Matthew originates from Toledo, Ohio in the United States.  He studied at the University of Michigan where he earned his first degree in Judaic studies with a focus on second temple Judaism and early rabbinics. He completed his master's degree at the Ohio State University where he studied rabbinic midrash, while researching early Christian, Qumran, and rabbinic material related to Noahide law. Currently, Matthew is finishing his doctoral thesis at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where he analyses the manner in which Josephus uses Roman law as a literary tool for reshaping Jewish tradition to appeal to a wider Roman audience.