The Original Language of the Gospel of Matthew: A Comprehensive Analysis

The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four canonical Gospels found in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The question of its original language has been a subject of much debate among scholars, religious figures, and laypeople. This article aims to clarify the original language of the Gospel of Matthew based on historical evidence, linguistic analysis, and the insights of contemporary scholars.

The Linguistic Evidence

Conclusively, the original language of the Gospel of Matthew is most likely Greek. Synoptic analysis provides strong evidence for this assumption. The Gospel of Matthew shares a substantial portion of its content, particularly many of its narrative elements, with the Gospel of Mark, often in the same words in the Greek language. According to Lester AB Feder, this overlap is an indication that Matthew's Gospel was originally written in Greek.

Further supporting this claim are the similarities that Matthew and Luke share, which are believed to have been derived from a hypothetical 'Q' document. Both Matthew and Luke include additional sayings of Jesus that are not found in Mark but are present in the hypothetical 'Q'. These sayings are typically written in Greek, not in Hebrew or Aramaic, indicating that both texts were translated from the Greek 'Q' document.

Discredit of Hebrew or Aramaic Claims

The notion that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic has been widely dismissed by scholars. Many early Church Fathers and Christian sages, including Jerome and Irenaeus, claimed that the Gospel was written in Hebrew. However, these claims have been regarded as unsubstantiated and self-righteous assertions. According to scholars, these claims are often referred to as “Self-Righteous Ignoramuses Who Declare Their Unsubstantiated Opinions as Facts.”

It is important to note that the vast majority of existing copies of the Gospel of Matthew are written in Greek. This fact alone provides compelling evidence against the theory that it was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. For example, if Matthew had originally written the Gospel in Hebrew, then it would have been translated into Aramaic, and subsequently back into Greek, making it unlikely for the translated versions to match the Greek text word for word.

Use of Semitic Grammar in Greek

While the Gospel of Matthew does include phrasings and word choices that are characteristic of Aramaic, it also includes many Greek grammatical structures. This suggests that the author likely used a form of Semitic Greek, a mixed dialect that would have been common among Jewish-Greeks. The use of Aramaic phrases and grammar is understandable given that Jesus primarily taught in Aramaic, as mentioned in the Bible (Mark 5:41, Luke 23:34).

The Tradition and Modern Copies

It is worth noting that there is a tradition stating that Matthew wrote a Gospel “in the language of the Jews,” but no such manuscript is known from earlier than about 100 years after the events described. Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Jerome, had never seen such a Gospel, and no copies of it have been discovered today. Most scholars believe that any such original Greek manuscript would have been lost.

The modern copies of the Gospel of Matthew that we have are almost without exception in Greek. There is no substantial evidence to suggest that any of the Hebrew gospels written in the Middle Ages are authentic. These gospels often appear to be forgeries created at a later date, typically by Gnostic or Manichaean groups, and do not provide any credible evidence about the original language of the Gospel of Matthew.

In conclusion, the scholarly consensus is that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written in Greek, a language that would have been widely understood among early Christian communities. The claim that it was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic is largely unsupported by historical and linguistic evidence.