Matthew’s name is only mentioned twice throughout the book. Matthew is believed to be a person that played an important role in defining the teaching of the book. I believe this is why he is believed to have wrote the gospel Matthew. The New Interpreters Study Bible states perhaps the name indicates that someone named Matthew played an important role in formulating the teaching of the gospel or in leading the community from which the gospel was originated (NIB 1745). The name Matthew means the ‘gift of God’. The name also represents the word disciple and learn. In fact, The New Interpreters Study Bible states perhaps, given the similarity of the name Matthew to good Greek word for disciple and learn, Matthew represents the gospels ideal reader as a disciple who learns from the story of Jesus (NIB 1745). Matthew is the first book …show more content…
The Mighty Acts of God states the early church was led by the Spirit of God to place Matthew as the first book in the New Testament canon, since its very opening sentence as well as its contents tie the Old and the New Testament together so clearly: "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Rhodes 234). The book of Matthew serves as a biography of Jesus’ life. The New Interpreters Study Bible states ancient biographies use a chronological framework and episode ache structure to describe the life, deeds, teachings, and the death of a significant person (NIB 1745). The bible also states while honoring the person 's memory, these text instruct, entertain, elicit praise, and provide readers with a noble model (NIB 1745). Matthew was known to have collected ‘oracles’ that were passages from the Old Testament that were of Jesus’ teachings. The Mighty Acts of God states more likely, however, the word “oracle” refers to a collection of Jesus’ teachings, perhaps the hypothetical collection that scholars call Q (Rhodes 234). The purpose of the Gospel of Matthew was to shape the identity of Christians and guide them throughout their life. The New Interpreters Study Bible states like these biographical text, the gospel seeks to shape of the vanity of communities of Jesus followers to guide their way of life (NIB