Jesus as myth
A Rebuttal

Appendix 1

Matthew authorship:

A few textual references that indicate Matthew wrote this gospel are based on Matthew: 9:11.. "As  Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office ( note the reference to Matthew instead of Levi and the reference to the tax office)…

 Matthew 10:3.. Matthew the tax collector" is named among the twelve apostles. (Tenny a , p 123) Notice the extra description and the non use of Levi.

We also have the testimony of the early church fathers:

From the earliest times the ancient Church has been clear, consistent and unanimous in attributing the first gospel to the Apostle Matthew. During those days there was no evidence at all that any other author ever claimed to have written the book nor was it ever attributed to anyone except Matthew (Tenny a , p 123).

 We also have statements from the early church fathers which testify to the manner in which Matthew is written.

 Irenaeus writes: "Matthew also published a book of the Gospel among the Hebrews, in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel in Rome… (Against Hersises III. (Tenny a , p 123)

 Origen  states that "the first gospel was written by Matthew, who was once a tax collector, but who was afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism, and published in the Hebrew tongue" (Eccl. His., VI. 14,5). (Tenny a , p 123)

 Euseibus in his famous Church history (III, 39,36) quotes Papias who says: Matthew compiled the logia in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could. (Tenny , p 123)

 

Appendix 2

Gospel Dating Resouces

 
Tenny, Merrill C. 1976 The Zondervan Pitcorial Encyclopedia of the Bible

Drane, John.  Introducing New Testament

Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Theology

 

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