GETTING READY: When was the Gospel of Matthew written?

The timing of the writing of this gospel is important, because it tells us exactly how close to the life of Jesus the facts were put to paper. There are some who argue the gospels were written a hundred years or more after Christ - claiming they must be inaccurate. But what about Matthew?

Some have argued on the basis of its Jewish characteristics that Matthew's Gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early part of a.d. 50, when the church was largely Jewish and the gospel was preached to Jews only (Ac 11:19). However, those who have concluded that both Matthew and Luke drew extensively from Mark's Gospel date it later -- after the Gospel of Mark had been in circulation for a period of time. Others, who assume that Mark was written between 65 and 70, place Matthew in the 70s.
The Jewish nature of Matthew's Gospel may suggest that it was written in the Holy Land, though many think it may have originated in Syrian Antioch.