This excellent commentary on Matthew offers a unique interpretive approach that focuses on the socio-historical context of the Gospel and the nature of Matthew's exhortation to his first-century Christian audience. By merging a careful study of Matthew's Gospel in relation to the social context of the ancient Mediterranean world with a detailed look at what we know of first-century Jewish-Christian relations, Craig Keener uncovers significant insights into the Gospel not found in any other Matthew commentary. In addition, Keener's commentary is a useful discipleship manual for the church. His unique approach recaptures the full "shock effect" of Jesus' teachings in their original context and allows Matthew to make his point with greater narrative artistry. Keener also brings home the total impact of Matthew's message, including its clear portrait of Jesus and its call for discipleship, both to the Gospel's ancient readers and to believers today.

This commentary on Matthew offers a unique interpretive approach that focuses on the socio-historical context of the Gospel and the nature of Matthew s exhortation to his first-century Christian audience. / By merging a careful study of Matthew s Gospel in relation to the social context of the ancient Mediterranean world with a detailed look at what we know of first-century Jewish-Christian relations, Craig Keener uncovers significant insights into the Gospel not found in any other Matthew commentary. / In addition, Keener s commentary is a useful discipleship manual for the church. His approach recaptures the full shock effect of Jesus teachings in their original context and allows Matthew to make his point with greater narrative artistry. Keener also brings home the total impact of Matthew s message, including its clear portrait of Jesus and its call for discipleship, both to the Gospel s ancient readers and to believers today. / Thoroughly researched, the book includes a 150-page bibliography of secondary sources, and more than 150 pages of indexes.

Matthew's Gospel contains material unique to it among the canonical Gospels. What is the background for this material? Why does the writer of Matthew's Gospel tell the story of Jesus in the way he does--including women in his genealogy, telling the story of the birth of Jesus in his particular way, and including the visit of the magi led by a star? Enoch and the Gospel of Matthew shows that the writer of Matthew was familiar with themes and traditions about the antediluvian patriarch Enoch, including the story of the fall of the angels called "watchers," who transgress their heavenly boundaries to engage in illicit relations with women and teach them forbidden arts. The Gospel writer shows that Jesus brings about the eschatological repair of the consequences of the watchers' fall as told in the Enochic legend. This study focuses on Matthew's genealogy and infancy narrative and also has implications for the study of women in Matthew, since it is often through the stories of women in Matthew that the repair of the watchers' transgression takes place.

This all-in-one commentary bundle on the book of Matthew features volumes from the NIV Application Commentary Series, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series, and Story of God Bible Commentary Series. Each volume provides new and unique insights from leading biblical scholars Michael Wilkins, Grant Osborne, and Scot McKnight. The unique features from each volume along with the diverse insights provided by the authors gives you all the tools you need to study and master the book of Matthew.

The Poetics of Matthew 1 is about seeing what has not previously been seen in the first chapter of Matthew by explaining key literary patterns. What is the reason for the five references to mothers in the Messiah’s genealogy? How can the genealogy be called Jesus’s lineage if it is not Jesus’s biological lineage? What kind of “genesis” is the Messiah’s kind of genesis in verse 18? Why is Joseph labeled as “righteous” in verse 19? Why does verse 22 say “This has all happened” seemingly before it has all happened? Questions such as these were not previously thought to have answers within the text. The Poetics of Matthew 1 employs an underestimated method of answering text-based questions with text-based answers.