In 1961, S. Vernon McCasland published an article entitled “Matthew Twists the Scriptures,” in which he charges the author of Matthew with distorting not only his Old Testament sources, but also his contemporary sources. Brazenly, McCasland begins his accusation by redirecting the expressed concern of 2 Peter 3:16 at the…
9He dead, they sealed the stone upon his grave,But, the third-day he rose, made death his slave; Betimes, good Mary to his grave made speed,To whom her Saviour spake, from fear, her freed;And, ten times he appear'd in forty daysThen, calls the twelve, and thus to them, he says.…15Th' Apostles…
I have asserted that the writings of the apostles were immediately recognized as Scripture (e.g., 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Pet. 3:15–16; 2 Tim. 3:16). And further, that Galatians refers to something like Matthew’s Gospel, which was “previously written” prior to Paul’s first visit to Galatia. Here is my translation of…
Tillemont was born in Paris in 1637 and became a priest in 1676. Shortly thereafter he retired to an abbey near Paris, but subsequently moved to his family estate (Tillemont) near Paris, where he completed two masterful works, one on ecclesiastical history and the other on the history of the…
Those who argue for an early date for Matthew’s Gospel must contend with Irenaeus’s claim that “Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church.” My approach for dealing with the…
To the chorus of those who assert that Matthew was written within a decade of the resurrection and ascension, I have added four more voices: Samuel Ellwood (1709), Samuel Humphreys (1746), Thomas Horne (1825), and Arthur Carr (1898). An extended excerpt from Horne has been included, which provides a nice…
In my search for historical authors who have speculated concerning the early date of Matthew’s Gospel, it is tempting to latch onto every author who might be “on my team.” However, there is need for circumspection. This morning, I found this interesting book from James Sheridan Knowles, Irish actor and…
Excerpts from the writings of two additional authors, Robert Cockburne (1755) and Thomas Townson (1778), relating to the origins of Matthew’s Gospel, have now been posted. As with the other excerpts, I have modified the spellings and punctuation, to make the material more accessible to the modern reader. An extended…
Excerpts from the writings of Richard Ward (1646), William Cave (1676), and John Edwards (1695), relating to the origins of Matthew’s Gospel, have now been posted. Credit belongs to Google and to the Early English Books Online project for digitizing and making these works available. I have modified the spellings…