The wealth of material in the Gospel of Matthew was a constant temptation to transgress the limits set by the series to which this commentary belongs. But at any rate the book has the necessary virtue of condensation. I have sought to produce a handbook both compact and clear. Some of the Master's greatest discourses are pre served in the First Gospel, and for that and other reasons it has always been the most popular of the Four Gospels. The books in English that are most useful to one who wishes to pursue the subject further are named at the close of the Introduction. Those who wish to consult books in German can begin with Zahn, or with Holtz mann's haml-komme?tar. If one has Allen for synoptic criticism, Plummer for grip of the whole movement of the book, Broadus for historical setting and Spiritual insight, Bruce for penetration and pungent statement, Meyer for grammatical detail, and Zahn for cyclopedic wealth of information, he is well equipped for the study of the gos pel, so far as commentaries go. I shall have a real, if unknown, interest in every one who seeks to know more of the mind of Christ through the present volume.