Abstract
The first four chapters of Matthew seem to be divided into sections, each marked by one or more Old Testament citations; and there is a similar citation/marker at 8.17. There are other indicators that the evangelist saw his Gospel as a succession of units of roughly 17 verses-opening and closing formulas, inclusios, threes-and these enable us to divide the whole into some 64 sections. These sections then suggest the possibility of serial use as lections in church. The Jews read the Torah serially from at least Mishnah days, and the earliest church use of the Gospels (Egeria) takes Matthew 24-28 serially in Holy Week/Easter. This would then give the right number of lections to go round a Jewish-Christian liturgical year starting after Easter: with 'ideal' landfalls for Pentecosts, 9th Ab, New Year, Atonement, Tabernacles, Dedication, Purim and Passover.
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