And once again, the kingdom He came to estab lish was to be a fatherly kingdom. The king He made known was One reigning in God's name, and as His representative. And that God was the father of His people, as of Him, in and through whom human beings were to be adopted as the children of God. This characteristic of the gospel is per petually meeting us. At every turn St. Matthew represents our Lord bringing out the mind of God and showing it to be the mind of a Father. The fatherly relation is the ground of all His words of counsel, command, warning, comfort. Especially is this the case in the Sermon on the Mount. Every command, as to good works (v. 16, 45, almsgiving (vi. 2), prayer (vi. 6, 8), forgiveness (vi. 14, 15), fasting (vi. 18), trust and faith (vi. 26; vii. 1), is based on the revelation of a Father. The twelve are sent forth in the same name and strength (x. 20, 29). The kingdom Christ came to establish is not so much a kingdom as a family —the Ecclesia, a word found only in St. Matthew (xvi. 18; xviii. i7)—‘ held together by the law of forgiveness and mutual sacrifice, with their elder Brother in the midst of them, and their will so identified with that which rules heaven and earth, that whatever they shall agree to ask shall be done by their Father.' This characteristic of St. Mat thew is remarkably evidenced by a comparative survey of the usage of the evangelists. In St. Mark we find our Lord speaking of or to God, as His Father, three times, in St. Luke twelve times, in St. Matthew twenty-two times; as the Father of , His people, in St. Mark twice, in St. Luke five. times, in St. Matthew twenty-two times.
Another minor characteristic which deserves remark, is St. Matthew's use of the plural, where the other evangelists have the singular. Thus, in the temptation, we have `stones' and `loaves' (iv. 3), two demoniacs (viii. 28), TOOt x6prous (xiv. two blind men (xx. 30, cf. ix. 27), the ass and her colt (xxi. 2), servants (xxi. 34, 36), both thieves blaspheming (xxvii. 44). This is ingeniously ac counted for by Da Costa (Four Witnesses, p. 322), though this is not universally applicable, on the idea that his point of view—regarding the events he narrates as fulfilled prophecies—leads him to regard the species rather than the individual ; the entire plenitude of the prophecy rather than the isolated fulfilment.' 6. Relation to Mark and Luke—Arrangement.
It is needless again to enter into the maze of con flicting opinions as to the order of priority of the synoptic gospels, of which we have already spoken (see MARK and LuKE). In the article on Mark we have expressed our opinion that, while his gos pel is probably in essence the oldest, there is nothing seriously to invalidate the traditional state ment that St. Matthew's was the earliest in com position—the first committed to writing. Neither does a careful review of the text of the gospel allow us to accept the view put forth by Ewald with his usual dogmatism, and defended with his wonted acuteness, that, as we have it, it is a fusion of four different elements—(I.) An ori ginal Greek gospel of the simplest and briefest form; (2.) an Aramaic `collection of sayings,' Xiiieca; (3.) the narrative of St. Mark ; and (4.) a book of higher history.' That our gospel is no such curious mosaic is evident from the unity of plan and unity of language which pervades the whole, and to an unprejudiced reader Ewald's theory refutes itself.
Comparing St. Matthew's gospel with those of St. Mark and St. Luke, we find the following passages peculiar to him : chap. I. (with the excep tion of the great central fact), and chap. ii. entirely. The genealogy, the suspicions of Joseph, the visit of the Magi, the flight into Egypt and return thence, the massacre of the innocents, and the reason of the settlement at Nazareth, are given by St. Matthew alone. To him we owe the notice that the Pharisees and Sadducees ' came to John's baptism (iii. 7); that John was unwilling to baptize our Lord, and the words in which Jesus satisfied his scruples (ver. 13-15); the Sermon on the Mount in its fullest form (v., vi., vii.); the prediction of the call of the Gentiles, appended to the miracle of the centurion's servant (viii. II, 12); the cure of the two blind men (ix. 27-30); and that memorable passage by which, if by nothing else, St. Matthew will for ever be remembered with thankfulness— which, as perhaps the fullest exposition of the spirit of the gospel anywhere to be found in Holy Scripture, taught St. Augustine the difference between the teaching of Christ and that of the best philosophers (xi. 28-30); the solemn passage about idle words' (xii. 36, 37); four of the parables in chap. xiii., the tares, the hid treasure, the pearl, and the draw-net ; several incidents relating to St. Peter, Isis walking on the water (xiv. 28-30, the blessing pronounced upon him (xvi. 17-19), the tribute money (xvii. 24-27) ; nearly the whole of chap. xviii., with its lessons of humility and for giveness, and the parable of the unmerciful servant ; the lessons on voluntary continence (xix. 1o, 12); the promise to the twelve (ver. 28); the parables of the labourers in the vineyard (xx. the two sons (xxi. 28-32), the transference of the kingdom to the Gentiles (ver. 43); the parable of the mar riage of the king's son (xxii. nearly the whole of the denunciations against the Scribes and Pharisees in chap. xxiii. ; the parables of the last things in chap, xxv. In the history of the passion the peculiarities are numerous and uniform in cha racter, tending to show how, in the midst of His betrayal, sufferings, and death, our Lord's Messiah ship was attested. It is in St. Matthew alone that we read of the covenant with Judas for thirty pieces of silver' (xxvi. 15); his inquiry 'Is it I?' (xxvi. 25), as well as the restoration of the money in his despair, and its ultimate destination in unconscious fulfilment of prophecy (xxvii. 3-10) ; the cup for the remission of sins ' (xxvi. 28); the mention of the twelve legions of angels' (ver. 52-54) ; Pilate's wife's dream (xxvii. 59), his washing his hands (ver. 24), and the imprecation His blood be on us,' etc. (ver. 25) ; the opening of the graves (ver. 52, 53), and the watch placed at the sepulchre (ver. 62-66). In the account of the resurrection we find only in St. Matthew the great earthquake (xxviii. 2), the descent of the angel, his glorious appear ance striking terror into the guards (ver. 2-4), their flight, and the falsehood spread by them at the instigation of the priests (ver. our Lord's appearance to the women (ver. 9, to); the adoration and doubt of the apostles (ver. 17); and finally, the parting commission and promise of His ever-abiding presence (vet. 18-20).