Perhaps the most famous scene in Matthew’s Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount which begins in chapter 5. Scholars debate the date of the writing of this Gospel. The ancient Church held it to have been the first Gospel written. Since we know that Mark’s Gospel was composed shortly before 70 a.d. we can deduce that Matthew’s was written prior to that date. Most modern scholars argue that Mark was written first and the Matthew’s Gospel should be dated to just after 70 a.d. Some very recent scholarship is suggestive of the earlier date, but ultimately I don’t think it matters for our purposes. We know it was composed about the year 70 a.d.
Matthew’s primary audience was a Jewish one. He strove to show Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (see for example Matthew 1:22-23 and how this is a fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah chapter 7). The Gospel of Matthew is full of such quotations of prophecies being fulfilled. He also strove to show Jesus as the giver of the New Law, the new Moses if you will. The Sermon on the Mount is meant to invoke images for the Jews of Moses giving the law from Mount Sinai.
One of the most important Scripture verses for a Catholic to have memorized is Matthew 16:18. It is the verse where Peter is told that Jesus will build his Church on the Rock who is Peter. A somewhat careful examination of this Scripture is in order, and will be the subject of tomorrow’s blog. For today, suffice it to say that if I am looking for the Church that Jesus Christ founded I should look for the one with Peter as its foundational rock.
 | About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children. |
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