To understand the context in which Matthew’s Gospel was written, it is essential to consider the political landscape of the 1st century AD:

1. Roman Empire Dominance: By this time, Rome had established itself as a dominant power across much of Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. The Pax Romana (Roman Peace) allowed for relative stability and prosperity within its territories but also imposed strict control over local populations.
2. Judea under Roman Rule: Judea was a province under Roman governance during this period. Initially ruled by client kings like Herod the Great (who died in 4 BC), Judea later came under direct Roman administration after Herod’s death, leading to increased tensions between Roman authorities and Jewish populations.
3. Religious Tensions: The Jewish people were grappling with their identity amidst foreign rule. Various sects emerged within Judaism during this time, including Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes, each with differing views on how to respond to Roman occupation. The Zealots advocated for armed resistance against Rome, while others sought reform from within.
4. Destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD): A significant event that shaped early Christianity was the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman forces during the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 AD). This event led to widespread displacement among Jews and early Christians alike and marked a turning point in religious practices and beliefs.
5. Emergence of Early Christianity: As Christianity began spreading beyond Jewish communities into Gentile territories, it faced both acceptance and persecution. The early followers were often viewed with suspicion by both Jews (who saw them as heretics) and Romans (who viewed them as subversive).
6. Cultural Exchange: The Hellenistic influence permeated many aspects of life due to previous conquests by Alexander the Great; thus Greek language and culture were prevalent even in Judea. This cultural backdrop influenced how early Christians communicated their beliefs.
7. Political Figures: Key figures such as Emperor Nero (54-68 AD) played significant roles during this period; his reign saw intense persecution against Christians following the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD.
8. Social Structure: Society was stratified; wealth disparity existed between elites (including landowners) and common people (including peasants). This social dynamic influenced how messages about wealth, poverty, justice, and mercy were received within Matthew’s narrative.

In summary, understanding both the authorship context of Matthew’s Gospel alongside its historical backdrop provides insight into its themes—particularly those concerning Jesus’ teachings on law versus grace, kingdom ethics versus worldly power structures, and hope amid suffering.

Conclusion

The Gospel of Matthew emerges from a complex interplay between religious belief systems undergoing transformation amid political upheaval under Roman rule. Its message resonates deeply with an audience navigating these challenges while seeking affirmation in their faith amidst uncertainty.

Top 3 Authoritative Sources Used

1. “The New Testament” – Various Authors This source includes all four Gospels along with other New Testament writings providing foundational texts for understanding early Christianity’s development within historical contexts.

2. “A History of Early Christianity” by Charles Freeman Freeman offers an extensive overview of early Christian history from its roots through various sociopolitical influences that shaped its evolution during the first few centuries.

3. “The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant” by John Dominic Crossan Crossan presents an analysis grounded in historical research regarding Jesus’ life within his socio-political environment which helps contextualize narratives found within gospels like Matthew’s.

SOURCE: https://iask.ai/

The above quote was recorded, during the Reign of Tiberius, the second Emperor of the Roman Empire, who ruled from AD 14 to AD 37.

These Words of Jesus, the Messiah, were recorded, by his faithful, and possibly favorite, Tax Collector, Matthew (a.k.a. Levi, the son of Alphaeus), possibly, the most culturally despised, and spiritually undeserving apostle, on Jesus’ Team.

For my money: I believe Matthew was likely the first Gospel written and published. It was likely presented within a year of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection (although official records don’t show up until later). Note: This viewpoint is not the theory of the Mainstream Modern “Critical Theory” Theologians and Scholars, but if you delve into what they teach and why they teach it, and why they believe what they teach, you will discover many of these theologians do not believe, live, serve, honor, or follow the Commandments of Jesus, beyond a purely intellectual interest. So it is important to know who is teaching you the Bible and why.

The Gospel of Matthew was very likely written in Hebrew or Aramaic first, to reach those in Jerusalem & Judea, then later translated into Greek to reach those in Rome, and others throughout the Roman Empire. Again, that is my own educated guess. There are plenty of other

Matthew is after all the primary gospel to the Jews.

Jesus (His name in Hebrew literally means “Jehovah-saves”… pronounced Yehovah)
From Matthew’s Testimony we can learn the full meaning of his name.

If we can get the Big Picture Right, then maybe we can get the little details right. Then maybe we can get the whole message right, from the Beginning to the Ending. If that is your goal, then you are invited into the spiritual journey of a lifetime, following the teachings, lifestyles, personal testimonies, and life-changing witnesses, of the apostles and early church believers.

