Did Matthew write Matthew?

Matthew 9:9—“Did Matthew write the Gospel of Matthew?”

Critics have argued that since Matthew refers to himself in third person here, he cannot be the author of the gospel:

“As Jesus passed on from there he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me". And he rose and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9)

This is a very flimsy argument. When writing a historical account for a wide audience, it is not abnormal for authors to themselves in third person. By the same weak line of reasoning, the Qur’an must not be Allah’s words since he is frequently referred to in third person:

هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ
“Huwallahullathii la ilaha illahuwa”
‘He is Allah, there in no god except Him’
(Sura 59:22)

If the Matthew or John using a third person pronoun of themselves disqualifies them from being the author of their books, then the same must be said for the Qur’an.

All the earliest Christian records are clear that Matthew wrote the Gospel of Matthew—there is no statement to the contrary. This argument against the Injil is shallow, based on pure guesswork, and its logic undermines the Qur’an as well.