The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 1 1 The book of the kinship of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.2 Abraham gave birth to Isaac. Isaac begat Jacob. And Jacob begat Judah and his brethren. 3 And Judah begat Perez and Zarah from Tamar. Perez gave birth to Esrom. Hezrom begat Aram. 4 And Aram begat Abminadab. Aminadab

Gospel of Matthew The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, otherwise called Levi, son of Alpheus, before his election as one of the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, was a tax collector, that is, a tax collector. In the eyes of the Jews he was like a pagan and a sinner, since those of the Jews who

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The Gospel of Matthew was written at the end of the first century. The main leitmotif is the preaching and life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The text contains great amount references to the Scriptures of the Old Testament.

The story begins with a listing of the Lord's genealogy. Thus, the writer shows the reader that the Lord is a descendant of Abraham and King David. The time for all the prophecies has come and they have been fulfilled.

Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew

In Orthodox theology there are various methods Bible interpretation. The most famous theological schools are Alexandrian and Antiochian. Many Holy Fathers interpreted the inspired text.

Among the famous interpreters: John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Maximus the Confessor, Gregory the Theologian, Theodoret of Cyrus, Theophylact of Bulgaria.

Each of them found amazing things in Scripture and, inspired by the Holy Spirit, interpreted the text according to Orthodox theology and Sacred Tradition.

In the fifth century, the text was divided into chapters to make it easier to navigate. The Gospel of Matthew consists of 28 chapters. A very brief summary of each chapter in the form of abstracts is presented below.

Chapter 1

The reader becomes acquainted with the genealogy of the Lord. Next, the evangelist talks about Joseph’s reaction when the righteous elder learned that Holy Virgin pregnant. His desire to let go of the Most Pure One was stopped by an Angel. Having to go to Bethlehem for the census. Birth of the Infant God.

Chapter 2

The Magi discovered a star in the sky that foreshadowed the birth of the Savior of the world. It describes how they came to Herod with congratulations. The ruler of Judea wants to kill the born King.

The Magi bring gifts to the Infant God. The Lord reveals to the Magi the plan of the wicked ruler of Judea. Herod destroys children in Nazareth. Flight of the holy family to Egypt.

Chapter 3

Sermon of John the Baptist. The last Old Testament prophet calls for repentance. He points out to the Pharisees and Sadducees the need for moral purification. Repentance is not just a ritual, but a holistic change in everything internal state. The Lord comes to John. The Forerunner is trying to refuse the Baptism of the Savior Himself. The word is that Jesus Himself will baptize with fire and spirit.

Chapter 4

After Baptism, the Lord retires to the desert, where he remains in fasting and prayer. A forty-day fast in the desert, which ends with the incredible exhaustion of the Savior. Temptations come from the Devil, who is trying to tempt Christ with the power of this world. The calling of the apostles. The first miracles, healings of sick, blind people.

Chapter 5

Pronunciation of the Sermon on the Mount. The perfection of the new moral law. A parable about the salt of the earth. The Lord calls not to be angry, to live in peace, to try not to offend or be offended. Try to pray for your enemies. Never swear by heaven, earth, or the name of God.

Chapter 6

Continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. Giving the Lord's Prayer. A lesson about the need for fasting and forgiveness of offenses.

The word is about the birds of the air, which neither sow nor reap, but the heavenly Father feeds them. The true treasure is not on earth, but in heaven. It is necessary to make a choice between earthly goods and faith in God.

Chapter 7

Continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. The Lord reveals to his listeners the perfect law, expressed in the Beatitudes. He says Christians are the salt of the earth. A word about the beam in one's own eye. Pronunciation of parables that had a huge influence on people.

Chapter 8

Many miracles of the Lord were performed by Him and described in sacred text. This chapter tells about the healing of a leper and talks about the faith of a Roman soldier. Control of the earth's elements, wind and sea. Jesus has nowhere to sleep, not a single house sheltered Him. The healing of the demoniac in Capernaum, the expulsion of Christ from the city.

