This is a stimulating and practical book, useful for everyone from student to preacher to layperson. Eduard Schweizer provides a wonderfully organized and helpful commentary on the earliest gospel.

The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave

The Good News according to Matthewis a brilliant, passage-by-passage investigation of the longest Gospel. By comparing Matthew with his sources--Mark, the Saying Source, early liturgies, and with parallels like Luke, earlier wisdom literature, and Qumran texts, Schweizer is able to isolate Matthew's distinctive view of Christ.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

Why are there differences in the stories of the Gospels? Licona turns to Greek classicist Plutarch for an answer, assessing differences that appeared when Plutarch told the same story more than once in his Lives. He suggests the differences in the Gospels often resulted from their authors employing the same compositional devices used by Plutarch.