The first three Gospels are called "synoptic," that is, "simultaneously visible," because they share not only the general structure but often recount identical events with the same words. Alongside evident agreements, they also show noticeable discrepancies, both in the order of the narratives and within them. These peculiar phenomena raise the issue of the relationship between the three Gospels (the "synoptic problem"), which has not been fully resolved. Our times are more interested in the identification and the history of the Gospel material before it was included in the current three books, as well as the theological perspective unique to each evangelist, which led them to various choices and adaptations, but without altering the substance of the message, the words, and the events that constitute its framework and foundation. The unanimous tradition of the ancient Church attributes the first Gospel to Matthew, also called Levi, the apostle whom Jesus called to follow him, drawing him away from the profession of tax collector (9:9). The same tradition states that Matthew originally wrote in Aramaic, the common language in Palestine at the time of Jesus. The current text is a Greek edition substantially identical to the original, known as early as the 1st century, for which the Gospel of Mark seems to have been used. The prominent part of the Gospel consists of five major discourses of Jesus (Chapters 5-7; 9:35-11:1; Chapter 13; and Chapters 24-25, preceded by a diatribe against the Pharisees in Chapter 23). The account begins with a glimpse of Jesus's infancy (Chapters 1-2), followed by the essential events leading up to his public ministry (3:1-4:11), and concludes with the narrative of the Paschal mystery of Christ (Chapters 26-28). The Gospel, which the ancients claimed was primarily addressed to the Jews, is dominated by the thesis that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament and unjustly rejected by Israel. Particular attention is devoted to the Church founded by Christ on Peter, whose profession of faith (16:13-19) serves as the hinge of the Gospel: it is a summary of the apostolic testimony in Palestine, preferred by early Christianity because it allowed for a solid and sufficient initiation into the mystery of Christ. The original Aramaic text was likely published between the years 40 and 50.
1 Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1 The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah, 11 Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon, Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Mattan, Mattan the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 The total of all the generations, from Abraham to David, is thus fourteen; from David until the exile to