Chapter 9

Temptation by the Pharisees and Sadducees, healing of a paralyzed man. Forgiveness of sins. Various parables. Sharing food with sinners is a response to lawyers. Resurrection of a dead girl. Healing of a woman who had suffered from an unknown disease for 40 years.

Chapter 10

The Lord gives his disciples power and sends them to preach. Instructs them to preach everywhere and not be afraid to go anywhere. Evangelism of the Gospel is a special work that should not be paid.

All hard work will be rewarded in heaven. The Lord also repeatedly says that the apostles will suffer a lot for preaching his teachings.

Chapter 11

John the Baptist sends his disciples to the Lord. Jesus Christ calls John a true prophet. After this, the Lord rebukes the proud. Reveals the teaching about the heavenly Jerusalem that infants and people who are struggling with their passions, sins and lust can go there. Proud people are deprived of the opportunity to go to heaven.

Chapter 12

God the Father does not need sacrifice. Instead, love and mercy should dominate. Teaching about the Sabbath. Parables and denunciations of the lawyers and other Jews. It is necessary to live not according to the law, but according to the call of the heart, according to the law God's love. He talks about the sign of the prophet Jonah. The Lord says that the disciple John the Theologian will be taken to heaven, just like the Most Holy Theotokos.

Chapter 13

Parables need to be understood simply, because they speak about very complex things, in a language understandable to all people around them. A series of parables about wheat: tares, sowers, weeds. The doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed. The Lord compares the word of the Good News to a grain that has fallen into the ground and begins to sprout.

Chapter 14

Herod seizes the prophet John the Baptist, puts him in prison, and then executes him. The Lord feeds many people with five loaves.

Jesus Christ walks on the sea, the Apostle Peter wants to move on the sea on foot. However, after leaving the boat, Peter begins to drown. Convicting the apostles of lack of faith.

Chapter 15

Convicting the Jews of hardness of heart and deviation from the instructions of God. The Lord intercedes for the pagans. Repeatedly He points out that for the Pharisees and Sadducees the law became just a set of rules. It is necessary to fulfill the will of God not only externally, but also internally. He feeds 4,000 people and then performs many signs and wonders. Healing a man born blind.

Chapter 16

He begins to warn the apostles that He will soon be betrayed and crucified on the cross. The ardor of the Apostle Peter and praise from the Lord. The Apostle Peter will become the new foundation of the Church. Disciples need to remember the deceit of the Pharisees. Only those who follow the Savior to the end can save the soul.

Chapter 17

Casting out demons is possible only through fasting and prayer. Journey of Jesus Christ to Mount Tabor. Transfiguration. The apostles witness the miracle and run away in fear. The Lord forbids them to talk about what they saw and heard, but they still tell people, and word quickly spreads throughout Judea.

Chapter 18

It's better to lose part of your body than to seduce someone. It is necessary to forgive a person who has sinned many times. A story about a king and a debtor. God the Father cares about every person. Nothing bad will ever happen to lovers of God and those who follow Him. Salvation of the soul - the main objective human life.

Chapter 19

Teaching about the life of the righteous. Blessing people to create families. Husband and wife are one flesh. Divorce is possible only if one of the spouses cheats. People's material well-being makes the path to God difficult. The people who follow Christ will judge with Him in heaven.

Chapter 20

The Lord tells a parable about the winegrower's workers who came to different time, but received the same salary. He tells His followers directly that He will be killed on the cross. Seeing hesitation in the disciples, He convicts them of lack of faith.

After this, Jesus Christ heals two blind people.

Chapter 21

The Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The joy of the people and the bitterness of the Savior. The teaching is about the need not only to speak, but also to do pious deeds. A story about the evil workers of a winegrower. The answer to the question - what is the main stone of God? It is necessary to fulfill the law not in words, but by doing good deeds.

