Moreover, however popular Markan priority may be today, it seems to fly in the face of the statements of the earliest church fathers, who are almost unanimous in asserting that Matthew predated both Mark and Luke. Indeed, Matthaean priority makes sense in light of the fact that the earliest church existed in Palestine. The Gospel of Matthew would, therefore, have been a manifesto asserting the right of the Jewish-Christian church to exist alongside of and out of Judaism (Acts 1–12). Luke’s Gospel,