A verse-by-verse journey through the Gospel of Matthew enriched with insights from early Christian writings. Discover fresh perspectives on familiar passages and deeper meaning in Jesus' words.

This course is free to access. The Historic Faith is donation-funded, with no paywall and no subscription required. Generous supporters help keep these lessons open to anyone in the world.

Course Content

Play Without Quiz Interruptions

Plays through this course continuously and skips quiz and discussion stops. On desktop, this opens the normal playlist player with your current place.

Has There Been a Teaching in Matthew That Was a Surprise to You After Rereading the ANF Set for the Matthew Commentary?
Why is Your Commentary Different Than Other Commentaries?
Why Did You Choose Matthew as Your First Commentary Over Any Other Book?
What Are the Key Challenges Involved in Creating a Verse-by-verse Commentary Based on Early Christian Writings?
How Much Space Will Be Given in the Commentary for Textual Issues?
Do You Plan on Making Other Commentaries in the Future?
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

This free course introduces the purpose, method, and limits of the Matthew Commentary project. Rather than presenting a verse-by-verse exposition of Matthew itself, these short lessons explain why the commentary is being written, why Matthew was chosen first, and how early Christian writings are being used.

The discussion focuses on the goal of reflecting “the historic faith” by drawing from sources such as the ante-Nicene Fathers, Josephus, and Philo, while also making the material readable and practical for modern students, teachers, and readers. The lessons also set expectations: a verse-by-verse commentary based on early Christian sources cannot always provide extensive quotations for every passage, and some textual issues must be handled selectively.

Students will also hear why Matthew is viewed as an important starting point because of its emphasis on Jesus’ teaching, kingdom teaching, and the gospel of the kingdom.

Gospel of Matthew Early Christian interpretation Historic faith Ante-Nicene Fathers Kingdom teaching Commentary method Primary sources Textual issues Reader expectations Future commentary plans

What You Will Study

  • Why the Matthew Commentary is intended to reflect historic Christian interpretation rather than simply one modern writer’s opinions
  • How feedback from readers shaped the decision to produce a commentary
  • Why the commentary draws from early Christian writings and primary sources such as Josephus and Philo
  • Why Matthew was chosen as the first commentary project
  • The importance of Matthew’s focus on Jesus’ teaching, kingdom teaching, and the gospel of the kingdom
  • The challenges of building a verse-by-verse commentary from early Christian sources
  • How the commentary will handle textual issues selectively, including the virgin prophecy in Isaiah quoted in Matthew
  • The stated hope of continuing with additional New Testament commentary work after Matthew

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • What surprised the speaker while rereading the ante-Nicene Fathers for Matthew?
  • Why produce a commentary after previously expressing concerns about commentaries?
  • What kinds of problems can appear in some biblical commentaries?
  • How is this commentary intended to be different from a typical modern commentary?
  • What role do early Christian writings play in the commentary?
  • Why were sources such as Josephus and Philo reread for this project?
  • Why begin with Matthew rather than another biblical book?
  • Why is Matthew considered especially useful for understanding Jesus’ teaching?
  • What does Matthew contribute to understanding the gospel of the kingdom?
  • Why is verse-by-verse work harder than gathering quotations by topic?
  • Will every verse have many early Christian quotations?
  • How much space will be given to textual issues?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

Has There Been a Teaching in Matthew That Was a Surprise to You After Rereading the ANF Set for the Matthew Commentary?

This opening lesson reflects on how rereading the ante-Nicene Fathers changed the speaker’s understanding of parts of Matthew. One example mentioned is Jesus’ statement about not destroying the law but fulfilling it.

  • Did rereading the ante-Nicene Fathers change the speaker’s understanding of Matthew?
  • What example is given of a teaching in Matthew that needed reconsideration?
  • How did submitted questions affect the commentary work?

Why is Your Commentary Different Than Other Commentaries?

This lesson explains why the commentary project was undertaken despite concerns about commentaries that negate Scripture or rely on weak historical claims. The stated goal is to bring together early Christian interpretation and primary-source research in a readable form.

  • Why make a commentary after criticizing some commentaries?
  • What problems does the speaker see in many commentaries?
  • How does this commentary aim to reflect the historic faith?
  • How will early Christian quotations be used and synthesized?

Why Did You Choose Matthew as Your First Commentary Over Any Other Book?

This lesson gives the reasons for beginning with Matthew. The speaker points to Matthew’s immediate usefulness, its amount of Jesus’ teaching, its kingdom teaching, and its use of the phrase gospel of the kingdom.

  • Why begin the commentary series with Matthew?
  • Why was Matthew viewed as more immediately useful than starting elsewhere?
  • What makes Matthew important for understanding Jesus’ teaching?
  • How does Matthew help readers consider the gospel of the kingdom?

What Are the Key Challenges Involved in Creating a Verse-by-verse Commentary Based on Early Christian Writings?

This lesson sets expectations for a verse-by-verse commentary based on early Christian writings. It explains that topical studies may have many quotations, but individual verses do not always have extensive early Christian discussion.

  • Why is a verse-by-verse commentary harder than a topical study?
  • Will every verse have many early Christian quotations?
  • How do early Christian struggles sometimes compare with modern struggles?
  • What should readers expect from the available source material?

How Much Space Will Be Given in the Commentary for Textual Issues?

This lesson explains that textual issues will be handled selectively because the commentary could become too large if every trail were followed. The speaker specifically says the virgin prophecy from Isaiah quoted in Matthew 1 is planned for discussion.

  • How much attention will the commentary give to textual issues?
  • Why will some material be left out of the printed edition?
  • Will the Isaiah virgin prophecy quoted in Matthew be discussed?

Do You Plan on Making Other Commentaries in the Future?

The final lesson discusses the hope of continuing beyond Matthew. The speaker mentions the possibility of finishing a second volume of Matthew and then considering John or Romans, with Romans noted because of its importance in later non-Catholic theology.

  • Are more commentaries planned after Matthew?
  • What might come after the Matthew volumes?
  • Why is Romans being considered as a possible future project?

Be the first to review this course

No reviews yet on this course. If this teaching has been a blessing to you, a short review is one of the most powerful ways to help others find it — honest reviews help this course rank higher in Google so more people discover the historic faith.

Help spread the message. Every honest review helps more people discover this teaching through Google and word of mouth. If this course has helped you, sharing a few sentences is one of the simplest ways to support the mission — it’s free, takes about a minute, and reaches people we may never meet.
Sign in to Share Your Review
Matthew Commentary

Preview this Course

+50 enrolled
Start Course

Open Registration

Course Includes

  • 6 Lessons
  • 0 Quizzes
  • Course Certificate