What "Matthew" Really Wrote: A Radical New Translation of Matthew's Gospel

By John Howard Reid

All Bible scholars are aware that Matthew's Gospel contains a great deal of material added by editors and copyists in the first few centuries, A.D. Most Bibles draw attention to some of these obvious insertions, but few have the courage to identify the lot. In this radical new translation of Matthew's Gospel, Bible scholar, John Howard Reid, identifies all dubious material. He also differentiates the original Old Testament proof texts Matthew incorporated in his Gospel from those texts (both authentic and spurious) added by early and later editors. Reid incorporates the very latest research into the actual meaning of common Greek words such as "tekton". That word does not necessarily mean that Joseph was a carpenter. Reid points out that Joseph was more likely a potter. Reid also distinguishes between the word, "kolasis", which means correction and/or rehabilitation, and the word "timoria" meaning punishment. Most translators feel that "kolasis" is a synonym for "timoria", which it is not. Similarly, most translators don't realize the difference between "forgiven" and "forgotten". Jesus tells that the Father does not forgive our sins, He forgets them completely. In fact, He eradicates all memory of them from His mind. That is what Jesus actually tells us in Matthew's gospel. And those are just three of the many common mistranslations in this gospel. Furthermore, Reid has restored all translations from Scripture to Matthew's original renderings from the Greek Septuagint Bible. All the writers of the New Testament regarded the Greek Bible (not the Hebrew) as authoritative. In addition to Matthew, this book provides new translations of Paul's Letters to Timothy and Titus. Although these letters were not actually written by Paul -- a statement that most Bible scholars would endorse -- they do provide valuable insights into topics (such as vegetarianism and genealogies) that most churchmen studiously avoid mentioning, let alone discussing!

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Howard Reid
• Release date: Aug 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466154728

John Howard Reid

Author of over 100 full-length books, of which around 60 are currently in print, John Howard Reid is the award-winning, bestselling author of the Merryll Manning series of mystery novels, anthologies of original poetry and short stories, translations from Spanish and Ancient Greek, and especially books of film criticism and movie history. Currently chief judge for three of America's leading literary contests, Reid has also written the textbook, "Write Ways To Win Writing Contests".

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What Matthew Really Wrote

By

John Howard Reid

Other Books in This Series

Bible Wisdom for Modern Times: Short Stories and Other Selections from the Orthodox Old Testament (ebook title. Print title omits Short Stories and Other)

More Bible Wisdom for Modern Times: Selections from the Early New Testament

MARK and JOHN: The First and Last Gospels

Bible Wisdom: PSALMS of Praise & Power

What Matthew Really Wrote

A radical new translation of Matthew’s Gospel

By John Howard Reid

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Copyright 2011 by John Howard Reid

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An Account of The Good News

by Matthew

Chapter One

The Birth of Jesus

The birth of Jesus, the Savior (a descendant of Abraham, and heir of King David), happened this way: Mary, His mother, was officially engaged to a man named Joseph. However, before the actual wedding feast took place, she was found to be carrying a child. Her husband-to-be, Joseph, although a scrupulous man, was yet unwilling to disgrace Mary in public, so he resolved to break the marriage contract as quietly as possible. But how? While he was thinking over various ways and means to secretly accomplish this divorce, an angel of God appeared to him in a dream:

Joseph!

Yes.

Heir of David!

Yes.

Do not scruple to accept Mary as your wife. The child she bears was conceived not through the agency of any man, but by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. She will bear this son to you, and you’ll name him, Yeshua [Jesus (Greek), Joshua (English), Jesús (Spanish)], meaning ‘Savior’, for He will save His people from their enemy [Satan] and deliver them from sin.

When Joseph woke up, the words of the angel were still so clear in his mind, he resolved to do exactly what was asked. He accepted Mary as his wife but had no relationship with her until she had given birth to the son, whom he named Jesus.

Chapter Two

King Herod and the Three Wise Men

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, Judea, during the time when Herod was king of that region [37-4 B.C.]. One day, some time after His birth, a large party of learned astrologers and their attendants from the East paid their respects at Herod’s palace, and their spokesman inquired, Where is the Child who is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star in the East and have come here to pay Him homage.

