The Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 14-28)

Please read the remaining chapters of the Gospel of Matthew (Ch. 15-28). Pay special attention to Chapters 21-23, chapters that particularly well show Jesus' challenge to the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. Choose a verse or summarize a passage that seems particularly important to you and explain why you choose this verse.  How does this verse/passage ties to the theme that Matthew is a "gospel for those who think they don't need the gospel"?

Please remember that, when it comes to the readings, quality reading will serve you better than quantity.  Concentrating on Chapters 21-23 is just fine if you don't have time for all 14 chapters.  

The Gospel of Matthew 5-7--One more time! (Extra Credit)

I only managed to get through two chapters of Matthew in our first session on the book.  On Tuesday, I'll continuing the discussion of the Matthew 1-14.  I'll talk more about Matthew's use of Jewish scripture, and then discuss the Sermon on the Mount.

Instead of going on to Matthew 15-28, you might reread Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount.  Cite here three verses from this sermon, one that you think would be particularly attractive to many of the Jews listening to the message, one that challenges (and might even offend) some people who are already religious, and one that is particularly attractive *or* a turn-off for you yourself.  Explain your choices.

Matthew's Use of Scripture (Extra Credit)

When Matthew quotes a brief passage from the Old Testament, he wants to call into his readers' minds a much broader context, sometimes the preceding 5-30 verses or, sometimes the subsequent 5-30 verses.

For extra credit, please look at a couple of the Matthew Old Testament references (the list below will give you a start), then look at the Old Testament context.below.  Comment on that context: what ideas does Matthew want to bring to his readers' attention?  In what ways are these ideas particularly important in Matthew's attempt to reach a Jewish audience?

• Matthew 2:17 citation of Jeremiah 31:15
• Matthew 1:23 citation of Isaiah 7:14
• Matthew 2: 6 citation of Micah 5:2
• Matt. 2:15 citation of Hosea 11:1
• Matt. 27:43 ref. to Psalm 22:8
• Matthew 4:4 citation of Deuteronomy 8:3
• Matthew 3:17 hint of Psalm 2:7
• Matthew 4:16 reference to Isaiah 42:7

The Gospel of Matthew (1-14)

Please read Chapters 1-14 of the Gospel of Matthew. Concentrate especially on Chapters 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. Please pick a key verse from the assigned chapters and do one of the following:

1. Explain why you think this verse the key to understanding what the selection is about.

2. Explain why you think this verse is the best/most memorable in the assigned reading.

3. Explain why you think this verse is the most difficult/hard to understand in the assigned chapters.

4.  Reply to any other student comment on this post.   

Welcome!

Welcome to Early Church Keyline Blog 2026--the Official Blog of History 424, Early Church History. 

To get started, here's a test of the History 424 blog system. If you don't already have one, you might want to set up a Google/Blogger account. If you use a Google profile, it's easier for me to reply to your posts, something I occasionally do.  You also might want to make yourself a follower to this blog.

If you prefer, you can post as an anonymous blogger.  However, if you choose that option, you need to add your name to the bottom of the post so I know who to give credit to.

When you have created your blogger account and your profile, click the "comments" link below, and answer one (1) of the following questions:

1. Would you rather make comments on a blog, or write a term paper?
2. Which figure or book from the New Testament interests you the most, and why?
3. Why do you think the study of Early Church history is important--or not so important?

After you have done your own blog post, please reply to at least one other student's post.