Matthew interprets Old Testament prophets creatively, not literally

Is writer taking verses out of context? No, something else is happening

Portion of “Adorazione dei Magi” by Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370 - 1427).

Who says we can’t be creative, perhaps even idiosyncratic, in the way we understand the Bible? The author of the book of Matthew certainly didn’t think that.

For Christians, Matthew is most valuable for what it says about the life of Jesus and his teachings. But the author of Matth…