Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1

by Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 1880

Overview

The Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, also known as “Meyer’s Commentary,” is considered one of the nineteenth century’s best English-language New Testament commentaries.

Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, a German Protestant with a gift for languages, was known to have an encyclopedic memory and an appetite for buying books. It was not uncommon for Meyer to be reading his contemporaries in his native German and, at the same time, poring over their work in English, Dutch, and French. A natural linguist, he was also well read in Greek, Latin, and even Gothic.

He published the first commentary in this collection in 1832, at the age of 32. He worked on this series, a lifelong project, for more than 40 years, adding to and extensively updating and revising his work while simultaneously tending to a busy pastorate and raising his own family. He completed 16 volumes before passing the baton to a few of his trusted peers.

Volume one of the Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew covers chapters 1–17 and includes a detailed introduction to the Gospel and the person of Matthew. This volume contains a brief biography of Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, and a detailed list of the exegetical literature Meyer found crucial to his New Testament studies.

With the Logos edition, you have instant access to a wealth of dictionaries, lexicons, and language reference tools. All Scripture passages link directly to the original-language Bible text and English translations, and double-clicking any Greek word automatically opens a lexicon to help you decipher the word’s meaning and context. This makes the Logos edition of the Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1 perfect for students, pastors, and scholars.

Key Features

• Preface by Frederick Crombie
• Biographical note on Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer written by his son
• Bibliographical references

Contents

Top Highlights

“Hence the frequent quotations from the O. T. to prove that the history of Jesus is the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy” (Pages 22–23)

“sought, so far is it from being readily seen, or from obtruding itself upon the attention” (Page 232)

“ An attempt has indeed been made to weaken this very ancient testimony” (Page 5)

“He brings about a state of things that may lead to temptation,” (Page 211)

“They are generally those who are in suffering and distress.” (Page 157)

Praise for the Print Edition

We have only to repeat that it remains, of its own kind, the very best Commentary of the New Testament which we possess.

—Church Bells

This translation of the famous and masterly commentary by Meyer will be a great help to American students of the New Testament.

—The Churchman

Product Details

• Title: Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1
• Author: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer
• Translators: Peter Christie, Frederick Crombie, and William P. Dickson
• Publisher: T & T Clark
• Publication Date: 1880
• Pages: 451

About Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer

Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer was born in Gotha on January 10, 1800. He ministered at multiple churches throughout his life, and held pastorates in Othausen, Harste, Hoya, and Hannover. An avid early riser and walker, Meyer kept the same routine for more than 50 years: a 4 a.m. wake-up to study and write while smoking his pipe, followed by a three- to four-mile walk, then off to church to perform his duties as superintendant. After work Meyer was a dedicated family man, and his son, eventually a father too, described him not as a grandparent but as a “playmate” of his grandchildren.

Meyer finished 16 volumes of his New Testament commentary, although all 16 underwent numerous revisions and rewritings—he worked on them consistently from age 27 to 72. Battling illness the last year of his life, he still took his daily walks until the last bedridden month. He died on June 21, 1873. On the cross at his tomb are placed these words from Romans 14:8: “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”