NT314 Book Study: The Gospel of Matthew in Its Jewish Context

by Craig A. Evans

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2015

Overview

This course from distinguished New Testament professor Dr. Craig Evans discusses the original context in which Matthew wrote his Gospel, as well as his purpose for writing. Matthew wrote for those still connected to the synagogue, answering questions based upon their Jewish context. Dr. Evans takes you from the ancient context of Matthew’s Gospel to applications for today.

Contents

Top Highlights

“In three important areas Jesus has been tempted, just as Israel in the wilderness had been tempted, and Jesus did not fail. And so Jesus proves Himself to be the worthy Israelite, the righteous Israelite, through whom God can achieve His purposes, through whom the mission can be accomplished.” (source)

“ ‘For Israel was an infant, and I loved him, and out of Egypt I recalled his children.’” (source)

“He’s not suggesting that these five unusual women are all sinners. Ruth really isn’t; neither is Mary. And in a sense, even Bathsheba is more of a victim of David’s promiscuity and murderous intentions. No, Mary is innocent, so is Ruth, maybe is Bathsheba. Tamar is justifiably desperate, and even Rahab has a change of heart and repents. No, what holds these five women in common is that they face very uncertain circumstances, and God was able to work through them His own purposes. Despite human frailties of one sort or another, God’s purposes are achieved.” (source)

“What does it mean, then, to be perfect? That’s a good question. The Greek word that’s used is teleos, and what that means is ‘complete.’ There’s nothing incomplete. One is whole, one has finished the job, as it were. A perfect love—a love that’s not incomplete—is a love that extends not just to those who love back. It’s easy to love those who love us. But a perfect love, a God-like love, is a love that extends to those who are unloving, who don’t love back. Perfect love is a complete love, it’s the kind of love that God has.” (source)

“And the sign will be seen in a young woman,’ an almah, a ‘maiden.’ The Greek translation calls it a parthenos, a ‘virgin,’ but you need to understand, in that culture, any woman not yet married is a maiden and is a virgin. That may not reflect our modern culture, but that’s the way it was then. So, the Septuagint, which Matthew has followed, has not mistranslated it.” (source)

Product Details

• Title: NT314 Book Study: The Gospel of Matthew in Its Jewish Context
• Author: Craig A. Evans
• Series: Logos Mobile Education
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Courseware
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. Matthew › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible. N.T. Matthew › Commentaries; Education › Bible. N.T. Matthew--Criticism, interpretation, etc; Education › Bible. N.T. Matthew--Commentaries
• Resource ID: LLS:NT314EVANS
• Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-02-04T21:40:06Z

About Craig A. Evans

Craig A. Evans (Ph.D.) is an esteemed, internationally recognized biblical scholar, author, and a regular guest on TV documentaries. He is John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Theological Seminary. He was formally Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College. Before working at Acadia, Evans taught at Trinity Western University in British Columbia for twenty-one years, where he directed the graduate program in biblical studies and founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. Evans has lectured at Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, and Yale. He also regularly lectures and gives talks at popular conferences and retreats on the historical Jesus, archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Bible.

He is the author or editor of more than fifty books and hundreds of articles and reviews. Evans is well-known for his work on the Gospels, the Historical Jesus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the archaeology of the New Testament. His passion for archaeology has him frequently participating in Middle East digs and leading Holy Land tours. He has appeared in television and radio interviews, such as the History Channel, BBC, and Dateline NBC. Evans served as a consultant on the National Geographic Society's Gospel of Judas project and for The Bible television miniseries, and is featured in documentaries like Fragments of Truth and the Archaeology and Jesus series. He's written hundreds of articles and reviews and published more than 70 books, including Jesus and His Contemporaries, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies, Mark in the Word Biblical Commentary, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, God Speaks, and Jesus and the Remains of His Days: Studies in Jesus and Archaeology. He coauthored Jesus, the Final Days with N. T. Wright.