Was Matthew written by... Matthew?

[LearningToLetGo]

In my wanderings to and fro I came across a website that asserts the only gospel that was actually written by someone who personally knew Jesus in the flesh was John. This surprised me since I always figured that Matthew was written by, well, Matthew (Levi). Do we actually know who wrote Matthew?

[Who me]

4 hours ago, LearningToLetGo said:

In my wanderings to and fro I came across a website that asserts the only gospel that was actually written by someone who personally knew Jesus in the flesh was John. This surprised me since I always figured that Matthew was written by, well, Matthew (Levi). Do we actually know who wrote Matthew?

 

C.s. Lewes wrote about literary critics, about how he'd written a book of essays and they had commented on them. What he had found was that critics who had grown up and been educated in the same environment as him would be completely wrong in there assessments of why he had written an essay.

 

How accurate do you think critics will be of writers and there writing when they are products of alien culture.

 

Why did I write this to demonstrate of an Oxford educated critic cannot determine why an Oxford educated writer wrote how can they comments on why a writer from ancient gulf or Israel wrote.

 

We ca trust the opinions of the early church fathers because there is a chain from the authors through other leaders to them, all confirming the same thing. The gospels were written by those they are attributed to.

[AnOrangeCat]

6 hours ago, LearningToLetGo said:

In my wanderings to and fro I came across a website that asserts the only gospel that was actually written by someone who personally knew Jesus in the flesh was John. This surprised me since I always figured that Matthew was written by, well, Matthew (Levi). Do we actually know who wrote Matthew?

I feel like that's one of those things often used as an attempt to cast doubt on the Gospels. Ultimately all scripture is divinely inspired, and there are external sources that say it was Matthew as well as some things within Matthew itself that lend support to him as the author.

[Justin Adams]

1 hour ago, Who me said:

We ca trust the opinions of the early church fathers

Not so much I am afraid. Read "Against Heresies" and see why.

[BK1110]

10 hours ago, LearningToLetGo said:

In my wanderings to and fro I came across a website that asserts the only gospel that was actually written by someone who personally knew Jesus in the flesh was John. This surprised me since I always figured that Matthew was written by, well, Matthew (Levi). Do we actually know who wrote Matthew?

This may be of help. There's certainly no "smoking gun" evidence so to speak, but taking everything as a whole, I believe that attributing it to Matthew makes best sense of the total body of evidence and logic: https://crossexamined.org/wrote-gospel-matthew/

[LearningToLetGo]

1 hour ago, BK1110 said:

This may be of help. There's certainly no "smoking gun" evidence so to speak, but taking everything as a whole, I believe that attributing it to Matthew makes best sense of the total body of evidence and logic: https://crossexamined.org/wrote-gospel-matthew/

That is helpful. Thanks. 

[Riverwalker]

Perhaps we should be careful where we wander.

It is one thing to hear the opinion of men, it is another thing to give them heed and a place in your head.  After all, they are just men, and this is the Word Of God (not the word of Matthew) we are talking about.

Even though the bible was put to page by dozens of men over a period of more than a thousand years. It is perfect. And it is perfectly harmonic, in that from Genesis to Revelation it tells one story, reveals one God and has one message.. No man or collection of men could ever produce such a thing. Even Mohammed couldn't keep his story straight over the 4 surrahs and few decades of his work.

So then if we do consider this to be the word of God (As Christian's should) then to entertain the aspersions and doubts cast upon it by mere men is simply wrong, and a waste of our time.

 

Ephesians 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 

[Billiards Ball]

12 hours ago, LearningToLetGo said:

In my wanderings to and fro I came across a website that asserts the only gospel that was actually written by someone who personally knew Jesus in the flesh was John. This surprised me since I always figured that Matthew was written by, well, Matthew (Levi). Do we actually know who wrote Matthew?

The website is in error.

For example, Luke 1 says "I, Luke, have known everything from the beginning and also interviewed OTHER eyewitnesses to make a complete record."

[Guest kingdombrat]

We have the accounts of John's own Disciples Polycarp and Papias who claim John taught them that Matthew was written early 40 A.D. in the Hebrew Language by Matthew himself.   Jerome even claims to have seen these writings and translated them in other series of his own writings.   Eusibius claims, Matthew wrote his Gospel in the Hebrew Language and later people did their best to translate it to Greek.

 

My opinion is this, if we trust Jesus' Disciples, we trust Peter's Disciple Mark [Gospel of Mark], we trust Paul's Disciples, we should have no question then to trust the BELOVED APOSTLE JOHN'S DISCIPLES like Polycarp and Papias!

[LearningToLetGo]

48 minutes ago, kingdombrat said:

We have the accounts of John's own Disciples Polycarp and Papias who claim John taught them that Matthew was written early 40 A.D. in the Hebrew Language by Matthew himself.

Where can I find more information on this?