Bible: Gospels
The Gospels are four foundational texts in the New Testament of the Bible that narrate the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditionally attributed to the apostles Matthew and John, and early Christian leaders Mark and Luke, the authorship of these texts is debated among scholars. The first three, known as the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke), share similar content and structure, leading to theories that they drew from one another or an earlier source called Q. In contrast, the Gospel of John presents unique events and a different tone, emphasizing theological themes through longer dialogues and discourses.
Each Gospel serves a distinct purpose and audience; for instance, Mark is noted for its concise and fast-paced narrative aimed at a gentile audience, while Matthew focuses on Jewish audiences, highlighting Jesus as the promised Messiah. Luke, written in a polished style, appears targeted towards educated gentiles. The Gospels collectively capture the essence of Jesus's message and the early Christian movement, and their historical and theological significance continues to inspire belief and scholarship today.
Bible: Gospels
The gospels are four books in the New Testament of the Bible that recount the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. According to Christian tradition, the gospels were written by two followers of Jesus—Matthew and John—and two prominent early Christians—Mark and Luke; however, scholars doubt that these figures were the actual authors of the books. Three of the gospels, those by Mark, Matthew, and Luke, are remarkably similar and recount many of the same events, sometimes using the same words. These works, known as the synoptic gospels, suggest that the authors copied from one another or from an earlier unknown source. The Gospel of John departs from the synoptics in that it relates different events and differs in tone from the other three books.
Background
Jesus Christ was born about 4 BCE in the Roman province of Judea in the eastern Mediterranean region. Christians believe that Jesus was both human and divine, sent to Earth as the Son of God and born to a human mother. As an adult, Jesus traveled throughout Judea and the surrounding region, spreading his teachings and amassing a growing following of believers until he was arrested and executed about the year 30 CE. According to Christian belief, Jesus rose from the dead and continued his ministry until he returned to heaven.
Spurred on by Jesus’s call to “make disciples of all the nations,” his followers began to spread his teachings throughout the Roman Empire. Initially, early church leaders traveled extensively and spread the word of Jesus directly to the new converts. However, over time, they began to write down the tenets of the new faith and the story of Jesus’ life to make them accessible to a wider audience.
As the spread of Christianity increased in the centuries following Jesus’ death, writers began to compile their own works about church doctrine and Jesus’ life. Many of these texts were wildly inconsistent and contained ideas that contradicted accepted Christian teachings. In the second century CE, the Greek Bishop Irenaeus identified four gospels as being the true narratives of Jesus’s life. His choices, the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John, were cemented as church canon by later Christian leaders.
Overview
The English word gospel evolved from a translation of the ancient Greek euangelion, which means “good news.” In the time of the Roman Empire, public proclamations often began with the phrase, “Good news!” as a way of acknowledging the importance of an announcement.
The Gospel of Mark
Scholars believe the oldest of the gospels was the one attributed to Mark, an early Christian who was an associate of the Apostle Peter. The gospel is believed to have been written between 65 and 70 CE and is the shortest of the four. It begins with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, a preacher who prophesized the coming of Jesus as the Son of God. The original gospel ends abruptly with two women entering Jesus’ tomb only to find him gone, although later authors added extra material in which Jesus appears to his followers. The gospel is very fast-paced and moves quickly from narrative to narrative. Its intended audience seems to be the gentiles, non-Jewish followers of Christianity.
Most scholars believe that the gospel of Mark was written first and possibly relied on an earlier, now lost, text known as Q, a term that comes from the German word Quelle, or “source.” Q is believed to have been a written work containing the sayings of Jesus. Scholars believe that the gospel of Mark was written first because of its brevity, its rougher style, and the fact that it omits elements such as the birth of Jesus and events after his resurrection. Other gospels include these events, leading experts to believe that they were added to the existing text of Mark.
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew was believed to have been written about 80 to 90 CE. According to tradition, its author was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. The gospel was written in a dialect of Greek used in Judea and Syria, suggesting it was aimed at Jewish Christians as a way to convince them Jesus was the Messiah, the promised savior of the Jewish people. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus before going into an account of his birth. It ends with the resurrected Jesus calling on his disciples to spread his teachings through the world.
The gospels of Mark and Matthew are very similar in content, leading scholars to believe the author of Matthew used Mark and possibly the Q source as primary sources. Among the main differences from Mark were the insertion of additional information and a more polished style of language.
The Gospel of Luke
Chistian tradition holds that Luke was written by a physician who was a companion of the Apostle Paul. The gospel is believed to have been written shortly after Matthew, from about 85 to 95 CE. The author of the gospel used a polished, literary style of Greek, suggesting he was well-educated, and his intended audience was upper-class gentiles living in larger cities. Luke’s gospel also begins with the birth of Jesus and ends with accounts of the risen Jesus appearing to his followers and his ascension into heaven.
Luke is the longest of the four gospels by word count and draws heavily on Mark and Matthew, and possibly Q, as source material. Biblical scholars estimate that more than 90 percent of the content in Mark can be found in Matthew and Luke.
The Gospel of John
In contrast to the synoptic gospels, 90 percent of the content of John is not found in the other three gospels. The book’s authorship has been traditionally assigned to the Apostle John, who was one of Jesus’ twelve main disciples. The gospel was written after 90 CE and displays a distinct literacy style and structure that differ greatly from Mark, Matthew, and Luke. John begins with a poetic discourse on the nature of Jesus and God before recounting the meeting of John the Baptist and Jesus. It ends with the risen Jesus revealing himself to his disciples.
The synoptic gospels present the words of Jesus as parables, short sayings with a symbolic message. However, in John, Jesus gives longer, more detailed speeches on matters of faith. John also provides a longer narrative of Jesus’s suffering and death and includes an account of his miracles, such as changing water into wine or raising Lazarus from the dead. The chronology of John also differs from the synoptics, with events occurring at different points in Jesus’ life.
Bibliography
Denova, Rebecca. “Christianity.” World History Encyclopedia, 22 Mar. 2022, www.worldhistory.org/christianity/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Just, Felix. “The Four Gospels: Some Comparative Overview Charts.” Catholic Resources, 6 Nov. 2023, catholic-resources.org/Bible/Four‗Gospel‗Chart.htm. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Kirby, Peter. Early Christian Writings, 2023, www.earlychristianwritings.com/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Licona, Mike. Why Are There Differences in the Gospels?: What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Long, Keith. “The Synoptic Gospels & The Gospel of John: 7 Key Differences.” Bart Ehrman, 10 Nov. 2023, www.bartehrman.com/the-synoptic-gospels/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Mellowes, Marilyn. “What Are the Gospels?” PBS, Apr. 1998, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/mmfour.html. Accessed 3 July 2021.
“What Are the Gospels, and Why Are There Four of Them?” Zondervan Academic, 22 Sept. 2017, zondervanacademic.com/blog/gospel-definition. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
“Who Wrote the Gospels and When?” Catholic Identity, catholicidentity.bne.catholic.edu.au/scripture/SitePages/Who-wrote-the-gospels-and-when.aspx. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.