Bible Question: I read somewere that Matthew may have been written in Hebrew, and translated into Greek. Is this the case? |
Bible Answer: Greetings: There are ancient traditions that Matthew wrote either a Gospel or a collection of sayings in Hebrew. Here are the relevant quotes. 1) Papias wrote, "Matthew composed the Logia in the Hebrew tongue and everyone interpreted them as he was able." (Cited by Eusebius, HE, iii. 39. 16.) 2) Irenaeus wrote, "Now Matthew published also a book of the Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and founding the Church." (Cited by Eusebius, HE, v. 8. 2.) 3) According to Eusebius, Pantaenus went to India and found that the Gospel of Matthew was already there in Hebrew. (HE, v. 10). 4) Finally, Origen stated that Matthew had composed a Gospel in Hebrew. (J. Munck in Neotestamentica et Patristica, 1962, pp. 249-260). There are several reasons why these statements are traditionally discounted. 1) Most people believe that the Gospels are late compostions. However, if these statements are true, then Matthew may have been written before Peter and Paul were killed, not hundreds of years after the death of Christ as so many want to believe. 2) Most scholars today believe that Mark was written first and that Matthew and Luke used Mark and an unknown document Q to compose their Gospels. However, if Matthew wrote in Hebrew and early, then it is unlikely that Mark was first, since Mark was most likely written with Peter's help. Some have tried to say that maybe this Hebrew Gospel was Q. These quotes are a fascinating study and further evidence that the Gospels were probably written much earlier than scholars commonally believe. I hope this answers your question. Tim Moran |