The Gospel of Matthew and Its Readers: A Historical Introduction to the First Gospel

Reading Howard Clarkes commentary on Matthews Gospel, I was positively surprised by the new kind of approach, by the incredibly wide erudition of the author, by the freshness of some digressions; on the whole, I was surprised to read with such pleasure an otherwise technical book, as commentaries usually are. Howard Clarke himself wishes to present such an unusual commentary, stating his goals from the beginning. In his preface he declares that he wants his comments to be: (1) not written from a denominational point of view ( 2) nor ... the work of a theologian, clergyman, or Bible scholar; (3) interested not so much in the academic side of the interpretation, but as an active and creative force in the lives of individuals ... in their religious communities, and in the events of history, in order to avoid the risk of covering the power of scripture under the sophistication and erudition of the academics. Scriptures, the author is convinced, and the Gospel of Matthew particularly, have shaped the history of millions of people across the centuries. Thus, Clarkes specific interest is to provide evidence of this shaping of consciences and ideas, an interest that forms the whole commentary, giving it its special flavor . Clarke reaches his three goals. [Full Review]

In light of the ongoing, ever-expanding plethora of commentaries and monographs on the First Gospel, along comes a unique and important contribution to Matthean studies. Howard Clarke’s “commentary with a difference” presents an eminently helpful work providing “a collage of secondary readings that testify to the constant vitality of Matthew, historically and culturally, in the lives of the Bible’s readers” (p. xii). Pitched at and intended for the general reader, all who read are educated in the ways Matthew has been read throughout the centuries in an engaging, even humorous, manner of style. Howard Clarke is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Santa Barbara and author of studies on Homer and Vergil. Although Clarke as a classicist stands somewhat outside the specialized guild of biblical scholarship, this arguably benefits the overall presentation, which neither becomes bogged down in technical insights lost on the general reader nor fears to include what might seem too orthodox for some, irreverent for others. This sampling of the various ways that the First Gospel has been read includes not only texts, whether commentaries, devotional books, critical studies, novels, but also the First Gospel’s influence upon art, music, film, architecture, legends, traditions, and more. Every conceivable viewpoint gets coverage, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, as well as a variety of cults, those deemed heretics, other religions, such as Islam, and also interestingly includes many of Christianity’s detractors. [Full Review]