Scripture: Matthew 23

Chapter:
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Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

MATTHEW 23:3

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

MATTHEW 23:4

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

MATTHEW 23:5

And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

MATTHEW 23:6

And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

MATTHEW 23:7

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

MATTHEW 23:8

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

MATTHEW 23:9

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

MATTHEW 23:10

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

MATTHEW 23:11

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

MATTHEW 23:12

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

MATTHEW 23:13

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

MATTHEW 23:14

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

MATTHEW 23:15

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

MATTHEW 23:16

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

MATTHEW 23:17

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

MATTHEW 23:18

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

MATTHEW 23:19

Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

MATTHEW 23:20

And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

MATTHEW 23:21

And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

MATTHEW 23:22

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

MATTHEW 23:23

Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

MATTHEW 23:24

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

MATTHEW 23:25

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

MATTHEW 23:26

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

MATTHEW 23:27

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

MATTHEW 23:28

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

MATTHEW 23:29

And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

MATTHEW 23:30

Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

MATTHEW 23:31

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

MATTHEW 23:32

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

MATTHEW 23:33

Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

MATTHEW 23:34

That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

MATTHEW 23:35

Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

MATTHEW 23:36

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

MATTHEW 23:37

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

MATTHEW 23:38

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

MATTHEW 23:39

Chapter:
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IMPORTANT: All Scripture text has context and background. Scripture should never be read literally or in isolation. Always seek clarification from religious scholars and teachers. In general, Scripture adheres to four principles: (1) Literal Meaning - What the Scripture says (2) Historical Setting - The story events; how the Scripture was understood in its time (3) Grammar - The surrounding sentence and paragraph; textual context (4) Synthesis - A comparison with similar Scripture to give a better contextual understanding

Matthew 23
CHURCH FATHERS: 17

1. Clement of Rome | CHURCH FATHER 97 AD

| Wikipedia: Pope_Clement_I

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Clement of Rome
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

2. Ignatius of Antioch | CHURCH FATHER 110 AD

| Wikipedia: Ignatius_of_Antioch

Matthew was REJECTED (0%) by Ignatius of Antioch
(No mention; no quotes; opinion unknown)

3. Barnabas | CHURCH FATHER 130 AD

| Wikipedia: Barnabas

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Barnabas
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

4. Hermas | CHURCH FATHER 140 AD

| Wikipedia: Hermas_(freedman)

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Hermas
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

5. Papias of Hierapolis | CHURCH FATHER 140 AD

| Wikipedia: Papias_of_Hierapolis

Matthew was REJECTED (0%) by Papias of Hierapolis
(No mention; no quotes; opinion unknown)

6. Polycarp | CHURCH FATHER 150 AD

| Wikipedia: Polycarp

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Polycarp
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

7. Didache | CHURCH FATHER 150 AD

| Wikipedia: Didache

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Didache
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

8. Diognetus | CHURCH FATHER 150 AD

| Wikipedia: Epistle_to_Diognetus

Matthew was REJECTED (0%) by Diognetus
(No mention; no quotes; opinion unknown)

9. Justin Martyr | CHURCH FATHER 155 AD

| Wikipedia: Justin_Martyr

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Justin Martyr
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

10. Irenaeous | CHURCH FATHER 202 AD

| Wikipedia: Irenaeus

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Irenaeous
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

11. Clement of Alexandria | CHURCH FATHER 215 AD

| Wikipedia: Clement_of_Alexandria

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Clement of Alexandria
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

12. Tertullian | CHURCH FATHER 220 AD

| Wikipedia: Tertullian

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Tertullian
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

13. Origen | CHURCH FATHER 254 AD

| Wikipedia: Origen

Matthew was APPROVED (75%) by Origen
(Citation; approving quotation; alluded to; acceptable with changes)

14. Eusebius of Caesarea | CHURCH FATHER 340 AD

| Wikipedia: Eusebius

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Eusebius of Caesarea
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

15. Athanasius of Alexandria | CHURCH FATHER 367 AD

| Wikipedia: Athanasius_of_Alexandria

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Athanasius of Alexandria
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

16. Cyril of Jerusalem | CHURCH FATHER 386 AD

| Wikipedia: Cyril_of_Jerusalem

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Cyril of Jerusalem
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

17. Augustine of Hippo | CHURCH FATHER 400 AD

| Wikipedia: Augustine of Hippo

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Augustine of Hippo
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

Matthew 23
BIBLE CANON: 5

A biblical canon is a set of texts (or "books") which a particular religious community regards as authoritative scripture. Christians were the first to use the term in reference to scripture.

These bible canons have developed through debate and agreement by the religious authorities.

| Wikipedia: Biblical_canon

1. Marcion Canon | BIBLE CANON 140 AD
Marcionism was a religious movement based on the teachings of the 2nd-century Marcion of Sinope. Marcions Canon lists 14 books out of the 27 books in the New Testament. More specifically, these were Luke and Paul's 13 writings. Marcion even rejected the entire Old Testament of 39 books.

bible.ca/marcion

| Wikipedia: Marcion_of_Sinope

Matthew was REJECTED (0%) by Marcion Canon
(No mention; no quotes; opinion unknown)

2. Muratorian Canon | BIBLE CANON 170 AD
The Muratorian Canon is an ancient list of New Testament books - the oldest such list we have found and lists 22 of the 27 books that were later included in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

It is noteworthy that the Muratorian Canon omits several epistles that later did win acceptance in the Christian New Testament such as the books of James and 2 Peter.

gotquestions.org/muratorian

| Wikipedia: Muratorian_fragment

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Muratorian Canon
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

3. Apostolic Canon | BIBLE CANON 300 AD
Apostolic Canons or Ecclesiastical Canons

| Wikipedia: Canons_of_the_Apostles

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Apostolic Canon
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

4. Cheltenham/ Mommsen List | BIBLE CANON 360 AD
The Cheltenham or Mommsen List is a Latin manuscript discovered by the German classical scholar Theodor Mommsen (published 1886) which probably originated in North Africa in the 4th century.

It has 24-book Old Testament and 24-book New Testament which omits Jude and James, and perhaps Hebrews, and questions the epistles of John and Peter.

bible-researcher.com/cheltenham

| Wikipedia: Theodor_Mommsen

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Cheltenham/ Mommsen List
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

5. Council of Rome | BIBLE CANON 382 AD
The Council of Rome was a meeting of Catholic Church officials and theologians which took place in 382 under the authority of Pope Damasus I, bishop of Rome.

According to a document appended to some manuscripts, the Council of Rome affirmed the authority of the Old and New Testament canon in a decretal or damasine list.

| Wikipedia: Council_of_Rome

Matthew was FULLY ACCEPTED (100%) by Council of Rome
(Fully accepted; true scripture; quoted approvingly)

Matthew 23
TEXTUAL CRITICISM

Bible Translations: Missing/Disputed Verse

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting

MATTHEW 17:21

KJV - King James Bible Displayed as above
NIV - New International Bible Missing Verse
RSV - Revised Standard Bible Missing Verse

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost

MATTHEW 18:11

KJV - King James Bible Displayed as above
NIV - New International Bible Missing Verse
RSV - Revised Standard Bible Missing Verse

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation

MATTHEW 23:14

KJV - King James Bible Displayed as above
NIV - New International Bible Missing Verse
RSV - Revised Standard Bible Missing Verse

Textual Criticism
Matthew 1:7-10:3 Matthew 10:25-18:15 Matthew 18:26-28:6

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