In volume 1 of this remarkable two-volume commentary, Warren Carter situates Matthew 1:1–16:20 within the context of Jewish traditions and Roman power after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Each passage is translated, with interpretation and commentary following. Carter reveals how the text illuminates the diverse ways a community of Jesus followers navigated imperial power. The volume’s History of Consequences sections shine new light on instances of the Gospel of Matthew’s reception in ancient and modern media through the application of a range of methodologies, readings from different geographic locations, and social contexts.

Warren Carter is the Meinders Professor of New Testament at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Jesus and the Empire of God, God in the New Testament, The New Testament: Methods and Meanings (with Amy-Jill Levine), Seven Events That Shaped the New Testament World, and Matthew and the Margins.

Praise for Matthew 1:1–16:20: Introduction and Commentary

“An essential companion for anyone seeking to navigate Matthew’s Gospel in all its complexity.”
—Anna M. V. Bowden, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

“With his usual engaging prose, Carter provides present-day readers with new eyes for reading Matthew.… Scholars and students alike will benefit greatly from this groundbreaking commentary.”
—Adam Winn, Samford University

“This impressive and very valuable resource encapsulates the work of one of the most important Matthew scholars of our time.”
—Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary

“In this absorbing commentary on Matthew, Warren Carter offers a powerful reading that glimpses how the narrative might have impacted its earliest hearers.… There is much here from which to benefit.”
—Bruce Longenecker, Baylor University

“Warren Carter’s Matthew is a gift from a prolific scholar who has spent his career exploring the First Gospel.”
—Jeannine K. Brown, Bethel Seminary

“An indispensable resource for a new generation of biblical interpreters wrestling with the enduring legacies and contemporary realities of empire.”
—Robert J. Myles, University of Divinity, Australia

“Carter’s achievement is monumental. The coherence of his method and the depth of his probing of the text of Matthew will influence sociopolitical scholarship on Matthew for decades.”