Gospels

The 4 Gospels
RELATED TOPICS	Gospel Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke John Disciple
SERMONS, ESSAYS AND OPINIONS
CONTENTS

Gospel means "good news" - the term refers to the good news of salvation through Jesus. The "gospels" refer to the four accounts of the life of Jesus found in the New Testament; each account is named after the traditional author - Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John.

4 Gospels

Of the many accounts of the life of Jesus written in antiquity, only four gospels came to be accepted as part of the New Testament, or canonical. An insistence upon there being a canon of canonical four, and no others, was a central theme of Irenaeus of Lyons.

Benefits of 4 gospels

The fact that there are 4 gospels brings particular benefits, and difficulties. Some of the benefits of having 4 gospels instead of 1 are recorded below

4 Gospels means more information

Not every bit of information about Jesus is contained within a single Gospel - the writers have chosen to recount certain events or words

Hence 4 Gospels means more information is known about Jesus

For example:

• The woman at the well occurs only in John (John 4)
• The parable of the Prodigal Son occurs only in Luke (Luke 15)
• The record of soldiers guarding Jesus' tomb after his death occurs only in Matthew (Matthew 28)
• The healing of the blind man at Bethsaida occurs only in Mark (Mark 8)

Each Gospel gives a different perspective on specific events in Jesus' life

Each Gospel writer paints a picture of events in Jesus' life and so recounts the stories slightly differently giving a particular perspective thus enhancing our understanding of Jesus

For example:

• The story of Jesus walking on water (Mark 6 and Matthew 14)
  • In Mark 6, Mark comments that the disciples were amazed because they did not understand and their hearts were hardened
  • Matthew only comments that the disciples were afraid
• The story of children being brought to Jesus (Mark 10, Matthew 19, Luke 18
  • In Mark, Jesus is indignant and upset at his disciples
  • This indignation is not noted in Matthew or Luke

Each Gospel has its own unique major focus

Each Gospel is written with a particular overall focus that affects the overall structure helping us better understand Jesus' life and ministry

For example:

• Mark focuses on a Messianic Secret theme
• Matthew has a strong teaching focus for the church

4 Gospels means increased historical credibility=

4 Gospels with general agreement in the main events of Jesus' life increases the historical reliability of the gospels

Links

• Wikipedia - Gospel

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