It has been argued, because Papias does not cite an authority for his assertions concerning Matthew but does concerning Mark, that Matthew was already fully accepted at the time of his writings.

As stated above, some scholars identify the work that Papias attributed to Matthew with the hypothetic Q document that would explain the many similarities between the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke that are not accounted for in the presumedly earlier Gospel of Mark.

An early tradition within the Roman Catholic Church, first visible in the writings of Papias, identify her sons James and Joses / Joseph referred to in scripture as the " brothers of Jesus " as his biological cousins, Mary of Clopas being the sister ( or sister-in-law, or even cousin ) of Mary the Mother of Jesus.

The tradition that this was the disciple Matthew begins with the early Christian bishop Papias of Hierapolis ( about 100 – 140 AD ), who, in a passage with several ambiguous phrases, wrote: " Matthew collected the oracles ( logia — sayings of or about Jesus ) in the Hebrew language ( Hebraïdi dialektōi — perhaps alternatively " Hebrew style ") and each one interpreted ( hērmēneusen — or " translated ") them as best he could.

" Scholars have put forward several theories to explain Papias: perhaps Matthew wrote two gospels, one, now lost, in Hebrew, the other our Greek version ; or perhaps the logia was a collection of sayings rather than the gospel ; or by dialektōi Papias may have meant that Matthew wrote in the Jewish style rather than in the Hebrew language.

Before the 18th century, the belief of many, including the Church Fathers Papias ( c. 60-130 ), Irenaeus ( c. 130-200 ), Origen ( c. 185-254 ), Eusebius ( c. 260-340 ) Jerome ( c. 340-420 ), and Augustine of Hippo ( c. 354-430 ), had been that Matthew was the first gospel to be written.

This hypothesis was based on an argument from authority: the claim by the 2nd century AD bishop Papias that he had heard that Matthew wrote first.

On the question of the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels, Holtzmann in his early work, Die synoptischen Evangelien, ihr Ursprung und geschichtlicher Charakter ( The Synoptic Gospels: Their Origin and Historical Character ; Leipzig, 1863 ), presents a view which has been widely accepted, maintaining the priority of Mark, deriving Matthew in its present form from Mark and from Matthew's earlier " collection of Sayings ," the Logia of Papias, and Luke from Matthew and Mark in the form in which we have them.

Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor during the first half of the 2nd century, writes that Matthew composed the logia in the Hebrew tongue and each one interpreted them as he was able.

Apart from Papias ' comment, we do not hear about the author of the Gospel until Irenaeus around 185 who remarks that Matthew issued a written Gospel of the Hebrews ( Against Heresies 3. 1. 1 ) Pantaenus, Origen and other Church Fathers also believed Matthew wrote the Gospel of the Hebrews ( Church History 5. 10. 3, 6. 25. 4 ) None of these Church Fathers asserted that Matthew wrote his Gospel in Greek.

For this and other reasons, the Gospel of Matthew was composed in Greek and not Hebrew as suggested by Papias.

Papias provides a very early source for the idea that the canonical Gospels were either based on some non-Greek written sources, or ( in the case of Matthew ) possibly " composed " in a non-Greek language.

" Papias ' surviving comment about Matthew is more tantalizing, but equally cryptic: " And so Matthew composed collected the sayings record in the Hebrew tongue, and each one interpreted possibly " translated " them to the best of his ability.

Papias of Hierapolis ( c 60-130 AD ) was an Early Christian Bishop of Hierapolis in Anatolia, whose book, " Expositions of the Oracles of the Lord ", in which he stated that " Matthew compiled the logia ( τὰ λόγια ) in the Hebrew language, and each person interpreted them as he was able ", survives only in quotations made by Irenaeus and Eusebius.

In his work Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke Wenham wrote regarding the book of Matthew the following: " The fathers are almost unanimous in asserting that Matthew the tax-collector was the author, writing first, for Hebrews in the Hebrew language: Papias ( c. 60-130 ), Irenaeus ( c. 130-200 ), Pantaenus ( died c. 190 ), Origen ( c. 185-254 ), Eusebius ( c. 260-340 ), Epiphanius of Salamis ( c. 315-403 ), Cyril of Jerusalem ( c. 315-86 ) and others write in this vein.

A date past 110-115 is unlikely, as parts of the 1John and 2 John are quoted by Polycarp and Papias.

An alternative account of John's death, ascribed by later Christian writers to the early second century bishop Papias of Hierapolis, claims that he was slain by the Jews.

