PREFACE; INTRODUCTION; Research Topics and Presuppositions; A Final Note: The Case for Utilizing Rabbinic Sources in New Testament Study; CHAPTER 1: THE MATTHEAN COMMUNITY AND FORMATIVE JUDAISM; The State of Judaism following; The State of Judaism in Galilee; The State of Christianity following the Jewish War; Struggles between Judaism and Jewish Christianity; Evidence of Tension in the Matthean Gospel; The Matthean Gospel as a Jewish Text; CHAPTER 2: TRADITION IN TRANSITION, OR ANTIOCH VS. SEPPHORIS: RETHINKING THE MATTHEAN COMMUNITY'S LOCATION; Preliminary Observations: Matthew's Community as a City. Church; The Matthean Community's Location: Antioch vs. Sepphoris; Sepphoris: The Home to the Matthean Community; CHAPTER 3: THE WEALTH OF THE MATTHEAN COMMUNITY; Galilean Economics: A First-Century View; Matthew as a Wealthy Galilean Community; The Matthean Community in the Context of the Roman Economy; Texts and Economics: The Existence of the Book Trade; CHAPTER 4: SCRIBES AND CONFLICTS: LEADERSHIP IN THE MATTHEAN COMMUNITY; The Role of the Scribe in the First Century Jewish Education, the Scribe, and the Roman Empire; Matthew's View and Usage of the Term "Scribe"; Matthew the Scribe: The Transfiguration as Evidence; CHAPTER 5: EVIDENCE OF A LEARNED COMMUNITY; Matthew's Utilization of the Old Testament and Targums; Matthew's Jewish Exegetical Techniques; Matthew's Continued Use of Jewish Exegetical Techniques:; The Kal Vehomer; The Matthean Gospel and Additional Literary Techniques; Unity, Irony, Allusion, Allegory, and Multiple Levels of Meaning The Audience of Matthew: A Learned Group; Chapter Conclusions; CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS; Matthew: A Jewish Christian Community; The Location of the Matthean Community; The Wealth of the Matthean Community; The Crux of the Debate: Matthew as a Learned Community; WORKS CITED; Index.