Are there any writings by the early Church Fathers about St. Matthew’s Gospel?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

Yes, there is a wealth of writings from the early Church Fathers concerning the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The Fathers addressed St. Matthew’s Gospel in two main ways: historical testimonies confirming its apostolic authorship and Hebrew origin, and exegetical commentaries and homilies expounding its theological depth.

1. Earliest Historical Testimonies

The earliest Fathers consistently testified that St. Matthew, the apostle and former tax collector, was the first to write an account of the Gospel, specifically targeting Jewish converts to demonstrate that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

• Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 A.D.):

Preserved in the records of Eusebius, Papias provides the earliest external witness:

"Matthew compiled the sayings (logia) in the Hebrew language, and each translated them as best he could."

The early Church recognized that Matthew initially penned his Gospel in the native tongue of the Hebrews (Aramaic/Hebrew script) before it circulated universally in Greek.

• St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 A.D.):

In his monumental work Against Heresies (Book III), written to combat the Gnostics who distorted apostolic tradition, St. Irenaeus confirms:

"Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church."

• Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–254 A.D.):

The great Alexandrian scholar confirmed the traditional order of the Gospels in his Commentaries on the Gospels:

"Among the four Gospels, which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism and published in the Hebrew language."

2. Major Patristic Commentaries and Homilies

Several Church Fathers wrote extensive line-by-line commentaries or preached exhaustive homily cycles on St. Matthew:

• Origen of Alexandria (3rd Century):

Origen wrote a massive 25-book Commentary on Matthew. While parts have been lost, substantial Greek and Latin portions survive (covering Matthew 10 to 27). Origen applied the Alexandrian method of exegesis, uncovering the literal, moral, and mystical/spiritual meanings of the text, emphasizing Christ as the True Prophet, King, and Lawgiver.

• St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407 A.D.):

St. John Chrysostom delivered 90 Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, which constitute the oldest complete patristic commentary on this Gospel that has survived in Greek. His homilies are a masterpiece of Antiochene exegesis—paying close attention to the historical context, the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies against Jewish objections, and practical, uncompromising moral and pastoral exhortations.

• St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444 A.D.):

St. Cyril commented extensively on the Gospel of Matthew in his various festal letters, dogmatic treatises, and surviving homiletic fragments. St. Cyril utilized Matthew’s genealogy and infancy narratives to defend Orthodox Christology against Nestorianism—affirming that the Child born of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos — Greek loanword, is one and the same as the eternal Word of God, Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23).

• St. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367 A.D.):

He wrote the earliest surviving continuous Latin commentary on Matthew (In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius), written largely to refute Arianism and demonstrate the true divinity of Christ throughout the Gospel’s narrative.

• St. Jerome (c. 347–420 A.D.):

St. Jerome wrote a four-volume Commentary on Matthew in 398 A.D., in which he compared the Greek text with the Hebrew traditions and refuted various heresies that attacked the Virgin Birth and the authenticity of the apostolic miracles.

3. Patristic Theological Focus on St. Matthew

The early Church Fathers frequently cited St. Matthew in their theological defenses against two main adversaries:

1. Unbelieving Judaism: Matthew repeatedly emphasizes the phrase, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet." The Fathers used Matthew to demonstrate to the Jews that their own Scriptures, the Law, and the Prophets found their ultimate realization and termination in Christ, leaving no room for a continuing earthly temple or Levitical priesthood.
2. Early Heretics (Marcionites and Gnostics): Heretics like Marcion rejected the Old Testament entirely, claiming the God of the Law was evil or inferior to the Father of Christ. The Fathers used St. Matthew’s Gospel extensively to refute this heresy, pointing out how Matthew organically links Christ to the lineage of Abraham and David, proving that the God of the Old Covenant is the very same God revealed in Jesus Christ. Ebionite heretics, conversely, attempted to mutilate Matthew’s text to deny the Virgin Birth and Christ’s divinity, which the Fathers vigorously condemned using the authentic apostolic text of Matthew.