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The '''Gospel of Matthew''' is the first book in the [[New Testament]], as one of four [[gospel]]s.  It tells the story of the life of [[Jesus]] as conveyed by [[Matthew]], a former tax collector and one of Jesus' [[disciples]].  Several of the parables recounted in this Gospel rely on [[economics|economic]] principles.  The Gospel of Matthew includes 97% of the [[Gospel of Mark]], plus significant additions including post-[[Resurrection]] gatherings of [[the Apostles]].  As the most factually complete gospel by an eyewitness, it is ordered first among the four.  It is the Gospel of Matthew that expressly mentions [[Bethlehem]] as the birthplace of Jesus.<ref>https://news.yahoo.com/jesus-really-born-bethlehem-why-200945326.html</ref>

The '''Gospel of Matthew''' is the first book in the [[New Testament]], as one of four [[gospel]]s.  It tells the story of the life of [[Jesus]] as conveyed by [[Matthew]], a former tax collector and one of Jesus' [[disciples]].  Several of the parables recounted in this Gospel rely on [[economics|economic]] principles.  The Gospel of Matthew includes 97% of the [[Gospel of Mark]], plus significant additions including post-[[Resurrection]] gatherings of [[the Apostles]], more of Jesus's teachings (which are interspersed among the material copied from Mark), and more background at the beginning.<ref>https://andynaselli.com/matthew-and-mark (showing graphically where Matthew inserted his own new material)</ref> As the most factually complete gospel by an eyewitness, it is ordered first among the four.  It is the Gospel of Matthew that expressly mentions [[Bethlehem]] as the birthplace of Jesus.<ref>https://news.yahoo.com/jesus-really-born-bethlehem-why-200945326.html</ref>

The Gospel of Matthew is one of the [[synoptic gospels]], meaning that it is written in a narrative style and has similarities to the Gospels of [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]].  The three share a common structure which shows an interrelationship.  It is generally believed today that the shorter, simpler Gospel of Mark came first, and then Matthew and Luke benefited from having seen that gospel before completing their own.  But church tradition held that Matthew came first and some still support that sequence.  There is reference by the church fathers to a Gospel of Matthew originally being written in [[Aramaic]], perhaps based on a theory that Jesus taught in Aramaic rather than Greek.  But no Aramaic original for the Gospel of Matthew has ever been found, so it appears likely it was initially written in Greek which an educated former tax collector could surely have done.

The Gospel of Matthew is one of the [[synoptic gospels]], meaning that it is written in a narrative style and has similarities to the Gospels of [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]].  The three share a common structure which shows an interrelationship.  It is generally believed today that the shorter, simpler Gospel of Mark came first, and then Matthew and Luke benefited from having seen that gospel before completing their own.  But church tradition held that Matthew came first and some still support that sequence.  There is reference by the church fathers to a Gospel of Matthew originally being written in [[Aramaic]], perhaps based on a theory that Jesus taught in Aramaic rather than Greek.  But no Aramaic original for the Gospel of Matthew has ever been found, so it appears likely it was initially written in Greek which an educated former tax collector could surely have done.