Yale Divinity School | Bible Study
Image of the Bible open to the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew

Published: Spring 2024

Description

The Gospel of Matthew has some of the most familiar stories of Jesus’ life. From Jesus’ birth, to his Sermon on the Mount (“Blessed are the peacemakers…”), to his crucifixion—Matthew is a great study for beginners. It is also beautifully nuanced, with much to ponder even for those who have spent some time reading and thinking about the scriptures of the New Testament.

The author of Matthew probably enhanced the story of Jesus’ life as told in the Gospel of Mark. He adds a poetic structure, dividing the stories into blocks of discussion around Jesus’ major teachings. Using extensive use of Jewish scripture, the author argues that Jesus fulfills those scriptures’ promise of a messiah.

Course Takeaways

  • Uncover the significance of Jesus' genealogy and birth narrative in Matthew, revealing the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and the groundwork for his ministry.
  • Explore the timeless teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, discovering practical wisdom and ethical guidance for contemporary living.
  • Reflect on the profound theological implications of Jesus' death and resurrection in Matthew, considering their central role in Christian faith and salvation.
Available on Demand

Delivery

Yale Divinity Website

Duration
8 weeks
Fees
Free
Language
English
Subtitles
English
Credentials
No Credential

Meet the Instructors

faculty profile image Professor Attridge, dean of Yale Divinity School from 2002 to 2012, has made scholarly contributions to New Testament exegesis and to the study of Hellenistic Judaism and the history of the early Church. His publications include Essays on John and Hebrews, Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, First-Century Cynicism in the Epistles of Heraclitus, The Interpretation of Biblical History in the Antiquitates Judaicae of Flavius Josephus, Nag Hammadi Codex I: The Jung Codex, and The Acts of Thomas, as well as numerous book chapters and articles in scholarly journals. He has edited twelve books, including, with Gabriella Gelardini, Hebrews in Context (2016), with Dale Martin and Jurgen Zangenberg, Religion, Ethnicity and Identity in Ancient Galilee; and the centennial Terry Lectures, The Religion and Science Debate: Why Does It Continue? Professor Attridge served the general editor of the HarperCollins Study Bible Revised Edition (2006). He has been an editorial board member of Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Harvard Theological Review, Journal of Biblical Literature, Novum Testamentum, and the Hermeneia commentary series. He has been active in the Society of Biblical Literature and served as president of the society in 2001 and in the Catholic Biblical Association, of which he was president in 2011-12. He was elected to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. Professor Attridge is a fellow of Saybrook College. Biography

faculty profile image Professor Dinkler’s research lies at the intersection of New Testament and Ancient Christianity (NT/AC) and contemporary literary theory, providing a generative vantage point from which to advance scholarly discourse in multiple arenas. Treating a range of literature both within and external to the NT canon, her work consistently argues that literary theory can reshape the complex hermeneutical discussions that animate NT/AC studies and its adjacent disciplines. Professor Dinkler’s first book, Silent Statements: Narrative Representations of Speech and Silence in the Gospel of Luke (2013), demonstrates how close attention to speech and silence illuminates the plot, characterization, themes, and narrative rhetoric of Luke’s Gospel. Her second book, Literary Theory and New Testament Scholarship (2019), stands as the only comprehensive account of the half-century during which NT scholars have interfaced with literary theory; guiding students and scholars of the New Testament through the maze of contemporary literary theory, the volume argues for the interpretive benefits of an updated literary approach to the New Testament. In addition to chapters in edited volumes, Professor Dinkler’s work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Biblical Literature, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, and New Testament Studies, among others. She co-chairs the Gospel of Luke Section and serves on the Steering Committee for the Book of Acts Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, and serves on the editorial boards of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. Professor Dinkler is an elected member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a Research Fellow at Universität Regensburg, and a Research Associate at the University of Pretoria. She is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Biography