diff --git a/nbconvert/filters/markdown_mistune.py b/nbconvert/filters/markdown_mistune.py
index 0b6a9eeb0..280ae86ef 100644
--- a/nbconvert/filters/markdown_mistune.py
+++ b/nbconvert/filters/markdown_mistune.py
@@ -21,7 +21,42 @@
 from nbconvert.filters.strings import add_anchor
 
 
+class MathBlockGrammar(mistune.BlockGrammar):
+    """This defines a single regex comprised of the different patterns that 
+    identify math content spanning multiple lines. These are used by the 
+    MathBlockLexer.
+    """
+    multi_math_str = "|".join([r"^\$\$.*?\$\$",
+                               r"^\\\\\[.*?\\\\\]",
+                               r"^\\begin\{([a-z]*\*?)\}(.*?)\\end\{\1\}"])
+    multiline_math = re.compile(multi_math_str, re.DOTALL)
+
+
+class MathBlockLexer(mistune.BlockLexer):
+    """ This acts as a pass-through to the MathInlineLexer. It is needed in 
+    order to avoid other block level rules splitting math sections apart. 
+    """
+    
+    default_rules = (['multiline_math']
+                     + mistune.BlockLexer.default_rules)
+
+    def __init__(self, rules=None, **kwargs):
+        if rules is None:
+            rules = MathBlockGrammar()
+        super(MathBlockLexer, self).__init__(rules, **kwargs)
+
+    def parse_multiline_math(self, m):
+        """Add token to pass through mutiline math."""
+        self.tokens.append({
+            "type": "multiline_math",
+            "text": m.group(0)
+        })
+
+
 class MathInlineGrammar(mistune.InlineGrammar):
+    """This defines different ways of declaring math objects that should be 
+    passed through to mathjax unaffected. These are used by the MathInlineLexer.
+    """
     inline_math = re.compile(r"^\$(.+?)\$|^\\\\\((.+?)\\\\\)", re.DOTALL)
     block_math = re.compile(r"^\$\$(.*?)\$\$|^\\\\\[(.*?)\\\\\]", re.DOTALL)
     latex_environment = re.compile(r"^\\begin\{([a-z]*\*?)\}(.*?)\\end\{\1\}",
@@ -30,6 +65,14 @@ class MathInlineGrammar(mistune.InlineGrammar):
 
 
 class MathInlineLexer(mistune.InlineLexer):
+    """This interprets the content of LaTeX style math objects using the rules 
+    defined by the MathInlineGrammar. 
+    
+    In particular this grabs ``$$...$$``, ``\\[...\\]``, ``\\(...\\)``, ``$...$``, 
+    and ``\begin{foo}...\end{foo}`` styles for declaring mathematics. It strips 
+    delimiters from all these varieties, and extracts the type of environment 
+    in the last case (``foo`` in this example).
+    """
     default_rules = (['block_math', 'inline_math', 'latex_environment']
                      + mistune.InlineLexer.default_rules)
 
@@ -53,8 +96,14 @@ class MarkdownWithMath(mistune.Markdown):
     def __init__(self, renderer, **kwargs):
         if 'inline' not in kwargs:
             kwargs['inline'] = MathInlineLexer
+        if 'block' not in kwargs:
+            kwargs['block'] = MathBlockLexer
         super(MarkdownWithMath, self).__init__(renderer, **kwargs)
 
+    
+    def output_multiline_math(self):
+        return self.inline(self.token["text"])
+
 
 class IPythonRenderer(mistune.Renderer):
     def block_code(self, code, lang):
diff --git a/nbconvert/filters/tests/test_markdown.py b/nbconvert/filters/tests/test_markdown.py
index 943f9b894..d25f524e8 100644
--- a/nbconvert/filters/tests/test_markdown.py
+++ b/nbconvert/filters/tests/test_markdown.py
@@ -137,6 +137,18 @@ def test_markdown2html_math(self):
             "$$a<b&b<lt$$",
             "$$a<b&lt;b>a;a-b<0$$",
             "$$<k'>$$",
+            ("$$x\n"
+             "=\n"
+             "2$$"),
+            ("$$\n"
+             "b =  \\left[\n"
+             "P\\left(\\right)\n"
+             "- (l_1\\leftrightarrow l_2\n)"
+             "\\right]\n"
+             "$$"),
+            ("\\begin{equation*}\n"
+             "x = 2 *55* 7\n"
+             "\\end{equation*}"),
             """$
 \\begin{tabular}{ l c r }
   1 & 2 & 3 \\