Purpose Of The Poem Of The Cid, Mathew, And Acts

The authors of the three works each had a similar purpose: to provide guidance to their readers. The stories in the New Testament and the Poem of the Cid each had a particular impact on the audience in the time period for which they were written due to the writing style of the authors. Each work provides a written history of a topic important to the readers many years after the events occurred: Matthew and the author of Acts recorded the story of Jesus and his early ministry as it would impact the First century C.E; and the long-sung Poem of the Cid was recorded to act as a model or example for the people in the twelfth century Iberian Peninsula.

The New Testament is a collection of the religious teachings and beliefs of Christianity. The books were written in the first century in Palestine, which at the time was under the rule of the Roman Empire. The New Testament displays the beginnings of a people challenging the long-held beliefs of the Israelite community by following the teachings of Jesus.

The Gospel of Matthew contains the story of Jesus and his early ministry. The author's purpose for the text was establishing and defining Christianity, and spreading the word of Jesus' teachings. Matthew contains elements important to the early church: the story of Jesus' miraculous conception, and explanation of the importance of liturgy, law, discipleship, and teaching, and an account of Jesus' life and death.

Matthew was written for the Jews. The author of Matthew did not seem to think of Christianity as something that involved a definite break with the Jewish religion. Instead, he considered Christianity as a continuation and fulfillment of the Old Testament. The author pointedly shows that Jesus' teachings are compatible with Judaism, and Jesus' life fulfills the old testament prophecies. He uses a familiar past, relating prior teachings that the people of the time are familiar with, focusing on the fulfillment of the Old Testament and quoting it often. However, he challenges mere external obedience to religious law, valuing instead an internal spiritual transformation. Matthew's purpose in writing to the Jews was to show them that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected messiah and both his genealogy and his resurrection were legitimate proofs of this.

Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus that traces his ancestry as far back as Abraham. The ancestry is traced on the side of Joseph, although the author later definitively states that Joseph was not Jesus' father. Following the genealogy is an account of the wise men's visit to Jesus' birth site, Herod's attempt to destroy the newborn child, and the flight into Egypt for the child's protection. After the death of Herod, the family returned and settled in the Galilee town of Nazareth, which, according to Matthew, fulfilled another Old Testament prophecy.

All that ancient Israel had looked for with hope and high expectation is now to be fulfilled in the Christian church. Ancient Israel was given the Law through Moses, and now the new Israel has received another and even higher law in the teachings of Jesus. The basis for membership in the new Israel is neither race nor color nor nationality nor anything other than the character of individuals who believe in Jesus and put their trust in him. Believers will come from both Jews and Gentiles and from all parts of the world.

Acts is intended as a portrayal of the history of the early church and the Christians in the first century.

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