Matthew (New International Commentary on the New Testament)

1663 Pages·2016·8.63 MB·English

by  R. T. France

Table of Contents

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
EDITOR’S PREFACE
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
ABBREVIATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY of Works Cited in This Volume
Introduction
Text, Exposition, and Notes

I. INTRODUCING THE MESSIAH (1:1-4:11)
II. GALILEE: THE MESSIAH REVEALED IN WORD AND DEED
(4:12-16:20)
III. FROM GALILEE TO JERUSALEM: THE MESSIAH AND HIS
FOLLOWERS PREPARE FOR THE ...
IV. JERUSALEM: THE MESSIAH IN CONFRONTATION WITH
THE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES (21:1-25:46)
V. JERUSALEM: THE MESSIAH REJECTED, KILLED, AND
VINDICATED (26:1-28:15)
VI. GALILEE: THE MESSIANIC MISSION IS LAUNCHED (28:16-
20)

INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS
INDEX OF SUBJECTS
INDEX OF BIBLICAL AND OTHER ANCIENT REFERENCES
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON
THE NEW TESTAMENT

General Editors

NED B. STONEHOUSE
(1946-1962)

F. F. BRUCE
(1962-1990)

GORDON D. FEE
(1990- )

© 2007 R. T. France All rights reserved
Published 2007 by
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505 /
P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.

Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 07 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

France, R. T.
The Gospel of Matthew / R.T. France.
p. cm.—
(The new international commentary on the New Testament)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8028-2501-8 (cloth: alk. paper) 1. Bible. N.T. Matthew—Commentaries. I. Title.

BS2575.53.F77 2007
226.2′077—dc22
2007013488

www.eerdmans.com
To Curly
my fellow student and inspiration
for more than forty years
gyda chariad
EDITOR’S PREFACE

It is a special threefold pleasure to introduce R. T. (Dick) France’s commentary
on Matthew to the pastoral and scholarly community, who should find it a truly
exceptional—and helpful—volume. As the first matter, and as promised in my
preface to Phil Towner’s commentary on Timothy and Titus a couple of years
ago, this is the first of the final two volumes that will complete the original
NICNT series (we await now only 2 Peter and Jude). But more importantly,
second, this volume, by a scholar who has devoted much of his academic life to
the Synoptic Gospels, and especially to the Gospel of Matthew, makes a very
significant contribution to Matthean studies. Thus we have here the mature
reflections on Matthew of one who made such study an important part of his
academic life.
The third reason for delight is a personal one. Although Dr. France and I had
known each other for a number of years, we were brought together in a special
way in 1990 as members of the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), the
committee responsible for the New International Version (NIV) of the
Scriptures. The committee was being convened to do a thorough review of the
NIV, and some new faces were around the table, including mine and Dick’s—he
as a member of the British committee. So for sixteen years we have worked
closely with the biblical text on a committee that has met annually and finally
produced Today’s New International Version (TNIV). So it was in a kind of
moment of desperation, after having an NICNT Matthew commentary contract
returned to me by a second (very capable) younger scholar, that I one day turned
personally to Dick, who was about to enter retirement, and asked him if he
would like to write this commentary. Much to my surprise, but great joy, he
accepted. And now four years later the entire church and academy are the
beneficiaries.
Dr. France hardly needs an introduction to those who are familiar with
Matthean studies, which he has been able to pursue in a fruitful way over many
years, even though he and Curly have had fully busy lives in ministry as well: as
missionaries in Nigeria; as principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford; and as a parish
pastor in a rural Anglican Church in England. They are now enjoying retirement
in North Wales; and the church and the academy are the beneficiaries of that
retirement.
Here is a commentary that was a sheer delight to read (my editorial input was
especially minimal!). Dr. France never lets us lose sight of Matthew and what
Matthew was about in presenting his story of Jesus, while at the same time, of
course, one learns a great deal about Jesus himself. I am therefore pleased to
commend this volume to the church and the academy for their learning and
listening to what the Spirit would say to the churches of the twenty-first century.

GORDON D. FEE