Before we plunge into Matthew we must take a moment to get our bearings. A lot has happened from the closing of the Hebrew Scripture and the beginning of Matthew. Four hundred years have passed. The Persians were conquered by Alexander the Great. Alexander died and four of his general’s split up the Empire. The Jews fought with these Greeks for many years, sometimes suffering greatly, sometimes gaining a brief season of peace and self-rule. Eventually, the Roman Empire spread east and took over everything.

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