...Patience Syokau Mutonga |1 When reading the Gospels, the reader quickly realizes that the accounts are similar1. However, a closer look reveals that they narrate the life and work of Jesus Christ in different ways. Four different authors address their Gospels to four different audiences, expounding on four different themes. Can such different narratives collectively refer to the same Person and give a complete, unshakeable picture of His life and work? The answer lies in a study of each Gospel writer’s interpretation of Jesus’ person, life and work2. That way, each Gospel account is seen, “… like a different – coloured thread in a tapestry woven together to form a more complete picture of this One who is beyond description.” 3 Together the diverse themes of King, Servant, Son of Man and Son of God as independently portrayed in the Gospels all relate together to show a complete picture of Jesus Christ’s life and work. Matthew, Mark and Luke are jointly called the Synoptic Gospels4 (from the Greek word, ‘synopsis’, meaning “a seeing together”).5 They share many of the same events and largely concentrate on Jesus’ Galilean ministry.6 Furthermore, there is a common synopsis in these Gospels, namely: the introduction of Jesus, preaching in Galilee, journey to Jerusalem, and Passion (His death and resurrection).7 John’s Gospel, however, stands alone in its perspective and audience. Unlike the Synoptics, John begins his Gospel ‘from heaven down,’ stating that “…the Word was made...
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...The Gospels and Jesus, Jesus’ intentions, teachings, and downfall are examined and assessed with notable order and clarity, all in an attempt to resolve the fundamental question of Part II: who was Jesus of Nazareth? Stanton launches Part II with a chapter entitled “What do we know about Jesus of Nazareth?” Here, the debate as to whether or not Jesus existed is considered by exploring archaeological evidence from outside the gospels in an effort to establish what is known about Jesus. He cites various non-Christian, Jewish, and Christian sources after opening the chapter with a theory by G.A. Wells which argues that it was not until 100 CE that Jesus was worshipped as a “Savior” figure. Wells maintains that before 150 CE, there is no independent non-Christian support for the existence of Jesus and that the authors of the four New Testament gospels invented their traditions about the life of Jesus. As Stanton argues, this does not entirely make sense, since it is difficult to find signs of the convictions, emphases, and conflicts of the Christians of that period in the canonical gospels. Stanton continues to refer to sources outside of the gospels such as the non-Christian writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, and satirist Lucian of Samosata. He also investigates the writings of Jewish historian Josephus, which alludes to Jesus as “the so-called Christ,” as well as to James, the brother of Jesus. With the exception of Josephus, Jewish writings...
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...Historicity of the Christian religion, while many has maintained that Jesus had not intended a development of faith from his teachings, the quest to identify the historical Jesus and differentiate between the Jesus of history and the Jesus of faith is going on. One of those devastating heresies called Docetism appeared in the time of John the beloved, propounded by the Marcions and the Gnostics, a teaching that denied the human nature of Jesus Christ claiming that the body is matter and matter is evil, so that the body was just a “Phantom” a body merely given a human appearance in nature but not necessarily human, because they believe that God cannot associate with evil. So John wrote in his first epistle that “every Spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” 1John 4:3. The Jesus of History is the Jesus of the Historical Quests which is by now is on the 3rd stage. The Christ of Faith is the Christ of the Christian belief. To have any sort of separation between the two is like having a separation between the WORD and the CHRIST contrary to the Christian faith that was in the beginning with God as mentioned by John in John 1:2, 14. One cannot separate Jesus from Christ or try to successfully explain the distinction in the Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith. The Church acknowledges Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who lived, died and rose again Matt.16:16, He is the Jesus of Nazareth. Arguments and...
