When was Matthew written?

The Gospel of Matthew teaches that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. The narrative emphasizes that Jesus offers salvation not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life, teachings, and miracles draw from eyewitness testimony, including from those who knew Jesus personally. Matthew was likely written between AD 55 and 65, within a generation of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.

Identifying who wrote Matthew is important for determining when the book was written. The Gospel is technically anonymous. However, early tradition and internal clues point to Matthew as its author. One key indication is how Matthew himself is identified in the book. For instance, Matthew 9:9 says Jesus “saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

In contrast, the Gospels of Mark and Luke refer to Matthew as “Levi” (e.g., Mark 2:14). Levi was likely the name Matthew used before he became a follower of Jesus. The use of the name Matthew and the personal tone of the first Gospel support the view that it reflects eyewitness testimony.

Another reason to date Matthew to between AD 55 and 65 is its Jewish character. This suggests it was written when the Christian church still maintained strong ties to its Jewish roots. Matthew refers to Jewish customs and laws without explanation, assuming his readers were already familiar with them. For example, he mentions ceremonial handwashing without elaborating on it (Matthew 15:1–2), whereas Mark explains the custom for his non-Jewish readers (Mark 7:3–4).

Matthew also highlights Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He directly quotes Isaiah 7:14 to explain the virgin birth (Matthew 1:22–23). In contrast, Luke, writing for a non-Jewish audience, often alludes to Old Testament themes more generally (e.g., Luke 1—2).

Another key piece of evidence comes from what Matthew doesn’t say. A pivotal event in first-century Israel was the Roman destruction of the temple in AD 70. Jesus had foretold this event: “Do you see all these things?” He asked, referring to the temple. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). If Matthew had written his Gospel after the temple’s destruction, it is likely he would have mentioned the event to highlight the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy.

Most scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was written first, followed by Matthew and Luke, with John writing the fourth Gospel near the end of the first century. This view, known as the Markan priority view, aligns with dating Matthew between AD 55 and 65. A minority view, held by early church theologians such as Augustine, argues that Matthew was the first Gospel written, possibly as early as AD 40 to 50. This view is primarily based on early church tradition.

Matthew’s record of Jesus’ life and teaching reshaped the worldview of his Jewish readers. When Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17), He revealed that He wasn’t starting a new religion but fulfilling the promises of the faith they already knew. Matthew wrote the first Gospel during an important time when the good news of Jesus was beginning to spread beyond Israel to all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).