Chapter 22

Jesus Christ tells the apostles about the Kingdom in heaven. It is necessary to separate the responsibilities of a believer and a citizen of the country. The answer to the question: to Caesar - what is Caesar's, to God - what is God's. Man has a mortal nature and therefore must always be ready to stand before the judgment of God. People don’t come to a wedding in dirty clothes; you also need to prepare your soul by cleansing it to stand before the Lord.

Chapter 23

All apostles are brothers; there is no need to try to stand out from everyone else and then command. It is necessary to have a righteous court, give alms and believe in God. Inner beauty is more important. The Jews should not be arrogant and proud that they were chosen by God the Father, because they have the blood of the prophets on them, whom they mercilessly killed.

Chapter 24

You must always be prepared for death. The Lord reveals to the apostles that the end of the World is already near. Soon the earth will plunge into darkness, the sun will darken, there will be epidemics, the earth will stop bearing fruit and yielding crops. Animals will begin to die, rivers will dry up. Terrible wars will begin, people will turn into wild animals.

Chapter 25

A parable about smart maidens. All good people will be rewarded. The Lord told his followers a parable about a good and a bad servant. A good, conscientious slave will be rewarded according to his merits, and an unscrupulous worker who evades his obligations will be very severely punished.

Chapter 26

Establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Betrayal of Judas. Journey to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayer for the Cup. Taking Christ into custody. The Apostle Peter defends Jesus Christ and attacks one of the High Priest's servants. Christ heals the victim and orders the disciples to lay down their arms.

Chapter 27

Pilate's trial. The speech of Pontius and the choice of the people of Barrabas. The scourging of Jesus Christ. Iscariot comes to the high priests and returns the money, but they refuse to take it back. Suicide of Judas.

Crucifixion of the Lord. Two thieves on crosses and the repentance of one of them. Burial of Jesus Christ. Security at the tomb.

Chapter 28

Resurrection. The soldiers guarding the coffin fled in fear. The myrrh-bearing women go to the burial place to anoint the body of the Lord with incense. An angel announces a miracle to Mary. At first, the disciples do not believe in the miraculous uprising of the Teacher. The apostles saw the Savior. Unbeliever Thomas. Ascension of the Lord.

Conclusion

The Scriptures indicate the major milestones in the life of Christ. Reading the Good News is possible in Russian thanks to the Synodal translation.

You can read the Gospel of Matthew online in Russian here http://www.biblioteka3.ru/biblioteka/biblija/ev_matf/index.html. Reading the Holy Scriptures is very important for every Christian and is mandatory for him.

