Introduction to Matthew: Bible Study by Atheists
From Sacrilegious Discourse - Bible Study for Atheists by Husband & Wife
May 2, 2026 · 28 min · Season 42 · Episode 1
About this episode
This episode explores the authorship and themes of the Gospel of Matthew, questioning traditional claims and discussing its implications for Christianity.
Before diving face-first into the Gospel of Matthew , we take a detour into the big awkward question Christians rarely love answering: who actually wrote this thing? Spoiler: probably not Matthew. The episode walks through the traditional claims, the scholarly doubts, the mystery author, the likely late-first-century dating, and the very convenient way this gospel tries really hard to make Jesus look like the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. This intro also gets into why Matthew is obsessed with prophecy fulfillment, Jewish identity, the destruction of the Second Temple, and framing Jesus as the New Moses, because if you arrange your story just right, theology starts looking suspiciously like literary fan fic. There’s also a lot of “kingdom of heaven” talk coming, so buckle up for that phrase to be sprinkled everywhere like chocolate chips in a cookie no one asked God to bake. And because this is Sacrilegious Discourse , the hosts also wander gloriously into Judas not getting his own book, confusing apostles with disciples, the Sandman’s Corinthian, digging up Matthew’s alleged tomb in Italy, and the terrifying realization that the New Testament is where Christianity gets personal…
People in this episode
Host: Husband & Wife
Topics covered
- authorship of the Gospel of Matthew
- Jewish identity
- prophecy fulfillment
- Christianity
- theology
- literary analysis
Keywords
- Gospel of Matthew
- authorship
- prophecy
- Jewish identity
- Christianity
- New Testament
- theology
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Gospel of Matthew
Places: Italy
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