"Early tradition ascribed this gospel to the apostle Matthew, but scholars nowadays almost all reject this view. We still conveniently refer to the author as "Matthew". 'Conveniently' because otherwise every time we made a reference to 'Matthew' we would have to say 'The first book of The New Testament' Chapter so and so, verse so and so. And again and again 'The first book ...' etc."

J. B. Phillips, A prebendary of the Chichester Cathedral, England