When the news of this herald was carried to King Herod, he was greatly disturbed; and all his attendants and courtiers were equally agitated. So, calling together all the high priests and the foremost Scripture teachers in Jerusalem (both Sadducees and Pharisees), Herod asked them, Where exactly has this heavenly Savior been born?

In Judean Bethlehem, they answered. For it is plainly stated by the prophet, Micah: ‘You, Bethlehem, are home to few in number among the thousands who live in the region of Judea; yet from you, Bethlehem, shall a king come forth to Me, who will rule My people, Israel. His birth and His succession were appointed from the very beginning of time—indeed from eternity itself!’ [Micah 5: 2 LXX].

Herod decided to interview the wise men secretly. Without telling his advisers or the nation’s religious leaders, he craftily ascertained the exact time when the astrologers had seen the newborn king’s star first appear in the sky. Then he told them what they wanted to know. Go to Bethlehem in Judea, he said, and search high and low for this Child. When you find Him, be sure to come back and tell me His exact location, so that I too may go to Bethlehem and worship Him.

So the astrologers set out for Bethlehem as King Herod directed. At nightfall, they saw the Child’s star. It did not move but seemed to stand still in the sky. And thus they eventually came to Bethlehem and marked out a place directly beneath the star.

When they saw the house marked out by the star, the astrologers couldn’t contain their joy. Without a by-your-leave, they entered the house and found the Child with His mother, Mary. Falling down on their knees, they worshipped Him. Then, opening the treasures they’d brought with them from the East, they gave Him gifts. One offered Him gold. Another presented Him with a delicately carved jar containing [the sweet-smelling, energizing] resin of frankincense. A third had a similar gift for the child: a jar filled with a highly-prized aromatic resin called myrrh, [renowned for its ability to relieve pain. (Mixed with olive oil, myrrh and frankincense were also used to anoint kings and high priests)].

That night, as they slept in the house, each of the astrologers were warned in similar dreams not to go back to King Herod. So they consulted together and decided to take the southern road to Hebron and return to their own country by a circuitous route that went nowhere near Jerusalem.

Soon after the wise men and their attendants had taken their departure, one of God’s messengers—an angel—appears in a dream to Joseph and says, Get up! You must flee to Egypt straightaway. Collect what you need and take the Child and His mother with you; for Herod intends to conduct a search for the Child. He wants to kill Him, so stay in Egypt until I tell you it’s safe to return.

The very next night, Joseph escaped with Mary and the Child to Egypt. And there they stayed.

It took some time for [the hideously cruel, capricious but not over-bright] King Herod to realize he’d been tricked by the wise men. Utterly enraged, he sent his soldiers into Bethlehem and all the surrounding countryside with orders to kill every male child who was two years old or younger, recklessly enlarging this cutoff point from the approximate birth date he’d craftily ascertained from the wise astrologers.

When Herod finally died, the angel of the Lord God re-appeared to Joseph in a dream, while he slept in his temporary home in Egypt. Tomorrow, you will take the Child and His mother, and return to Israel. It’s now safe to return. Those who wanted to kill the child are dead.

Of course, Joseph quickly did as the angel had commanded. However, as soon he crossed the border at Gaza, he learned that Herod’s son, Archelaus, had inherited his father’s kingdom of Judea. So he was afraid to return there. In a dream, he was advised to go to Galilee instead. So there he went with Mary and the Child; and thus they settled in a town called Nazareth.

Chapter Three

John, the Baptist

Many years later, a person called John, the Baptist, came into the wilderness region of Judea, preaching a message of repentance. The kingdom of heaven is close at hand, John declared. Turn back from your lives of sin! Turn back to God!

This John was the very person spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, who wrote: I hear the voice of a man crying in the wilderness: ‘You must prepare for the coming of the Lord! Make straight each and every path for our God! Every valley of sin must be filled in. Every mountain of evil and hill of wickedness brought low. All crooked trails must be made straight, and all rough terrain smoothed into level plains. And then the glory of the Lord God shall appear in our land, and everyone who sees Him and hears Him will be offered salvation.’ [40: 3-5. LXX].

John’s robe was stitched together with camel’s hair, and tied around his waist with a rough belt of rope. For food, he ate carob pods and wild honey.