PhD in Theology

All lectures in the series can be viewed

Speaking about what distinguishes the Gospel of Matthew from the other three Gospels, we cannot help but identify the most important thing that determines these features. First, that Matthew addressed his gospel to the Jerusalem community. The second, no less important, point is the goal. He wrote for the people of Jerusalem in order to show that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah - the long-awaited Holy King, who came to save - not only the Jews, but the whole world - from sin, death and damnation. With these two in mind important aspects, we can say what distinguishes the Gospel of Matthew from others.
Feature number one is the abundance of Old Testament quotations in the first Gospel. Here we find more than twenty direct borrowings, and if we talk about indirect, so-called paraphrases, allusions, then their researchers number at least sixty. Hidden quotations of Old Testament prophecies of messianic passages, for example, when the Lord is on the Cross and says: “O God, My God, where have you forsaken Me?” This, in fact, is also one of the quotes. Of course, one cannot help but notice here that the Evangelist Matthew does not cite simple texts. He doesn't find them in the Bible Old Testament and, one might say, draws us to the testimony that Jesus is the promised Mission. No, everything he quotes is truly messianic passages, which were such among the Old Testament Jews of the era of Christ the Savior.
Another peculiarity is that the Gospel of Matthew does not explain Jewish customs and regulations, since its reader does not need to be explained by what rules, laws and commandments the Jews live.
Of course, in the Gospel of Matthew one striking feature is that Matthew rarely, only in exceptional cases, pronounces the word “God”. Even the term, which in the Gospel of Luke traditionally passes as “Kingdom of God,” in the Gospel of Matthew will always be “Kingdom of Heaven.” This is due to the fact that the Old Testament Jews could not pronounce the word “God.” Moreover, since even in the era of the beginning of Christianity, Jewish Christians, until the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, were not yet exempted from performing the Old Testament rite, and they could not pronounce the word “God.” Therefore, the Evangelist Matthew, where possible, removes the word “God” in his text, but leaves exactly what we call either synonyms or sacred tetragrams. That is, in the Gospel of Matthew, the term “Kingdom of Heaven” is not just a term denoting the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of the Messiah, sometimes it directly replaces the term “God” or “Lord.”
The next feature is the numerical symbolism in the Gospel of Matthew, which is obvious here. We can say that the Gospel of Matthew begins from this moment: when we are told about the genealogy of Christ, His genealogy is listed in 14 genera. Evangelist Matthew does it this way and says: here are 14 generations from Abraham to David, here are 14 generations from David to the Babylonian captivity, here are 14 generations from the Babylonian captivity to Christ the Lord. Moreover, it is important to note that in order to comply with the number 14, Matthew is forced to omit some of the Lord’s ancestors. Although, as researchers note, one might say, at the dawn of Christianity, John Chrysostom drew attention to this, only wicked kings are omitted who did not repent of their sins before the Lord before their death.
Another feature that we cannot remain silent about is the special emphasis on the Apostle Peter. In the Gospel of Matthew, Peter is shown as the undisputed leader among the other apostles. What evidence of this in the text of the first Gospel? We find events that other evangelists do not have.
For example, the so-called miracle with the statir in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, when tax collectors ask the Apostle Peter: “Will your teacher give money for the temple?” Remember how Peter approaches, and Christ forestalls him and asks: “Peter, from whom do the kings of the earth take taxes: from their sons or from their subordinates?” And to this Peter replies: “From his subordinates.” Christ says: “So the sons are free. But so that we don’t tempt them, go and cast a line, get a fish, open your mouth, take the statir out of your mouth and pay both for Me and for yourself.” Here we see that the Apostle Peter is clearly preferred to the other disciples.
Also, the Evangelist Matthew describes a storm at sea, saying that after feeding five thousand with five loaves of bread on the water, the Apostle Peter comes to meet Christ. This event is in both the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John, but these evangelists do not mention the fact that Peter walks on water. You can find many others important points, which really set the Apostle Peter apart from others.
And here we ask the question: what is this connected with? In all likelihood, the answer to this can be given if we recognize that the Gospel of Matthew was actually written in the 40s after the Nativity of Christ, when the Apostle Peter was the undisputed leader of the Jerusalem community, and, accordingly, the Evangelist Matthew did not could have shown it differently.
Regarding the symbol of the Gospel of Matthew, we can say that the symbol is man, or, to be more precise, the Son of Man - this is a messianic title that was introduced by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, but more firmly established by the prophet Daniel, who, as we know, saw such Son of Man. In the Book of Daniel we read about this. Christ repeatedly, especially in this Gospel, calls Himself “Son of Man,” and since this is a messianic title, having adopted this particular symbol in this Gospel, we say that this is truly the Messianic Gospel, which shows us Jesus of Nazareth as the true Messiah.

Almost nothing reliable is known about the personality of the writer of our first Gospel, except what is reported about him in the Gospels themselves. He was originally a publican or tax collector and was called Levi and Matthew (the latter - donum Dei, the same as the Greek Θεόδωρος, Russian Theodore). It can be established with certainty that before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, Matthew was engaged in the spread of Christianity in Palestine among the Jews and, at their request, wrote his Gospel for them. Information about Matthew, reported by some later historians (Rufinus, Socrates, Nicephorus Callistus), about Matthew's extra-Palestinian activities, is extremely scarce, and at the same time partly contradictory, so one cannot completely rely on them. According to this news, Matthew preached Christianity mainly in Ethiopia, Macedonia and other Asian countries, and died a martyr's death either in Hierapolis, in Phrygia, or in Persia. But others say that he died a natural death either in Ethiopia or Macedonia.

