243. The Gospel according to Matthew

I do not review the Bible.  This is the format I've previously set upon to record my readings of the Books.

Version I am reading: Good News New Testament, Good News Translation, Imprimatur: CCCB

Book: The Gospel according to Matthew

Book No: 47, The New Testament, First Book of the New Testament

Author: St. Matthew

Written: Catholic scholars, in general, agree it was completed during the years 40-45AD

No. of Chapters: 28

Type of Literature: Historical

Have I read before? Yes.  Many times.  Many translations.  Matthew is a beautiful Gospel focusing on the ministry of Jesus; his works, deeds and preachings.  It is rich in what Jesus said while he was here on earth.  Told in chronological order, the birth of Jesus is told quickly as is the story of John the Baptist; the meat of Matthew starts in Chapter 4 when He calls the disciples together and starts preaching.  One of the most beautiful parts of Matthew is the long detailed account of the "Sermon on the Mount".  This should be included in any list of the world's greatest speeches.  If only everyone could take heed of these words, and live according to them what a wonderful peaceful world we would live in!  Matthew contains several episodes and parables not found in the other Gospels and he also quickly glosses over or only eludes to events mentioned in the others.  As his purpose is to present Jesus as the Messiah through his words and deeds his story winds down with the plot against Jesus and finishes off quickly with an accounting of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

Reason for reading:  I am reading the New Testament to my 12yo ds this year.  He received this book at school last year and it is perfect for his comprehension level.  It does leave out some of the more controversial words, replacing them with more vague words (ie. "fornication" with "immoral acts") but my son is autistic, not understanding that part of life yet and this is our first time through with the actual Word of the Lord, rather than in bible story context though my son knows his Gospel well.  He brought up some very good discussion points, knew when something was missing from Matthew's account and we had some amazing discussion through certain parts about what was written that was important to us as Catholics but is ignored or re-interpreted by Protestants.  The Gospels are also fun to read because we find different words of the Mass within each one.

First line:  This is the list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who was a descendant of Abraham.

Last line:  And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.

Source for information I needed to look up: The Catholic Encyclopedia