Research Paper On The Four Gospels
THE NUMBER OF THE GOSPELS
Although many individuals set out to write an account of the events surrounding the life of Jesus (Luke 1:1–3), only four Gospels were accepted by the early church as canonical and authoritative. There is no evidence of any other written account of the life of Jesus (e.g., The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Peter, etc.) ever being accepted by the early church. Early church canon lists from the 3rd and 4th centuries identify the books read and recognized by the early church, and the only Gospels on the lists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These lists reflect the tradition of the Apostolic Fathers, thus demonstrating that the four canonical Gospels were the only ones used by the early church.
The fact that there …show more content…
This answer is simple enough and should be clear to most readers. The Gospels are about Jesus Christ. As noted above, however, each Gospel portrays Jesus in its own unique way. Embedded in each unique portrayal, the authors emphasize, or give prominence to, different aspects of Jesus’s person and ministry. Each author also has distinct purposes in mind while composing their Gospel. They also seem to have particular audiences in mind as well. Some scholars dispute this last point. (See Richard Bauckham, The Gospel for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences, Eerdmans, 1998).
A traditional understanding of the particular emphasis, audiences, and purposes of each Gospel account is summarized well by B. Compton. Compton notes that “It is commonly explained that Matthew was written for Jews and presents Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. Mark focuses on Jesus as the Servant of Lord, the divine-human intermediary who accomplishes God’s task in redeeming the lost. Luke also was written primarily for Gentiles, but in this case for a wider Greco-Roman audience. Luke portrays Christ as the Son of Man, the second Adam who is able to restore fallen humanity. John was written for mankind generally. John focuses on Jesus as the Son of God, the incarnate Word who came to give light and life to a darkened and dying world.” (B. Compton, The Gospels Class Notes, Detroit Baptist Theological
Although many individuals set out to write an account of the events surrounding the life of Jesus (Luke 1:1–3), only four Gospels were accepted by the early church as canonical and authoritative. There is no evidence of any other written account of the life of Jesus (e.g., The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Peter, etc.) ever being accepted by the early church. Early church canon lists from the 3rd and 4th centuries identify the books read and recognized by the early church, and the only Gospels on the lists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These lists reflect the tradition of the Apostolic Fathers, thus demonstrating that the four canonical Gospels were the only ones used by the early church.
The fact that there …show more content…
This answer is simple enough and should be clear to most readers. The Gospels are about Jesus Christ. As noted above, however, each Gospel portrays Jesus in its own unique way. Embedded in each unique portrayal, the authors emphasize, or give prominence to, different aspects of Jesus’s person and ministry. Each author also has distinct purposes in mind while composing their Gospel. They also seem to have particular audiences in mind as well. Some scholars dispute this last point. (See Richard Bauckham, The Gospel for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences, Eerdmans, 1998).
A traditional understanding of the particular emphasis, audiences, and purposes of each Gospel account is summarized well by B. Compton. Compton notes that “It is commonly explained that Matthew was written for Jews and presents Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. Mark focuses on Jesus as the Servant of Lord, the divine-human intermediary who accomplishes God’s task in redeeming the lost. Luke also was written primarily for Gentiles, but in this case for a wider Greco-Roman audience. Luke portrays Christ as the Son of Man, the second Adam who is able to restore fallen humanity. John was written for mankind generally. John focuses on Jesus as the Son of God, the incarnate Word who came to give light and life to a darkened and dying world.” (B. Compton, The Gospels Class Notes, Detroit Baptist Theological