📖 Biblical Definition
The first Gospel of the New Testament, traditionally attributed to the apostle Matthew (also called Levi), the converted tax-collector. The book is structured around five major discourses (Sermon on the Mount, missionary instructions, kingdom parables, community discipline, Olivet Discourse) framed by birth narratives, public ministry, passion, and resurrection. Matthew presents Jesus as the King of the Jews and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, citing Hebrew Scripture more than fifty times.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
MATTHEW, n.
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A scriptural proper name; the first Gospel.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 1:23 — "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel."
Matthew 5:17 — "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
Matthew 16:18 — "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Matthew 28:19 — "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity often skips Matthew's Old Testament fulfillments; the citations are the Spirit's structural argument.
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Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel, often introducing citations with formulas like that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. Modern readers sometimes skim these as filler. They are the structural backbone of the Gospel. Matthew is arguing — explicitly and at length — that Jesus is the long-prophesied Messiah of Israel, the fulfillment of every covenant promise.
Read Matthew with an open Old Testament. Note where Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Zechariah, and the Psalms surface. The Spirit who inspired the prophets identifies Christ as the prophets' goal. Skip the citations and the argument collapses; receive them and the gospel becomes a coherent thirteen-hundred-year project that culminates at Calvary.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek roots below.
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G3156 — Maththaios — Matthew
Usage
"Modern Christianity skips Matthew's OT fulfillments; the citations are the Spirit's structural argument."
"Read Matthew with an open Old Testament; note where Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, and Zechariah surface."
"Skip the citations and the argument collapses; receive them and the gospel coheres."