What are some changes that Matthew made to Mark's narrative?

Answer 1

A:Apart from Mark's Gospel, the author of Matthew also relied on the hypothetical 'Q' document, inserting blocks of parables and other sayings material in convenient places in the text. The Q document contained some imaginative material elaborating on the temptation in the wilderness, and the authors of both Matthew and Luke added this to the account.

The author of Matthew also corrected what he thought to be errors in Mark's story. For example, Mark had Jesus cross the Sea of Galilee to the land of the Gerasenes. However, the town of Gerasa is shown as several kilometres from the shore and across a river. This location was changed in Matthew to 'Gadarenes'. Note that in English translations, some Bibles have retained the original 'Gerasenes' in the Gospel according to Mark, while the King James Version (KJV) has substituted 'Gadarenes', in conformance with Matthew.

Matthew and Luke, whose authors were possibly more familiar with Palestine, removed the references to the 'storm' waves that Mark says threatened the fishing boat. After the feeding of the four thousand, Mark 8:10 had Jesus go by boat to Dalmanutha. Raymond E. Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) points out that no such place is known, and that Matthew (once again) corrected Mark, substituting Magdala for Dalmanutha in his account (15:39), although he otherwise followed Mark's account faithfully. Although not conclusive, Matthew's substitution makes it seem somewhat unlikely that Dalmanutha really existed.

At the time Matthew's Gospel was being written, Markstill ended at verse 16:8 with the young man telling the women that Jesus was risen and they fled in terror, telling no one. Matthew adds appearances of the risen Jesus, first to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, then to the disciples in a mountain in Galilee. The 'Long Ending' was added to Mark's Gospel much later, but harmonises somewhat better with Luke's Gospel. Of course, Matthew also adds one version of the nativity account, eliminating another gap in Mark's story of Jesus.