The chances are good, if you become offended by the bold and direct statements and commandments, the parables, and teachings of Jesus, and the apostles, your faith will likely not grow to the extent God has ordained for you, and in that case, you may be very disappointed and realizing you never really had, what the apostles said you should have.

You may never have heard the message preached the way the apostles intended you to hear it preached. You may never receive the power of the spirit that they received. You may never produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit, that they produced. You may never have had the abundant eternal treasures, that Jesus promised to those who would follow him and obey his teachings. These are important issues, because they will become stumbling blocks: If the foundations that are laid are too broken, they won’t carry the weight of the building for very long, before they make the building unstable and dangerous to live in. May that not be your experience in your study of the Bible, and desire to live it out.

If sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, is not front and center, and a top priority in the midst of your Christian fellowship, if it is not included in the daily conversation of those who you have fellowship with, if people aren’t regularly sharing, and seeking to extend the message of salvation to others, who have not yet become complete followers of Christ, then it is highly likely, you are fellowshipping in a lukewarm church, that Jesus says he will spew out of his mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

IF … All the conversations before church service, and after church service and throughout the week with other believers do not include the work and inspiration of sharing the gospel with the lost, that is very likely a sign of a lukewarm, carnal minded, worldly living, spiritually dying, and soon to be dead, modern church fellowship, prophesied by Jesus, in a multitude of parables, and warned about in the epistles, and especially in the book of revelation, over and over and over again.

If you feel, you have been truly saved from eternal death by God’s amazing grace, but you have no desire, passion, drive, or spiritual impetus to share that most valuable, most beautiful, most holy treasure with others, chances are good that you may not have the gift, and may not have any desire to live for something that is not even real to you.

How can we know if our relationship with Jesus, is real or imagined?

Jesus teaches us that we have an obligation to look for the Fruit. He said you can tell a tree by its fruit. If the quality of the fruit is bad, or non existent, the tree is bad, or maybe non existent. We are called to make the tree good, and the fruit good, if we have the goodness of God abiding in us. If not, we will prove that the tree is bad by two things: our spiritual fruit that Jesus describes we will have is non-existent, and in its place is the fruit of the world, the fruit of darkness, selfishness, and all that God calls spiritually sick and evil, from His Perspective, will take the place where the good fruit was supposed to be abiding.

Note: The command to make the Tree good is part of our responsibility. You and I have a choice to make the tree good. or make the tree corrupt. We have the power to choose the course that will reproduce a flourishing healthy fruit tree, bearing incredible living eternal, soul nourishing, and abundant heavenly fruit. Or, we can choose to grow a tree that will reproduce corrupt, contaminated, polluted, unsatisfying, unacceptable, noxious, and even deadly fruit. And God seems to feel clearly about the subject that I have the power to choose which tree I want to create by my own choices. See below:

Matthew 12:33-37 (KJV) 33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

The Key word is Evidence.

Note: Many times throughout history, the Bible, God, Jesus, Mount Sinai, King David, King Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Daniel, Pilate, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Red Sea Crossing, etc. and other figures and parts of the Bible would come under attack, with the accusers saying “such and such” never existed, “we have no proof of that.”

Then later, an archeological team would find an authentic coin, engraved stone, a tomb, an excavated tunnel, with the person’s or place’s name on it dating back to near the time of the person, place, and/or event.

That being said, God’s Word has been under attack more than any other document in history. And yet, it has repeated overcome its adversarial accusers. The more you dig into it, the more you find it to be True, Trustworthy, Credible, Accurate, Truthful, and Right–Historically, Scientifically, Morally, Medically, Psychologically, Socially, Spiritually, and Educationally reliable.

Yes, there are those who tried to misuse the Bible to be manipulative, controlling, evil, etc., but those who did were judged by the Bible, and by the Writer of the Bible, and are now dead, or soon will be, and will have to meet their Maker, and receive their just reward. But the Bible still Lives on.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Matthew 24:35 (KJV)

A quote from Jesus, during the last week before his death.

Personal Note: I have spent literal multiplied hundreds of hours sifting through video content presenters that provide accurate, reasonable, clear, concise, and well presented documentation, that supports many individual facts and parts of the biblical narrative. Much of the information I share and provide is far from mainstream.

