Suggested Further Reading For Understanding The Gospel of Matthew
- Matthew and the Margins; a Sociopolitical and Religious Reading, by Warren Carter ~ A full commentary, well worth the money to buy and own. This book is the first resource that I consult every time that I’m studying a text in Matthew.
- Binding the Strong Man; A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus, by Ched Myers ~ This book is a commentary on the Gospel of Mark, but a lot of the material in Matthew comes from Mark, and this commentary on Mark is one of the best commentaries ever written. Ched Myers, more than anyone else, taught me how to read the Bible.
- The Theology of the Book of Revelation; New Testament Theology, by Richard Baukham ~ This short and very readable book will not only help you understand one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible, but it will help you get a feel for the genre of ancient resistance literature known as “apocalyptic.” Matthew contains elements of this genre; in fact, some passages burst into full-blown apocalyptic (e.g. chapter 24).
- Son of Man; The Interpretation and Influence of Daniel 7, by Maurice Casey ~ An extremely thorough examination of the the title “Son of Man,” used by Jesus to refer to himself throughout Matthew. Written in 1979, but still the best study that I could find anywhere. (Caution: this is a book written for scholars, so the argument gets very detailed; you don’t have to read everything, just the main points.)
- Jesus Against the Scribal Elite; The Origins of the Conflict, by Chris Keith ~ This very readable book argues that the gospels of Matthew and Mark both remember Jesus as an illiterate peasant who masqueraded as a scribe and bested the actual professional scribes in public debate.
- Jesus and Purity Halakah, by Thomas Kazen ~ If you really want to nerd out on Jesus’ approach to the purity code of first century Israel, this book provides an exhaustive study. (Caution: This is a book written for scholars, so the argument gets very detailed and technical, but you don’t have to read everything, just the main points.)
- For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food: Pragmatics of Food Access in the Gospel of Matthew, by Carol B. Wilson ~ This book provides a careful study and analysis to show how dire the economic situation was for peasants in the first century Mediterranean world; according to her analysis, malnutrition and even starvation was widespread.