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...BOOK CRITIQUE: WHY FOUR GOSPELS? Tiago Souza NBST 515 September 24, 2013 INTRODUCTION This work will analyze the book “Why Four Gospels” by David Alan Black. The main objective will be compare the Fourfold-Gospel Hypothesis opposed to the Markan Priority. In order to do that, this work will first analyze the historical background and reality context of the composition of each gospel. The author David Black has published over 100 scholarly articles and book reviews in such journals as Novum Testamentum, New Testament Studies, Bible Translator, Journal of Biblical Literature, and many others. He also serves as Professor of New Testament and Greek and the Dr. M. O. Owens Jr. Chair in New Testament Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. SUMMARY The book starts by bringing up a description of the development of the gospels, and a not very known basic historical fact is that the Gospels were written through a not so brief period of time. The “Gospel according to Mathew” was published in 42 AD, and there was a 20-25 years gap between its publication and the publication of “Luke’s Gospel” and “The gospel according to Mark”. And than, another huge gap between the publication of those and finally “The Gospel of John” being published in 96 AD, so there was a 54 years interval between the publication of the 4 Gospels, and that fact shows that sometimes God likes to act in a way that takes time, seems unusual to human eyes, but in...
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...The New Testament contains the four synoptic gospels that were written by different authors at different periods. It goes without saying that each author had a different view of Jesus and his life story, which makes it hard for a reader to understand the full context of the life of Jesus. The several differences in the gospels dispute one another and depict Jesus with several different characteristics; it shows how many different personal circumstances may have shaped the way each author wrote their own version of the gospels and can it can be concluded that that New Testament is contradictory due to those circumstances. It is has been said that Matthew was the first gospel written out of the synoptic gospels followed by Mark, and then Luke and lastly John. John and Matthew are the only two authors who witnessed the life of Jesus but strangely their depiction of Jesus couldn’t be anymore different from one another. It is strange that John and Matthew have completely different outlooks on what Jesus was like even though they both physically witnessed him, I think it takes away a sense of truth from the Bible. While writing their own gospels Mark and Luke both drew inspiration from Matthew in writing their own gospels so there is an underlying resemblance between the three. John on the other hand depicts Jesus way differently than the rest. John writes about Jesus as the self-proclaimed Son of God, within the first chapter of John, Jesus is already heard saying, “behold the...
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...the birth of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament is about the life of Jesus and the lessons he taught during his time on earth. It recounts his death, resurrection, and ascent into heaven. The remainder of the New Testament tells how his followers dealt with his absence, how they continued on his works and spread his message. Region 2 The New Testament starts with four books called Gospels, which means “Good News”. They are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Although all four gospels tell the events of Jesus’ life, the Gospel according to Mark is exceptional between the four. It is the shortest of all four gospels. It is believed to be the first written, therefore, it is considered to be a foundation for which the other gospels were written. The book is officially regarded as the “Gospel According to Mark” even though it does not state who the author was. The author is believed to be John Mark who was a follower of Jesus some time after Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was probably written during the time period A.D. 55 and 70. John Mark...
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...construction Date: Before Paul died 66 A.D and before Jerusalem was destroyed 70 A.D Some early manuscripts included “To Hebrews” These were Christian Jews who were persecuted. Key Word: Better Really cared about the Word of God Passionate to demonstrate that Jesus was greater Committed to the high priesthood of Jesus How God separated the old from the new There were waves of persecution by against the Church in Jerusalem, mostly because of rivalry or competition, even though they shared cultural-religious backgrounds. The book of Hebrews is God’s call to Jewish Christians to leave the temple worship and only follow Christ. The Roman Titus destroyed Jerusalem Written to Jewish Christians who were involved in Temple worship. Believer were guilty of sacrificing animals Why Luke probably wrote Hebrews Was written to the Jewish Christians who were going back into Temple practices and Jewish customs Quoted Septuagint version of the Old Testament Not Pauline syntax Use of medical terms because Luke was a doctor No introduction Paul always quoted the Hebrew text What was better? It was a new and better message through Jesus. Better than angels – His son became better than angels Better hope- the law made nothing perfect; there was the bringing of better hope, which helped us draw near to God. Better sacrifice- Jesus became the better surety of a better covenant. Better heavenly home- better position for yourself in heaven. Better future- God...
