I have updated my posts from a series that I wrote a few years ago on the case for and against the traditional authorship of Matthew’s Gospel. I go into much more detail when assessing the various arguments in my book. By the way, my book has now been published and you can read some excerpts from it on Google Preview. The following questions must be answered to resolve the debate over the authorship of this Gospel:
- Why is the tax collector named Levi in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27-28 and Matthew in Matthew 9:9 and why is “the tax collector” appended to Matthew’s name only in the list of the twelve apostles in Matthew 10:2-4 (cf. Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13)?
- Why did Papias believe that Matthew wrote the “oracles” in the “Hebrew language” and what was he referring to?
- Why was Papias’s tradition understood by subsequent Patristic writers in reference to the Greek Gospel that came to be known as the “Gospel according to Matthew”?
- Why was Matthew identified as the author of the “Gospel according to the Hebrews” by a few Patristic authorities?
Here are all the posts in the series:
The Tax Collector Matthew: An Overview of the Theories
The Identities of Levi and Matthew in the Early Church
Did Matthew have Two Semitic Names?
“Matthew” as a Learning Disciple
Does Matthew 9:9 and 10:3 support a Pseudonymous Author?
Why was Levi’s Name not in the List of the Twelve Apostles?
A Vague Memory of Matthew as a Tax Collector?
The Case for Matthew’s Authorship
Did Matthew Rely on Peter’s Testimony?
Matthew as the Author of a Lost Source?
Matthew’s References to Messianic Oracles about Jesus?
Matthew’s Literacy as a Tax Collector?
Matthew’s Knowledge of Money as a Tax-collector
The Authorship and Inspiration of Matthew’s Gospel
The Emergence of the Gospel Titles
Why was Matthew’s Name Attached to the Gospel according to the Hebrews
The Jesus Memoirs 