Matthew

Matthew is the fortieth book of the Bible and the first book of the New Testament. It is one of the four gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus, and the book is traditionally attributed to Matthew, also called Levi, one of the twelve disciples who had previously been a tax collector. The book is generally dated to between AD 60 and AD 85.

Matthew opens with a genealogy tracing Jesus's family line back through David to Abraham. The opening chapters describe Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, the visit of the magi, the family's flight to Egypt to escape King Herod, and Jesus's return to Nazareth.

The bulk of the book follows Jesus's public ministry in Galilee and his eventual journey to Jerusalem. Matthew organizes the material around five major teaching sections, the most famous of which is the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5 through 7, the longest single block of Jesus's teaching in any gospel. Between the teaching sections, Matthew records Jesus's miracles, encounters with religious leaders, parables, and travels.

The book ends with the events of the final week in Jerusalem: the entry into the city, the temple confrontations, the Last Supper, Jesus's arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. The closing scene is the risen Jesus meeting his disciples on a mountain in Galilee and giving them what is known as the Great Commission: to go and make disciples of all nations.