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...1. The Gospels are called synoptic gospels because they all have something in common. Although I will compare and contrast John and Luke. The first event mentioned in Luke is Jesus’ birth while in John it is the creation of the world. Statements of Jesus being born of a virgin are mentioned in Luke but in John it seems to be denying the virgin birth. From His birth he is known as the Son of God in Luke. In John He is known as Son of God from the creation of earth. Jesus’ baptism is described in Luke and in John it is not mentioned. In Luke a main function was exorcism in his ministry with many exorcisms performed though in John there is none performed. The themes of Jesus’ teaching is the Kingdom of God while in John it is Jesus himself with the Kingdom of God as a background. Jesus’ main focus of ministry in Luke is his involvement with the poor and the suffering and this is barely mentioned in John along with many references to scribes that are confused by Jesus’ teachings but in John there are no scribes mentioned. Jesus is mentioned of having performed miracles, natural miracles, healings, and exorcisms but in John there is hardly any exorcisms, healings, with all of them being natural healings. Luke says that Jesus’ ministry lasted one year and was mainly in Galilee while John says his ministry was three years and was mainly in Judea. In Luke it speaks of the Last Supper being on Passover Eve and that the ceremonial event was the meal. It also says that Simon was the one...
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...Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels Chapter 1: What are the Gospels? | Four Gospels, One Jesus | What are the four Gospels? | * Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each paint a unique portrait of Jesus Christ | | * The Gospels exhibit both unity and diversity, bearing witness to the same Jesus | | (unity) but viewing them from unique perspectives (diversity) | What are the four unique portraits | * Matthew presents Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of the Old | each Gospel paints of Jesus Christ? | Testament hopes | | * Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of God, who offers himself as a | | sacrifice for sins | | * Luke portrays Jesus as the Savior for all people, who brings salvation to all | | nations and people groups | | * John portrays Jesus as the eternal son of God, the self-revelation of God the | | Father | | * Christology refers to Jesus’ person and work | What is the difference between the | * Mark is more dramatic, it is a powerful and vivid story; Matthew is the most | four Gospels? | structured of the Gospels; Luke is the most thematic, like God’s love for the lost, | | the role of the Spirit, and Jerusalem’s role in God’s plan resurfacing repeatedly; | | John is the most theological of the four, with more explicit statements | | concerning Jesus’ identity and purpose. | What are synoptic Gospels? | * Synoptic Gospels (from the Greek word synopsis, meaning...
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...VIRGINIA August CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 BIBLIOGRAPHY 2 INTRODUCTION The “Intertestamental period”, or the “Second Temple Period” represent a period within history, which upholds an interpretation for both Christianity and Judaism. According to Judaism, this era acknowledges the “Second Temple Period”, which exemplifies the Jewish Diaspora. First, “diaspora” simply means “dispersion” or “scattering.” This dispersion or scattering began through the efforts of the Assyrians when they defeated Israel in 722 B.C. In effect, the Jewish nation dispersed all over the Middle East, Egypt, and Babylon. These individuals literally disappeared from antiquity due to the results of the Jewish Diaspora. However, Nebuchadnezzar endured the Jewish populaces to inaugurate a cohesive group within Babylon around 597 B.C. Nevertheless, the subject of this essay will focus on the Christian assessment of the “Intertestamental Period.” For centuries, Christian intellectuals describe the era from the final quarter of the fifth century B.C. to the first century A.D. as the “Intertestamental Period.” This era arises with the reconstructing of the Jewish temple in the late sixth century, and terminating with its annihilation in A.D. 70. The “Intertestamental Period” represents a significant account of the supernatural hand of God throughout antiquity. The “Intertestamental Period” characterizes the period from the concluding of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi to the beginning of the...
