JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

This is a scholarly book which will be of particular interest to those who specialize in the study of the New Testament. The author's objective is to identify and characterize the distinctive elements in the Christology of the author of the first Gospel. What is the Jesus of Matthew like? The author's study has led him to believe that salvation, according to Matthew, ""results from understanding the mysteries of God's redemptive purposes and activities as mediated through Jesus, the Son; from faith in and loyalty to Jesus as eschatological Deliverer; from inner righteousness and living attitudes; from merciful deeds as an expression of a benevolent spirit."" Understanding- believing- being- doing- these are the four key words of the Gospel, according to Blair. An interesting if tentative suggestion that the similarities between the Christology of Matthew and that of the Fourth Gospel are such as to lead one to wonder if the authors of these two books did not belong to the same circle of Christian thought, namely that represented by the Hellenists of Jerusalem.