People from Jerusalem and all the districts around the Jordan—indeed from all Judea—went out to see and hear John; and those who confessed their sins and resolved to mend their ways, were baptized by him in the River Jordan.

Among the crowds flocking to see and hear John, were many priests and religious leaders — Pharisees and Sadducees, Ah! You children of the serpent, John said to them, "who told you to flee from the coming wrath? [How did you know He was even coming?] Do you all really intend to reform? If so, you’d better start bearing the fruit of your supposed change of heart. And don’t think you can excuse your evil selves and expunge your sins before God by declaring that Abraham is your father. God is aware of your deception! Since you claim Abraham as your father, you argue that you too are God’s children — His favored children! I tell you that God can turn the very stones and rocks beneath your feet into rock-solid sons of Abraham. Already His ax is poised at the very roots of every tree in Israel. And any tree that isn’t bearing good fruit, He will cut down and throw into the fire.

But as a symbol of your supposed change of heart, I will clean you – as I do all who are truly repentant – in the waters of the Jordan. Someone is following after me, however, who is far more important, far more powerful. In fact, He’s so superior to me, I’m not even fit to carry His sandals. And instead of water, He will immerse you in the fire of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, He holds a winnowing fork in His hand. He intends to clean up His threshing floor by separating the good wheat from all the chaff. The wheat, He will gather into His barn. But the chaff, He will burn up to ashes in a fire that will never go out.

Soon after, Jesus arrives at the Jordan from Galilee and asks John to baptize Him in the river. John refuses. It isn’t right! he protests. I’m the one who needs to be made clean by You! Not the other way around!

But Jesus answers, Let’s do it this way for the time being. Doesn’t Scripture say that if you do what is right and seems right, then all your undertakings will succeed? [v. Tobias 4: 6].

So John baptized Jesus. And when He, Jesus, came out of the water, the heavens were opened, and John saw the Spirit of God flying down in the likeness of a dove and alighting on His shoulder.

And John heard a voice from heaven, saying, This is My Son, My Beloved, in whom I delight. I have put My Holy Spirit upon Him! And within Him!

Chapter Four

The Temptation in the Desert, and the Calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness [of the Judean Hills, south of Jerusalem], where He was tempted by the devil. This happened after Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights. Seeing that Jesus was starving, the tempter drew near and said to Him: Aren’t you the one who claims to be the Son of God? If you are indeed His Son, just tell these stones to turn themselves into nice, freshly baked loaves of bread!

Jesus answered, It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, shall he live!’ [Deuteronomy 8: 3 LXX].

So then the devil transports Jesus to the holy city, Jerusalem, and sets Him down atop the highest pinnacle of the temple. If you’re the son of God, the devil says to Him, why not throw yourself down right here? For is it not also written: ‘The Most High shall give His angels charge concerning Thee. They shall bear Thee up on their hands, lest by any chance Thou should dash Thy foot against a stone!’ [Psalm 90: 11, 12 LXX].

Jesus answered, It’s also written: ‘You shall not over-tempt the Lord, your God, as you tempted Him at Massah [when the Israelites screamed for water with such ferocity, they were ready to stone Moses to death, despite all the mighty signs and wonders that had accompanied them when the Lord God led them out of their bondage in Egypt].’ [Deuteronomy 6: 16 LXX where the Massah incident is referred to as ‘the great temptation’].

Now the devil takes Jesus to the top of the highest mountain and from this exceeding height shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, arrayed in all their wealth and glory. I’ll give all of this to you, the devil says, if you fall down and worship me.

Get out of here, Satan! Jesus replies. It is written: ‘You shall fear the Lord, your God; and Him only shall you serve. You shall cleave to Him [as a son, his father], and you shall honor and obey Him, and by His Name only shall you swear [i.e. you shall act only in His Name and under His Authority].’ [Deuteronomy 6: 13 LXX].

At this point, the devil leaves Jesus back in the wilderness. And behold, angels come and minister to His needs!

While walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, namely Simon (later known as Simon Peter) and Andrew, casting their nets into the sea. They were professional fishermen.

Jesus said to these two brothers, Come along with Me, you fishermen, and I’ll make you fishers of men.

So Simon and Andrew threw their nets aside, and followed Him.

A little further on, Jesus spied two more brothers, James and John Zebedee, sitting in a