Who was the author of Matthew?

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jd01
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Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by jd01 »

Who was the author of Matthew? There is almost no information on him.
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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by Tcg »

neverknewyou wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 11:31 pm [Replying to Tcg in post #9]

True, but the epistle writers wrote letters, not storied narratives. I was referring to actual story writers, not epistles or psalms.
Ah, okay. I didn't realize the distinction you had in mind.


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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by TRANSPONDER »

neverknewyou wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 10:47 pm [Replying to brunumb in post #3]

I don't know that it was intentional, I simply acknowledge that it is a possibility considering that all The Bible stories were written anonymously.
And suggestion, explanation or hypothesis is welcome, as are you (if - as I perceive - you are a recent arrival (1). Demolition of a theory is not personal or getting at anyone (even if the thinking method is attacked - which can look like a personal) but should be welcomed as a way of clearing out unfeasible theories so as to leave the feasible ones for discussion. On my former board, I has a long an acrimonious debate with a Bible critic about the contradictions.
He had some theory that Luke knew Matthew's gospel (I say he can't have and written such contradictions) and deliberately contradicted Matthew's gospel so as to discredit it (for reasons that were not clear). Of course this doesn't stand up for a moment as that is not what Luke does. For example, he changes the angelic message, not to discredit Matthew, but because he didn't want the disciples going to Galilee to see Jesus in his gospel, or Acts. Having this pointed out he put up his hands and says "Oh yeah! I see it now! Thanks for correcting my unfeasible ideas."

Like heck he did. He got abusive and posted miles of fillibluster to wear me out. But it would have been nice if he'd done it the rational way. O:)

(1) I'm pretty new here myself.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by TRANSPONDER »

neverknewyou wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 10:54 pm [Replying to TRANSPONDER in post #5]

The gospels were non the less written anonymously, the names assigned to them were chosen by those that came later with their own agendas.
Agreed.
neverknewyou wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 11:31 pm [Replying to Tcg in post #9]

True, but the epistle writers wrote letters, not storied narratives. I was referring to actual story writers, not epistles or psalms.
Yes. I was thinking of Paul, but his letters, setting out his own ideas or beliefs under his own name are a different animal from the gospels, presented as reliable (if not eyewitness) accounts of what other people did and said.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

Post #14

Post by Eddie Ramos »

[Replying to jd01 in post #1]

Since God was the one whose words were penned, he is the author of Matthew as well as the whole Bible, because all of scriptures came from his mouth.

2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God (God breathed), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The Bible teaches us that the one who spoke the words gets the credit of authorship, not the scribe. For example, the book of Romans appears to have been written by Paul as it begins by Paul speaking in the first person.

Romans 1:1 (KJV)
​1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,


And many teachers and preachers accredit Paul for his amazing words, even though he didn't actually pen the words of Romans, his scribe Tertius did.

Romans 16:22 (KJV) 22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.


But no one preaches about Tertius or accredits the words of the book of Romans to him because they recognize that he, as a scribe, was just a tool used to record words. And this is exactly how every writer of the Bible ought to be viewed, as merely a tool of God, used to pen the very words of God himself. And that's what's most important, whose words were penned? And of course, they all penned God's Word.

Once this is understood, then it will never matter who penned what part of the scriptures because we know that (like Tertius) those words didn't come from the minds of the scribes, but from the mouth of God. Here God gives us another example of how his words (the scriptures) were penned.

Jeremiah 30:1-2 (KJV)
​1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

Jeremiah 36:4 (KJV) 4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.


I hope you find this helpful.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by jd01 »

I think of the four gospel writers, we have the least information about him. He certainly was not an eye-witness though, that is pretty clear. We know Luke was probably a doctor and companion of Paul, John was John the Elder spoken of by Papias (& Irenaus?) and Mark was a companion of Peter. Other than the Levi reference, I think Transponder's info on the author is correct, but that is all we know. The Church Fathers had the author confused with Matthew, the companion of Jesus.
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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by neverknewyou »

[Replying to jd01 in post #15]

Those are well known traditional views that have no basis in fact. None of the gospel writers are known. Everything that is known about a living Jesus comes from Mark and not a single word of Marks gospel can be verified, and all of the subsequent gospel writers, canonical and non-canonical, are all reliant on Mark therefore they otherwise knew nothing about a living Jesus.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by TRANSPONDER »

neverknewyou wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 3:50 pm [Replying to jd01 in post #15]

Those are well known traditional views that have no basis in fact. None of the gospel writers are known. Everything that is known about a living Jesus comes from Mark and not a single word of Marks gospel can be verified, and all of the subsequent gospel writers, canonical and non-canonical, are all reliant on Mark therefore they otherwise knew nothing about a living Jesus.
Agreed. The claim, given above, that it is the words of God is just a claim by the ones who wrote various parts of the Bible. That they ascribe their writings to God doesn't mean that they actually are. In fact, the number of errors and contradictions pretty much guarantees they aren't.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by neverknewyou »

[Replying to TRANSPONDER in post #17]

Yes, Paul's visions gave him a divine connection so you could believe him when he quoted God.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by TRANSPONDER »

neverknewyou wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 8:19 pm [Replying to TRANSPONDER in post #17]

Yes, Paul's visions gave him a divine connection so you could believe him when he quoted God.
He's very cagey about it though, isn't he? Once can't be certain that he is talking about himself. He could be relating the experience of someone else, though for me, Paul was only ever talking about himself, his own teachings, his own validity and his own justification, other than mentioning others either as his enablers or to put them down, as in the sneering "Super -apostles" reference.

But apart from not trusting Paul any further than I could throw him, I tend not to believe in Visions.

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Re: Who was the author of Matthew?

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Post by neverknewyou »

[Replying to TRANSPONDER in post #19]

Paul evangelized, he had a cult following, he preached of a risen Christ Lord and Saviour, and was not impressed with the Jerusalem group because they wanted to preach only to the Jews and not to the gentiles. They agreed to disagree, the Jerusalem group continued to preach to the Jews and Paul went on to preach to the gentiles.

In those days preachers had to impress their congregations by demonstrating their divine connection, it was their divine connection that granted them (apostles) authority, that's why Paul brags about going to the third heaven to get special information and his visions demonstrated his direct communication with Christ who was a heavenly go between man and God, God's messenger as it were. Establishing a divine connection was a means for apostles to impose their teachings upon their unsuspecting followers.

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