Nothing is known about the reason for writing the Gospel of Matthew, and one can only speculate about it. If Matthew really initially preached his gospel to his compatriots, then, when the apostle retired to other pagan countries, the Palestinian Jews could turn to him with a request to present in writing for them information about the life of Christ, which the apostle did. Unfortunately, this seems to be all that can be said about this subject. As for the purpose of writing the Gospel, this can only be determined tentatively, based on its internal content. This goal, of course, was primarily to present information about the historical personality of Christ. But if Matthew preached initially among the Palestinian Jews, then it was quite natural that, while presenting information about the personality and activity of Christ in his Gospel, he also had in mind some special goals that corresponded to the desires and mood of Palestinian Christians. The latter could recognize as the Messiah only a person which was the subject of the aspirations of the Old Testament prophets and the fulfillment of ancient prophetic predictions. The Gospel of Matthew satisfies this goal, where we encounter a number of Old Testament quotations, very skillfully, and at the same time naturally and without the slightest exaggeration, applied by the evangelist to the Person whom he himself undoubtedly recognized as the Messiah sent from God.

In terms of the time of its writing, this is the earliest of all four gospels, written shortly after the ascension of Jesus Christ, in any case, before the destruction of Jerusalem.

The plan of Matthew's Gospel is natural and determined by the material or information with Christ that the evangelist possessed. He clearly and concisely sets out earthly life Christ, from His birth to His death and resurrection. In carrying out such a plan, we do not encounter any artificial grouping of material, although it must be said that, due to the desire to maintain brevity, we encounter numerous omissions in the Gospel, and, on the other hand, we find that many events that took place over a more or less long period of time, interconnected for the most part only by external communication. But this in no way interferes with the integrity of the story or its overall consistency. One has to be positively surprised how, over the course of just a few pages of the Gospel, with such skill, material that can be said to be inexhaustible in the richness of its content is so simply and naturally concentrated.

As for the general content of the Gospel, we encounter here very diverse divisions. General content Matthew's Gospels can be divided into four main parts: 1) The initial history of Christ's earthly life, before He began His public ministry (I, 1-4, 11). 2) Activity in Galilee - a period of more and more increasing glory of Christ as a Teacher and Miracle Worker, ending with His highest earthly glorification on the Mount of Transfiguration (IV, 12-17, 8). 3) The intermediate period of Christ’s ministry in Galilee and adjacent areas, which serves as a connection between His glorification and suffering in Jerusalem (XVII, 9-20, 34). 4) Last days earthly life of Christ, His suffering, death and resurrection (XXI, 1-28, 20).

Literature.

Origen(186-254), "Interpretation of the Gospel" according to Matthew (Migne, Patrol. corsus complet. ser. graec., vol. XIII).

Hilary of Pictavia(about 320-368), (Migne, ser. lat. τ. 9)

John Chrysostom(347-407), "Interpretation on St. Evangelist Matthew"(Migne, ser. graec. vols. 57 and 58).

Eusebius Jerome(340-420), "Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew"(Migne. ser. lat. vol. 26).

Gregory of Nyssa(370—† after 394), "The Lord's Prayer"(Migne, ser. graec. vol. 44) in "On the Beatitudes"(ib.).

Augustine, Bishop of Ippon (354-430), "On the Concord of the Evangelists"(Migne ser. lat. vol. 34) and "Ο Sermon on the Mount"(ib.).

Paschazy Radbert, Catholic theologian(9th century), "Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew"(Migne, ser. lat. τ. 120).

Rabban the Moor(9th century), "Eight Books of Commentaries on Matthew"(Migne, ser. lat. vol. 117).

Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria(† about 1107), “Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew” (Migne, ser. graec. t. 123).

Evfimy Zigaben(† 1119 or 1120), “Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew” (Migne, ser. graec. t. 129).

Cornelios a Lapide, Commentaria in scripturam sacram, vol. ΧV, 1853. Bengetii Gromon Novi Testamenti, Berolini, 1860 (first ed. 1742).