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...history for a very long time and has always been a topic of discussion and question. Looking outside in religion is analogous to H20 having characteristics of ice (the atheists), water itself (the followers), and gas (the fanatics). The focus of this paper is on a part of a religion that generally does not have a visible tie to a specific religion, not until it is investigated further, The Gospels. My Prior understanding a Gospel Church is one where there is a lot of standing and singing about God – this is a misunderstanding. The church itself is focused on the four Gospels and what the real meaning is. The word “Gospel” for Christians refers to the “good news” that is a result of Jesus Christ’s death and its meaning (Keathly, 2004). Another misconception of a Gospel Church is the Bishop has his own agenda and does not focus on the Gospels themselves. Also, I have always felt that the church has become a place to be seen, not just for the sighting itself but also be dressed up in the best clothes possible. Another misconception of the Gospels and Christianity is they have nothing do with Jewish faith and they are completely different. Misconceptions are easy to confirm or debunk with research and a non-partial attitude towards what is being investigated. With so many religions in the world how can anyone be sure which religion is best for them? Religion is a result of nurture and not nature, humans in general were not born to follow a specific religion it is a path that is made...
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...University of Missouri. He also earned a Master of Studies in Law Degree in 1979 from Yale. Washington Post has referred to him as the evangelical communities most popular apologists. The Case for Christ captures your attention and holds it from page one. It has a very interesting and easy writing style in which Strobel writes in first person. He uses his investigative reporter background to shape the way this book is set up. He proves that Jesus really is the son of God, using a sequence of interviews with 13 well respected Evangelical apologists. The book begins by Strobel using five lines of evidence: eyewitness, documentary, corroborating, scientific and rebuttal. Craig Bloomberg, PhD; whose doctorate is in New Testament, is the first to be interviewed. Bloomberg alleges that Papias and Irenaeus confirmed that the four gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John making them eyewitness testimony. He goes on to dismiss the Gospel Q hypothesis saying it is “nothing more than a hypothesis.” (p. 26) He explains that Q was a collection of sayings or teachings so that Matthew could use Mark’s account of events which he got from Peter that was so close to Jesus. This went along with his independent account. Strobel explains the differences in John’s gospel. He says that John is independent of the other three gospels, which explains a lot of the differences. He blames the translation of Greek...
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...The New Testament begins with a collection of four books known as the Gospels. These books together give a complete account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Gospels consist of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. While these are four different books they are all telling the same story. The word "gospel” actually translates to mean "good news,” which is exactly what is contained in the these four books as they tell the story of Jesus's time on Earth. Each book gives a different vantage point of Christ's ministry. One of the most important things to understand about these books is the time period in which they were written. Once the reader understands the historical circumstances surrounding these writings they then have the...
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...God’s Disguised Offering of Metanoia December 9, 2014 New Testament Studies (THEO 2100) Mark 9:2-10 (NRSV) 2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. *This paper will always use the NRSV translation unless otherwise indicated. Introduction Many scholars argue that the Gospel according to Mark is the first written Gospel proclaiming the “good news” of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark’s powerful inclusion of the transfiguration of Jesus in 9:2-10 has led many scholars to argue its meaning and purpose. Whether one interprets...
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...Why Did Judas Do It? There are several theories as to why Judas betrayed Jesus. This paper will attempt to examine some of the theories such as political motive, demon possession, fulfillment of prophecy, necessity for salvation’s plan, unintentional betrayal and greed. However, at the end I hope to convince you the motive is as old as time, “money”. His fellow disciples considered him a greedy thief and I consider their eye witness account to his life and character as good evidence, not to say that the other theories did not contribute in part. Let’s start our quest with the scriptural account: Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve apostles, betrayed his master to the authorities. This act led to the crucifixion and death of Jesus. What the Bible tells us specifically about Judas: • Judas was one of the 12 disciples closest to Jesus • Judas offered to betray Jesus to the religious authorities • They agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver for doing so •...
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