The Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries series, the first to be devoted primarily to the reception history of the Bible, is based on the premise that how people have interpreted, and been influenced by, a sacred text like the Bible is often as interesting and historically important as what it originally meant. The series emphasizes the influence of the Bible on literature, art, music, and film, its role in the evolution of religious beliefs and practices, and its impact on social and political developments. Drawing on work in a variety of disciplines, it is designed to provide a convenient and scholarly means of access to material until now hard to find and a much‐needed resource for all those interested in the influence of the Bible on Western culture.

Until quite recently this whole dimension was for the most part neglected by biblical scholars. The goal of a commentary was primarily if not exclusively to get behind the centuries of accumulated Christian and Jewish tradition to one single meaning, normally identified with the author's original intention.

The most important and distinctive feature of the Wiley Blackwell Commentaries is that they will present readers with many different interpretations of each text, in such a way as to heighten their awareness of what a text, especially a sacred text, can mean and what it can do, what it has meant and what it has done, in the many contexts in which it operates.

The Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries will consider patristic, rabbinic (where relevant) and medieval exegesis as well as insights from various types of modern criticism, acquainting readers with a wide variety of interpretative techniques. As part of the history of interpretation, questions of source, date, authorship, and other historical‐critical and archaeological issues will be discussed, but since these are covered extensively in existing commentaries, such references will be brief, serving to point readers in the direction of readily accessible literature where they can be followed up.

Original to this series is the consideration of the reception history of specific biblical books arranged in commentary format. The chapter‐by‐chapter arrangement ensures that the biblical text is always central to the discussion. Given the wide influence of the Bible and the richly varied appropriation of each biblical book, it is a difficult question which interpretations to include. While each volume will have its own distinctive point of view, the guiding principle for the series as a whole is that readers should be given a representative sampling of material from different ages, with emphasis on interpretations that have been especially influential or historically significant. Though commentators will have their preferences among the different interpretations, the material will be presented in such a way that readers can make up their own minds on the value, morality, and validity of particular interpretations.

The series encourages readers to consider how the biblical text has been interpreted down the ages and seeks to open their eyes to different uses of the Bible in contemporary culture. The aim is to write a series of scholarly commentaries that draw on all the insights of modern research to illustrate the rich interpretative potential of each biblical book.

Writing a reception‐historical commentary on arguably the most influential of the canonical Gospels has been both daunting and exhilarating in almost equal measure. Tracing the complex journey by which a text of a minority Jewish breakaway group came to serve as foundation document for an empire‐wide, and, eventually, a worldwide religion with a predominantly Gentile membership, has been a fascinating experience. What has made it particularly fascinating has been the opportunity to explore ‘roads less‐travelled,’ less familiar trajectories of interpretation preserved by other Christian communities (and, in some cases, by non‐Christians), opening up new vistas, and enabling me to view well‐known texts and their interpretations with fresh eyes. Yet the sheer volume of possible receptions of Matthew's Gospel, and their effects on individuals and communities across centuries and cultures, has at times been overwhelming. Matthew's impact has been enormous, not simply in the commentary tradition, but also in liturgy, hymnody, preaching, spirituality, political discourse, music, drama, film, and visual art.

This diversity is attributable in no small measure to the tensions inherent in the Gospel text itself. Matthew has functioned as an effective weapon in apologetic and theological controversy; as word of comfort and of prophetic warning and challenge; as a text justifying the political and ecclesial status quo and as advocating a radical path of discipleship directed toward a ‘higher righteousness.’ The First Gospel contains some of the most sublime words in the whole of scripture, and some of the bitterest, all of which have added to the complexity of its reception and the diversity (both positive and negative) of its effects.

As a consequence of such an embarras de richesses, as well as the constraints of this commentary series, what is contained here is a tiny, representative selection of this Gospel's extraordinary history and impact. Priority is given to so‐called ‘pre‐critical’ interpretation (which in reality is far from ‘uncritical’), and to showcasing the different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, effects that the same text can provoke. Matters more typically found in modern critical commentaries are less in evidence; when they do appear, they are largely presented as relatively late examples of the Gospel's reception, and often dependent on what has gone before.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to so many people who, in their different ways, have contributed their insights or opened up new perspectives on the Gospel attributed to the tax‐collector from Capernaum, or who have supported this project through their encouragement. The School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America has been a marvellous context within which to write this commentary. I am grateful for the support of our Dean, Mark Morozowich, and the Faculty and Staff of the School. I am also indebted to the University’s Institutional Grants Committee for financial support toward permissions for images produced in this commentary.

Many colleagues and friends, both at CUA and elsewhere, have generously given of their time to answer specific questions related to their areas of expertise, and offer encouragement for the project. Worthy of special mention are Stefanos Alexopoulos, Regis Armstrong OFM Cap, Mark Clark, Juliette Day, Rebekah Eklund, David Gowler, Bill Mattison, Paul McPartlan, Michael Root, Kevin Rulo, Sean Ryan, Dominic Serra, Josh Shepperd, and Tarmo Toom. I am particularly grateful to my colleagues in the Biblical Studies Area (Chris Begg, David Bosworth, Brad Gregory, Jack Heil, and Bob Miller) for their support and encouragement, and to our students with whom I have had the privilege of studying this fascinating Gospel. I am especially appreciative of the wisdom and insights of budding Matthean scholars Brian Carrier, Sung Cho, Brian Main, and Tim Rucker, and to my research assistants, Eric Trinka and Xi Li, for their invaluable work in the final stages of this project.

The staff at Wiley Blackwell have been unfailingly helpful and encouraging. Particular mention should be made of Rebecca Harkin, Catriona King, Elisha (Benji) Benjamin, Jake Opie, and Vimali Joseph, as well as my copyeditor, Louise Spencely. Of the ‘extended family’ of the Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries, I have valued the regular authors' meeting at SBL, and the insights and encouragement from fellow authors. My fellow ‘Synoptic’ authors, Chris Joynes and Mark Bilby, deserve a special mention for making the writing exercise a truly collaborative as well as enjoyable experience. The series editors, John Sawyer, David Gunn, Judith Kovacs, and Chris Rowland, have been models of kindness, critical insight, and wisdom. Judith and Chris have been truly inspirational, with their enthusiasm for the project, their careful, detailed, and incisive feedback on drafts of chapters (more often than not introducing me to even more material!), and their provoking me to deeper reflection on the hermeneutical issues at stake. This commentary would have been severely impoverished without their contribution. Any remaining deficiencies are, of course, my own.

The support of family and countless friends has, as always, been foundational. Particular mention should be made of Pam Boxall, William Whittaker, Jackie and Doug Wall, Robin Johnson, Emily and Matt Chapman, Toby Wall, Isobel Wall and Ashley Laker, and Michael Johnson.

This commentary is dedicated to the memory of one of my students, Br. Saúl Soriano Rodriguez OFM Cap, who died suddenly as I was bringing the manuscript to completion. Saúl's warm humanity, Franciscan simplicity, and passion for social justice made him an inspiration to many. In a very tangible way, he exemplified St. Francis of Assisi's radical, joyful reception of Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. May he rest in peace.