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What was the purpose of the book Matthew?
Matthew reveals Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah The Gospel of Matthew was written to prove that Jesus Christ is Israel’s long-awaited, promised Messiah, the King of all the earth, and to make plain the Kingdom of God.
Which gospel tells the nativity story?
The two accounts: Matthew and Luke Only two of the four canonical gospels, Matthew (Matthew 1:18-25) and Luke (Luke 2:1-7), offer narratives regarding the birth of Jesus. Of these two, only Luke offers the details of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.
What does the Nativity symbolize?
But for many Christians throughout the world, no matter the characters, the sight of a nativity still evokes the miracle of Jesus’ conception, his humble birth, his ultimate sacrifice and the gift of everlasting life to those who believe. The true meaning of Christmas.
Who wrote the book of Matthew and why?
It has traditionally been attributed to St. Matthew the Evangelist, one of the 12 Apostles, described in the text as a tax collector (10:3). The Gospel According to Matthew was composed in Greek, probably sometime after 70 ce, with evident dependence on the earlier Gospel According to Mark.
How does Matthew tell the story of Jesus?
The way Matthew then tells the story of Jesus draws on a lot of symbols from Jewish tradition that really convey a picture of Jesus. Jesus goes up on to a mountain to teach and there talks about the law. He looks like Moses. Jesus delivers five different sermons of this sort, just like the five books of Torah.
Why is the Nativity of Jesus Christ so well known?
But the Luke version of the Nativity is the fullest account of Jesus’ birth that we find in the Bible, and it’s an inspiring story about the difficult circumstances in which the Messiah was brought into the world, so this is the most likely reason that the story nevertheless became so well-known. Image: by Biser Todorov, via Wikimedia Commons.
What is the difference between Matthew and Luke’s accounts of the Nativity?
The first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew provide a slightly different account of the Nativity of Jesus. For one thing, it’s much briefer than the account given by Luke. Before Mary and Joseph were together, Mary fell pregnant after being visited by the Holy Ghost. So far, Matthew’s account is the same as Luke’s.
What is the difference between the Christmas Story and the Nativity?
So far from the Christmas story being straightforward and well-known, the two accounts are strikingly different. The classic nativity story is actually a slightly deceptive amalgamation of two separate versions. We tend to merge the Christmas stories to make them fit together.