaven who sends rain to the just

and unjust18. Thus the sermon on the mount moves from a picture of discipleship to a defence

of Christianity.

4. Evaluation and Implications

With the reasons for Matthew’s popularity in the early church firmly established, it is time to

evaluate how well the church used the book of Matthew. On the topic of discipleship, the

church utilised the Gospel reasonably well. Justin, and seemingly Ignatius, rightly recognised

that the sermon on the mount prescribes normative behaviour for Christians, and Polycarp’s

use of the final beatitude to include the pastoral element of the sermon kept the sermon from

being used merely as a manual.

Clement’s combination of numerous themes in the sermon to elucidate the desired response

of his readers was clever, although verses relating specifically to humility and love are more

16
Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book 3.9 (ANF01)
17
Boxall,‘Reading Matthew across the Centuries’.
18
Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians 32.1-2 (ANF02)

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relevant than verses on mercy and judging others given his desired outcome. The works on

prayer show that prayer was taken seriously by the leadership, although Tertullian’s treatment

on the matter would have been more effective if it contained less tangents. Sadly, however,

there was no mention of the sermon’s place in the storyline of Matthew’s Gospel by the

writers. Therefore, they somewhat disconnect the sermon from the rest of the text. Boxall

noted that the early church used Matthew as an example of church discipline, and rightly so.

However, without specifics on how they used the passage, it can not be concluded if they

considered the passage’s place in the Gospel’s storyline in their treatment of it.

Regarding the apologetic use of Matthew, it is clear that the apologetics against the Jews are

lacking. First, Tertullian can not prove that the Magi represent Assyria, and it contradicts

what Isaiah says will happen to Assyria. Likewise, Justin’s denouncement of the Jewish

clergy is unlikely to change the Jewish audience’s mind. In contrast to this, Irenaeus’

apologetic against the heretics is convincing, because it uses prophecy as Matthew intended.

Athenagoras’ apologetic use of the sermon on the mount is a sound strategy, because its

ethics is in stark contrast to those Christians are accused of having.

Regarding practical application, it is clear that the author’s own denomination, the Baptist

church, lacks the same commitment to using the Beatitudes and Our Father, as seen by the

fact many of the teenage Christians are unaware of them. It would be ideal for the church to

teach them to these individuals, but without divorcing them from their place in the wider

story of Matthew. On another note, it is clear that the early church felt more comfortable

using the Magi story than the modern church. Although not agreeing with all of its uses by

ancient authors, it is clear that the story is multifaceted and has numerous applications.

Congregations miss out on these when it is relegated to a Christmas only text, and

congregations would benefit if it was preached more often.

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 5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the Gospel of Matthew was popular with the early Gentile church because it

helped them understand what it meant to be an ideal disciple of Christ, and was useful in

apologetic endeavours. Whilst not always used perfectly, its usage holds lessons for the

modern church.

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 6. Bibliography

Athenagoras. A Plea for the Christians. In vol.2 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by

Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

Boxall, Ian. ‘Reading Matthew across the Centuries’. The Bible and Interpretation (2019).

Clement of Rome. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. In vol.1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers.

Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

Cyprian. Treatise IV. In vol.5 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by Alexander Roberts &

James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Irenaeus. Against Heresies. In vol.1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by Alexander

Roberts & James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

Justin Martyr. The Dialogue with Trypho. In In vol.1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by

Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

- Justin Martyr. The First Apology of Justin. In vol.1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers.

Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

Massaux, Edouard in The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature

before Saint Irenaeus Book 1 The First Ecclesiastical Writers, trans. Norman J Belval and

Suzanne Hecht, ed. Arthur J. Bellinzoni. Macon: Mercer University Press, 1990.

- Massaux, Edouard in The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian

Literature before Saint Irenaeus Book 2 The Later Christian Writings, trans. Norman

J Belval and Suzanne Hecht, ed. Arthur J. Bellinzoni. Macon: Mercer University

Press, 1992.

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Polycarp. The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians. In vol.1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers.

Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

Tertullian. An Answer to the Jews. In vol.3 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by Allan

Menzies. 1885-1887. 10 vols.

- Tertullian. On Prayer. In vol.3 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Edited by Allan Menzies.

1885-1887. 10 vols.

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