France focuses on Matthews text as it stands, rather than the prehistory of the material or any synoptic differences, concerned with what "Matthew" meant to convey about Jesus. He offers an extremely thorough exegesis of each section as part of a carefully planned literary whole, supplemented by verse-by-verse comment. (Biblical Studies)

R. T. France (1938-2012) was Hon. Research Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Wales, Bangor. His other books include Jesus and the Old Testament, The Evidence for Jesus, and Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher.