to establish the credibility of the Evangelists as witnesses to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The opening of the text sets the stage for a scholarly review, emphasizing the need for an unbiased and open-minded approach when examining the testimonies provided by the Evangelists. Greenleaf argues that, much like a legal case, the evidence presented in the Gospels needs to be scrutinized for credibility and reliability. He acknowledges the monumental importance of the events recounted in these texts and prepares to dissect the backgrounds and motivations of the Evangelists themselves, starting with Matthew, who he describes as a tax collector turned disciple. This initial portion establishes the author's intent to rigorously apply the rules of evidence to ascertain the truth behind the foundational narratives of Christianity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)