Iii. Place Of Origin
III. PLACE OF ORIGIN
Very little can be said about the provenance of this writing. The indications that it was written for a Jewish Christian community might point to a place in Palestine, and this is supported by the tradition recorded by Papias that it was written for Hebrews. This would apply to Palestine, but also to such a center as Antioch in Syria.35 That city had a sizeable number of Jews in it, and we know from Acts that quite early there was a Christian church there, a church that was very active, for example, in sending out missionaries like Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1–3). It is not unlikely that it was in this center that our first Gospel was written. This view is supported by the fact that Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in the early second century, almost certainly refers to this Gospel when he speaks of Christ as having been baptized by John, “that all righteousness might be fulfilled by him” (Smyrn. 1.1; this appears to be a quotation from Matt. 3:15). G. D. Kilpatrick has difficulties with Antioch and prefers one of the Phoenician cities, perhaps Tyre or Sidon.36 Another suggestion is that some place in Palestine itself was the origin, perhaps Caesarea.37 A few interpreters have thought that Alexandria is likely the place where this Gospel came into being.38 Certainty is impossible, but most commentators agree that a place in Syria (or perhaps even Palestine) is likely.