Daniel Doriani – Matthew Commentary – Q & A

Daniel M. Doriani is the author of the Matthew volume in the Reformed Expository Commentary series. Dr. Doriani (MDiv, PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary; STM, Yale Divinity School) has been the Vice President of Strategic Academic Projects and Professor of Theology at Covenant Seminary since 2013.

Dr. Doriani previously served in various roles at the Seminary from 1991 to 2003, including professor of New Testament, dean of faculty, and vice president of academics. While pastoring at Central, he continued teaching as adjunct professor of systematic theology. He has extensive teaching and pastoral experience as an interim, assistant, associate, and solo pastor, and has been involved in several planning and study committees at the presbytery level in both the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). He was chair of the PCA’s Theological Examining Committee from 1999 to 2000.

Among his many books are ” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Putting the Truth to Work: The Theory and Practice of Biblical Application (P&R, 2001); The Life of a God-Made Man (Crossway, 2001); and commentaries on Matthew, ” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>1 Peter in P&R’s Reformed Expository Commentaries series. He is also a contributing blogger for The Gospel Coalition.

7 Questions on Matthew in the Reformed Expository Commentary Series

Recently, Dr. Doriani graciously answered my questions about his Matthew commentary. Readers will learn how this commentary came to be, what is unique about it among Matthew commentaries, and how the project edified him personally.

1. What previous research and/or personal interests led you to this project and helped prepare you to write this commentary on Matthew?

I taught a seminary course in the Gospels for many years and chose to use Matthew as the focal point of the study. I also preached through the book of Matthew at my church over a span of almost two years.

2. Who is the intended audience for this commentary? Would it benefit pastors? professors? students? lay Christians in the local church?

This commentary is primarily for pastors and campus ministers rather than a technical work. While the text appeals to Greek, the reader does not need to know Greek. Lay readers and Bible study leaders also read this commentary.

3. What is unique about this commentary? What contribution does it make to studies of Matthew?

This falls into the category of an expository commentary, which means a commentary that has roots in preaching and serves the art of preaching. Therefore, it has various features that make it useful to preachers: An outline of the passage that could be the structure for a sermon, explicit applications, theology, and connections to the history of redemption, as well as the occasional illustration.

4. What section or passage of this commentary was particularly memorable to research and write? Why?

I love the gospels, so it’s all grand, but I especially enjoyed working through the narratives because I believe we underestimate the contributions that NT narratives can make to Christian theology and life/ethics.

5. What personally edified you in writing this commentary, increasing your affections for Christ?

Paul Kooistra was the president of Covenant Seminary when I arrived and he had several great principles. He wanted to present a “warm and winsome Calvinism,” he wanted to hire a faculty of “pastor-scholars” and he wanted students to “love Jesus more” when they graduated than when they came. That seemed exactly right and what better way to love Jesus than to study the gospels to discover his power and grace, and to know who he is than by observing his actions and hearing his words.

6. Besides your commentary, what are your top recommended books (commentaries or otherwise) on Matthew?

I am fond of a number of standard commentaries: by ” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>[Craig] Keener, [Leon] Morris and others. I also like Jonathan Pennington’s work on the gospels, including How to Read the Gospels Wisely.

7. What is next for you? What project are you currently working on? How can people follow your work and ministry?

I recently started a commentary on Romans in the same series and recently finished another commentary. I am finishing an ethic of work and starting a theology of the physical body. I also write blogs for both The Gospel Coalition and The Alliance for Confessing Evangelicals.

Own Daniel Doriani’s Matthew commentary

The link provided will direct you to this volume via it’s exact ISBN number:

• Get Dr. Doriani’s commentary on Matthew at Amazon

• Get Dr. Doriani’s commentary on Matthew on Christian Book Distributors

Also see Best Bible Commentaries Q&A with Richard Bauckham on Jesus and the Eye Witnesses