Was the Gospel of Matthew originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic instead of Greek? Some say yes, others no. There are, surprisingly, quite a few fathers of the early church that believed it was. Here is a short selection.
Matthew collected the oracles in the Hebrew language, and each interpreted them as best he could.
Papias (Eusebius, H.E. 3.39.16)
Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome and laying the foundations of the church.
Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.1.1
As having learned by tradition concerning the four Gospels, which alone are unquestionable in the Church of God under heaven, that first was written according to Matthew, who was once a tax collector but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, who published it for those who from Judaism came to believe, composed as it was in the Hebrew language.
Origen (Eusebius, H.E. 6.25.4)
Matthew had first preached to Hebrews, and when he was on the point of going to others he transmitted in writing in his native language the Gospel according to himself, and thus supplied by writing the lack of his own presence to those from whom he was sent.
Eusebius, H.E. 3.24.6
I have not done enough research on the matter to take either position. However, it is nice to know that at least one of those Hebrew texts, the Shem Tov Manuscript, is now available to all and sundry online. There is also a fascinating article discussing the manuscript that I hope to read in the near future: Some Observations on a Recent Edition of and Introduction to Shem-Tob’s Hebrew Matthew
by William L. Petersen.
UPDATE: Another Hebrew Matthew Manuscript, the DuTillet, is also available online at the DuTillet Matthew Page.
Adam Says:
Hi slaveofone
Make sure you read Howard’s reply to Petersen, as it clarifies Howard’s actual argument and not the strawman argument that Petersen wrestles with.
Anders Branderud Says:
[To differentiate,]
First of all:
The historical person was named Ribi [similar to rabbi] Yehoshua.
It is highly relevant for Christians whom want to follow the historical first century Ribi Yehoshua to know what was written in his authentic teachings. His authentic teachings were later redacted into the “gospel of Matthew”. In his true teachings one finds that he taught – just what is written in the Torah – that humankind are required to do their utmost to keep the directives in Torah [“the books of Moses”] non-selectively. Ribi Yehoshuas followers were and are named the Netzarim. [note 2]
All manuscripts of the “gospel of Matthew” demonstratively contains many words Ribi Yehoshua impossibly could have said [note 1] a reconstruction is needed. Using a scholarly methodology Paqid Yirmeyahu, ha-Tzadiq, Ben David wrote a reconstruction named Netzarim Reconstruction of Hebrew Matityahu (found in http://www.netzarim.co.il). That is an essential read for those whom want to know what Ribi Yehoshua actually taught and didn’t teach.
1.: Proof of some of the contradictions in this link of a post in my blog.
2: All these statements are proven from the Jewish Bible and Scholarly research on the website www (dot ) Netzarim (dot) il
slaveofone Says:
Hello, Anders, thank you for your response. I am sure there is a great deal to learn and think about on the sites you mention. I, myself, am Anabaptist (Mennonite), not Netzarim. This colors the way I view things just as your religious perspective colors yours. For my perspective on Yeshua and Torah with regard to gentiles, see Torah and Yeshua: What Do We Make of Them? under Bias.