001: PreText. Podcast Agenda, Book Title, Authorship Questions

Next Episode: 002: Verse 1 of Matthew. Defining the Genesis of Christos in Eight Nouns

The first episode of Matthewlinity.

"PRETEXT"

Episode 1 has three parts.

Part 1: Agenda of Podcast.

I explain the name and aim of the podcast: Critical Study of Matthew and Masculinity.

Why 'Critical Study'? Why 'Matthew'? Why 'Masculinity'?

Part 2: Title of Book.

I explain the meaning of the traditional name of the book of Matthew and how the book and its title are distinct matters of interpretation. I try to answer: What did it originally mean to call the book 'Evangel According to Matthew'? When were the Gospel book titles added? Why 'Evangel'? Why 'According to Matthew'? I discuss Richard Bauckham's theory of naming the book after 'Matthew'. I talk about reading 'Matthew' according to the book and reading 'Matthew' according to the book's title.

Part 3: Questions of Authorship.

I pose questions for thinking about the book's authorship.

How do we think about the book's authorship? Do we prefer an author from a despised background (tax collector) or esteemed background (highly educated scribe)? How do we construct a profile of the writer? How do we think about the writer's gender? Was this writer a successful spokesperson on behalf of a community of traditions? How do we read and how do we engage honestly with what we are reading?