• Were there only 4 Gospels? What about the so-called “Gnostic gospels,” such as the “Gospel of Thomas” (as referenced, for example, in the DaVinci Code book and movie)?

  All early church writers only refer to the four Gospels we know. We have good evidence that all four were written in the 1st century and probably before 70 AD. By contrast, the evidence points to the supposed other “Gospels” as having been written in the 2nd century or later.

• We have good reason to believe that all four Gospels were probably written before 70 AD.

  a. Matthew, Mark, and John present themselves as eyewitnesses; their character as followers of Jesus attests to their credibility. Luke was not an eyewitness but had interviewed eyewitnesses in preparing Luke.

  b. Mark – There is common scholarly agreement that at least this Gospel was written pre-70 AD.

  c. There are manuscript fragments from copies of each of the Gospels from the 1st century. In each case, some reputable scholars would date them more specifically to the period of 60-70 AD.

  d. Quotes from these writings by others: Over 36,000 quotes by 2nd and 3rd century writers in various languages over a wide geographical area suggest such an early original writing.

  e. The Dead Sea scrolls have shown that John’s writings were very “Jewish,” and reflect a 1st century setting.

  f. A Jewish parody of Matthew written by Gamaliel and found in the Talmud has been dated to 73 AD or earlier, thus attesting to the earlier existence of Matthew.

  g. The “Mount of Olives Discourse” predictions by Jesus in Matthew 24, Luke 12, 17 & 21, and Mark 13 predict the future destruction of the Temple and other related events. None of the New Testament writings refer to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD as being already in the past, which would have been a powerful arguing point for early Christians in talking to the Jews, but which was unused. Likewise, the use of the present tense for the Temple activities in the book of Hebrews shows it also was written before 70 AD.

  h. Some internal data within the Gospels also points to a pre-70 AD date:

  Luke 20:27 (“the Sadducees, who say” … the Sadducees disappear from history after AD 70)

  John 5:2 (“there is in Jerusalem...a pool” … this pool was destroyed in 70 AD.)

• What is the relationship of the 4 Gospels to each other?

  Each had their original audience, then, over time, were gradually copied and circulated to other believers elsewhere, and even translated into other languages.

  Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often referred to as the Synoptic (similar) Gospels. John’s Gospel is quite different.

  Clearly there is some interdependence of sources, or of the Gospels with each other, as reflected in the order and material, and in verbatim similarity at some points.

  Two examples show verbal similarities as well as minor variations:

  Mark 10:32-34 / Matthew 20:17-19 / Luke 18:31-33 (Jesus predicts His death)

  Mark 1:1-8 / Matthew 3:1-12 / Luke 3:1-18 (Ministry of John the Baptist)

• Among the Synoptic Gospels, was Mark written 1st? It seems so. Mark is simpler, written in a poorer quality of Greek. All three follow Mark’s order of events, with Matthew and Luke periodically diverging and returning. It is easier to explain why Matthew and Luke would change wording or add things.

  There are various theories, but the simplest explanation seems to be that Matthew and Luke used Mark, and that Luke also used Matthew as a source, with differences between them primarily due to their different audiences and emphases.

  There is also the probability, of course, that remembrances of Jesus’ teachings and deeds and eyewitness accounts were also verbally passed along, or even kept as written fragments.

• Mark – Who was he? John Mark – mentioned in Acts 12:12, 25: 13:5, 13:15:37; 2 Timothy 4:11; 1 Peter 5:13)

  Why would Matthew, an eyewitness and Apostle, follow Mark (not an Apostle)? Because Mark’s Gospel was identified early with Peter, so Mark is seen to represent Peter’s account. Mark’s Gospel limits itself almost exclusively to events which Peter witnessed or with which he was intimately familiar. Also, without an infancy narrative and after abbreviated accounts of John the Baptist’s ministry and Jesus’ wilderness temptation, Mark starts his Gospel with the calling of Simon Peter.

  a. Mark explains Jewish customs, translates Aramaic words, has a focus on persecution and martyrdom.

  b. Mark uses a simple, vivid, writing style, focusing more on what Jesus did, with only limited teaching content from Jesus’ ministry; many “immediately” (42X!) and “and” connectors.

• Matthew –He was the tax collector also named Levi, in Mark 2:13-15 & Luke 5:27-32

  a. Writing to Jews, pre-70 AD destruction of the Temple.

  b. Whether written originally in Greek or Aramaic is debated.

  c. We now know that a kind of short-hand writing was used by any public official such as tax-collector Matthew, and memorizing and literacy were common, so the accuracy of recalling the long teaching passages in Matthew is reasonable. Also, the teachings often involve easily-remembered patterns and literary devices (cf., stories, imagery using repetition, well-known items, and common experiences of life).

  d. In writing to the Jews, Matthew notes Old Testament fulfillments, usually uses the Jewish form “Kingdom of Heaven” rather than “Kingdom of God”, assumes a knowledge of Jewish customs, and uses “Son of David.”

  e. The general format of Matthew also parallels the Old Testament to some degree – cf., the beginning genealogy, 2:15 re. “out of Egypt”; reference to a “Canaanite woman” in 15:21 (though writing to Jews, Matthew shows examples of non-Jews responding to Jesus when many Jews don’t).

  f. Five cycles of narratives are followed by 5 major teaching sections (the Sermon on the Mount, Sending out the 12, Teaching with Parables, the Kingdom of God teachings, and the “Mount of Olives Discourse” about the future), each ending with “when Jesus had finished…”.

• Luke – He is mentioned in Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24, as Paul’s friend and companion in contexts agreeing with the “we” sections of Acts 16:10, 11,17; 20:5-21:18, 27:1-28:16

  a. Luke was a physician, used a very polished Greek language, had a large vocabulary and a good writing style, and was clearly well-traveled, being very precise in his geographic and cultural references.

  b. Luke writes to “Theophilus”, either a specific Greek man with a common Greek name meaning “God-lover”, or representing any Greek/Gentile interested to know about God.

  c. Luke has some distinctive themes: Gentiles and Jews are both invited to God’s plan of salvation; prayer; joy; concern for women and the poor; and an emphasis on the Holy Spirit.

• These three “synoptic Gospels” have a common flow, focusing first on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, then in Judea and Perea, and culminating in the events of His final week in Jerusalem. (The references in John’s Gospel to 3 Passovers make it clear that Jesus’ public ministry lasted at least 3 years, and that His ministry travels also included Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.)

 

Summary: The canonical Gospels are Holy Spirit-directed accounts of actual events, related in a teachable way, accurately capturing the essence of the events, conversations, and teachings, without a concern for precise verbal quotes. Each is shaped by the historical events, their intended audience, and their particular theological emphases in pointing people to Jesus as Son of God, Lord, and long-awaited Messiah/Christ.