A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew [first edition]

In this volume Craig Keener focuses on two aspects of the interpretation of Matthew. First, he analyzes the social-historical-rhetorical contexts of both Matthew and his traditions. Second, he examines the nature of Matthew's exhortations to his Christian audience pericope by pericope. Since it is impossible to reconstruct the precise social situation of Matthew, Keener casts a wider net and considers the general eastern Mediterranean, perhaps Syrian, Jewish context of Matthew. A close comparison of the issues raised in the Gospel with what we know elsewhere of late first-century Jewish-Christian relations provides the basic picture of the issues faced by the Matthean community.