Bringing his textual skills and insights to bear on the ten year task of crafting this commentary, Dr. Hagner helps his readers to see the full gamut of scholarly debate on Matthew's Gospel. Recognizing the contributions of recent narrative criticism he still opts for the historical critical approach as his basic mode of interpretation. He demonstrates that the transmission of the earliest oral traditions has been careful and dependable. He offers new insights into the structural analysis of the first Gospel. He reflects on Matthew's method of handling the fulfilled Old Testament quotations, emphasizing the Christocentric nature of the Jewish Scriptures. He provides analysis of the unique historical crucible in which the Jew/Gentile elements of this Gospel were refined.