De Wette, Kurze Erklärung des Evangeliums Matihäi, 4 Aufl. 1857. Lange, Das Evangelium nacb Matthäus, Bielefeld. 1861.

Meyer, Kritiscb exegelisches Handbuch über das Evangelium des Matthäus, Gottingen, 1864.

Alford, The Greek Testament in four volumes, vol. l, London, 1863. Morison, A practical commentary on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, London. J899 (10th edition).

Merx, Dle vier kan. EvangeHen etc. Das Evang. Mattaeus erläutert, 1902. Holtzmann, Hand-commentar znm Neuen Testament. Erster B. Erste Abteilung. Tübingen und Leipzig. 1901.

Zahn, Das Evaogelium des Matthäus. Leipzig, 1905. Allen, Α critical and exegetical commentary of the Gospel aceording to st. Matthew, Edinb. 1907.

Bishop Michael, Explanatory Gospel of Matthew.

Prof. M. Tareev, Philosophy of Gospel History.

Prot. A.V. Gorsky, History of the Gospel and the Apostolic Church.

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Summary and interpretation of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

We present to your attention a summary of the chapters of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for initial familiarization and quick search the desired fragment. Convenient synoptic comparison full texts four Gospels among themselves. Interpretation of the Gospel in questions and answers, explanation of the essence of the text for self-study.

Evangelist Luke reads the text of the Gospel, stained glass

Synoptic comparison of the Gospel texts

The advantage of synoptic comparison is that the evangelists themselves and their disciples clarify and complement each other first-hand with what they heard from Jesus. This gives you the opportunity to better understand the meaning of what you read, and use appropriate direct quotations from the Gospel to defend your own point of view in discussions on everyday and religious topics.

If, while reading a selected chapter of the Gospel, for example, Matthew, you are interested in whether it is possible to find similar explanatory information from other evangelists Mark, Luke or John on the topic of the verse of the Gospel of Matthew, then follow the link located above the text of the verse for a synoptic comparison of the texts of the Gospels .

Interpretation of the Gospel

The process of interpreting the Gospel begins with the very grouping of the texts of the evangelists for synoptic comparison on the basis of unity in their semantic content.

Synoptic grouping allows you to meaningfully title all similar fragments of the text, provide a brief explanation of its essence, which makes it possible to get ready to get acquainted with the Gospel, read the fragments and compare them with your own thoughts and conclusions from the text.

Interpretation of the Gospel in Questions and Answers makes it possible to get acquainted with the answers to popular questions of the modern reader, raised by participants in discussions on religious topics related to repetitions and divergences of texts among the evangelists, the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the commandments of the Sermon on the Mount, references to John the Baptist, interpretation of parables and others.

Matthew, Mark, Luke or John Holy Gospel

Holy Gospel- such words precede the main text of each of the Gospels of four famous evangelists and are used as a synonym for the word gospel ( Synodal edition).

In a phrase Holy Gospel On the site pages, the original text is separated from the explanatory information.

Which Gospel to read

The site provides convenient features for reading and independent study of the biblical text of the four Gospels of Matthew (Matt.), Mark (Mk.), Luke (Luke), John (John). Especially for initial acquaintance in general, and getting pleasure from delving into the details.

Gospel of Mark This is the most compact of the four Gospels. It best saves time on reading when you first become familiar with the Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew Contains the most detailed exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7). Convenient for those who are especially interested in the theoretical part of the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke Contains the most a large number of various parables and descriptions of various events. Convenient for those who are especially interested in famous gospel quotes and expressions. The Gospel of John briefly repeats and expands on the previous three Gospels with an emphasis on seeing Jesus as Love, Truth, Word and Light in the world. The unworldly relationship between the Father and the Son is revealed with a message to join the ranks of Jesus' followers.

Happy Gospel Study!

Are you choosing where to start? - Start by studying summary The Gospel of Luke, replete with events in the life of Jesus Christ, descriptions of miracles and healings, and including many individual parables and popular gospel quotes.