The Choice: Islam and Christianity

The Booh Christened "The New Testament'^105

THE

OSPELS

translated

into Modem English

by

J. B. PHILLIPS
T H E G O SPEL OF
MATTHEW , k
E arly tradition ascribed this Gospel to the apostle M atthew ,
but scholars nowadays alm ost all reject this view. %
The author, whom we still can conveniently call M atthew.
has p la in ly drawn on the m v sL e fio u s',Q 't. which m ay have a
b u n a collection o f oral traditions. H e has used M ark's. *
GosPel freely, though he has rearranged the order of events and
has in several instances used different words fo r what is p la in ly
the same story. The style is lucid, calm a n d “tid y ”. M atthew
writes with a certain judiciousness as though he h im self had
carefully digested his m aterial and is convinced not o n ly o f its
truth but o f the divine pattern that lies behind the historic fa cts.
I f M atthew wrote, as is now generally supposed, somewhere
between 85 and 90 , this G ospel's value as a C hristian docum ent
is enormous. I t is, so to speak, a second generation view of
Jesus Christ the Son o f God and the Son o f M a n. I t is being
written at that distance in tim e fro m the great E vent where sober
reflection and sturdy conviction can Perhaps give a better bat
anced portrait o f God's unique revelation o f H im se lf than cotdd
be given by those who were so close to the L ig h t that they were
partly dazzled by it.

The Master

taught the

disciples not

to steal but

here Matthew

stole whole­

sale from

Mark!

LONDON

GEOFFREY BLES