As you will be able to weigh for yourself, the mainstream media is thoroughly threatened by God, the Bible, Truth, Reality, and the Right to Live. All of this is threatening to be removed from the public eye, and has been systematically canceled and obstructed from modern day public education and mainstream public consciousness, hence the reason for this website to exist.

Chances are good that this website will not be allowed to exist for long. For that reason, I have done my best to document everything presented here, so that when I am gone, which may be very soon. I will have left something behind, that my family can use so know the Truth, from God’s Perspective Even though now, many ears are stopped. Many eyes are blocked. Many minds are dead in the water–and I dare say the sewer water of lies.

But even so, There is still hope: if only one soul begins to seek to see Life’s Questions & Answers from God’s Eternal, Immortal, Unchangeable, Immutable, Never-Ending Heavenly Perspective.

There is a place where you can get your questions, answered:

The Key word is Evidence.

Note: Many times throughout history, the Bible, God, Jesus, Mount Sinai, King David, King Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Daniel, Pilate, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Red Sea Crossing, etc. and other figures and parts of the Bible would come under attack, with the accusers saying “such and such” never existed, “we have no proof of that.”

Then later, an archeological team would find an authentic coin, engraved stone, a tomb, an excavated tunnel, with the person’s or place’s name on it dating back to near the time of the person, place, and/or event.

That being said, God’s Word has been under attack more than any other document in history. And yet, it has repeated overcome its adversarial accusers. The more you dig into it, the more you find it to be True, Trustworthy, Credible, Accurate, Truthful, and Right–Historically, Scientifically, Morally, Medically, Psychologically, Socially, Spiritually, and Educationally reliable.

Yes, there are those who tried to misuse the Bible to be manipulative, controlling, evil, etc., but those who did were judged by the Bible, and by the Writer of the Bible, and are now dead, or soon will be, and will have to meet their Maker, and receive their just reward. But the Bible still Lives on.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Matthew 24:35 (KJV)

A quote from Jesus, during the last week before his death.

Personal Note: I have spent literal multiplied hundreds of hours sifting through video content presenters that provide accurate, reasonable, clear, concise, and well presented documentation, that supports many individual facts and parts of the biblical narrative. Much of the information I share and provide is far from mainstream.

As you will be able to weigh for yourself, the mainstream media is thoroughly threatened by God, the Bible, Truth, Reality, and the Right to Live. All of this is threatening to be removed from the public eye, and has been systematically canceled and obstructed from modern day public education and mainstream public consciousness, hence the reason for this website to exist.

Chances are good that this website will not be allowed to exist for long. For that reason, I have done my best to document everything presented here, so that when I am gone, which may be very soon. I will have left something behind, that my family can use so know the Truth, from God’s Perspective Even though now, many ears are stopped. Many eyes are blocked. Many minds are dead in the water–and I dare say the sewer water of lies.

But even so, There is still hope: if only one soul begins to seek to see Life’s Questions & Answers from God’s Eternal, Immortal, Unchangeable, Immutable, Never-Ending Heavenly Perspective.

There is a place where you can get your questions, answered:

A Good Banker needs to know the original so well, that he can easily detect a fraudulent counterfeited $100 dollar bill.

A Good investigator will not get himself bogged down in irrelevant data. There are hundreds of thousands of spurious writings, that can easily distract from the main point of Christ’s Mission and Message.

If you are looking for controversy and skeptical chatter, you can easily drown yourself in it, but if you are looking for the Truth. You simply need to read the source documents themselves. That is your starting point.

This website is simply here to get your get attention, to SEE, HEAR, READ, EVALUATE, and TRUST GOD’S source Documents–beginning with the Gospel of Matthew, and then to assist you to continue forward from there, until you have come to Understand, Value, and Highly Regard Every Book in the New and Old Testaments–It is all One continuous unbroken Revelation, as you will come to realize, if you truly continue your own investigation.

The goal here is to See. We need to see: WHAT IS GOOD IN HIS SIGHT. As long as we are continuing to accomplish this goal, we are in good shape.

Know the original so well you can spot a counterfeit anywhere.

This is a topic, commonly used to denigrate the reliability of the Bible. But oddly enough, this subject rather confirms the legitimacy, reliability, abundant integrity, and virtual complete trustworthiness of the Bible rather than the opposite.

Do variants cause the Bible to be unreliable? You might be surprised by the answer.

This is a very enlightening and important topic when it comes to placing your academic trust and confidence in God’s Word.