* Another account was preserved by the early Christian leader, Papias: " Judas walked about in this world a sad example of impiety ; for his body having swollen to such an extent that he could not pass where a chariot could pass easily, he was crushed by the chariot, so that his bowels gushed out.

About the origins of the Gospels, Papias ( as quoted by Eusebius ) Quoting John the Elder wrote:

This is what was related by Papias about Mark.

* Papias ' Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord in five books, mentioned by Eusebius.

The demonstration, mainly by English scholars, of the impossibility of the late dates ascribed to the New Testament documents ( four Epistles of St. Paul and the Apocalypse were the only documents generally admitted as being of early date ), and the proofs of the authenticity of the Apostolic Fathers and of the use of St. John's Gospel by Justin, Papias, and Ignatius gradually brought Baur's theories into discredit.

Two possible patristic sources that may refer to eye witness encounters with Jesus are the early references of Papias and Quadratus, reported by Eusebius of Caesarea in the 4th century.

Bauckham states that by “ our times ” he may refer to his early life, rather than when he wrote ( 117 – 124 ), which would be a reference contemporary with Papias.

This association is mentioned by a number of early Christian writers, including Papias, Origen, and Eusebius.

The demonstration, mainly by English scholars, of the impossibility of the late dates ascribed to the New Testament documents ( four Epistles of St. Paul and the Apocalypse were the only documents generally admitted as being of early date ), and the proofs of the authenticity of the Apostolic Fathers and of the use of St. John's Gospel by Justin, Papias, and Ignatius gradually brought Baur's theories into discredit.

Philip may be the last writer to quote Papias, and is best known for his statement that in the second book of the latter's five book treatise, Papias reported that the Apostle John was " killed by the Jews ".

The relevant fragments of Papias ' lost work An Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord ( Logiōn kuriakōn exēgēsis, c. 110-140 ) are preserved in quotations by Eusebius.

" A similar claim comes out more clearly in a text by Irenaeus, but this testimony is later than ( and probably based on ) Papias.

Well into the 2nd century Christians held onto a strong preference for oral tradition as clearly demonstrated by writers of the time, such as Papias.

And these things are borne witness to in the fourth book of the writings of Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp .” ( 5. 33. 3 ) Apparently Irenaeus also held to the sexta -/ septamillennial scheme writing that the end of human history will occur after the 6, 000th year.

Papias () ( writing in the first third of the 2nd century ) was a bishop of the early Church.

Clopas also appears in early Christian writings such as the 2nd century writers Papias and Hegesippus as a brother of Joseph, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, and as the father of Simeon, the second bishop of Jerusalem.

John the Presbyter appears in a fragment by Papias, a 2nd century bishop of Hierapolis, who published an " Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord " ( Greek — Kyriakôn logiôn exêgêsis ) in five volumes.

The earliest surviving references to the gospel tradition are quoted by Eusebius ( lived c. 263 – 339 CE ), and different but related traditions appear in the works of Papias ( wrote during the first half of 2nd century CE ) and the works of Clement.

Thus Papias reports he heard things that came from an unwritten, oral tradition of the Presbyters, a " sayings " or logia tradition that had been passed from Jesus to such of the apostles and disciples as he mentions in the fragmentary quote.

Though unrivaled, the tradition has been discounted on various grounds, particularly on the alleged unreliability of Papias, from whom some would derive the whole tradition.

A third ancient source, Irenaeus, also provides further information about the traditions, especially that of Papias, and possibly adds a third related tradition to the sources.

Irenaeus gives here another tradition in accord with Papias, though containing more information.

This man, said in one document to be the author of two of the Epistles of John, was supposed to have been the teacher of the martyr bishop Papias, who had in turn taught Eusebius ' own teacher Irenaeus.

Eusebius also had low regard for the chiliast, Papias, and he let it be known that in his opinion Papias was " a man of small mental capacity " because he had taken the Apocalypse literally.

Richard Bauckham states that while Papias was collecting his information ( c. 90 ), Aristion and the elder John ( who were Jesus ’ disciples ) were still alive and teaching in Asia minor, and Papias gathered information from people who had known them.

The double occurrence of John is explained by Papias ' " peculiar relationship " to John, from which he had learned some things indirectly and others directly.

In his book Adversus Haereses, which survives in a Latin version, Irenaeus mentions " Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp " ( Book V, chapter xxxiii ), without indicating that this was another John than " John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia.