The Four Canonical Gospels

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What is a Gospel?
 
Gospel
- from the old English word 'godspel' meaning good message or good news -- a translation of the Greek euangelion -- good announcement.
- used by Mark in his opening sentence: "the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ."
- our canonical gospels tell the story of Jesus life and ministry, but not all gospels are narratives.
 
What are the Synoptic Gospels?
 
- Matthew, Mark and Luke
- These three gospels tell essentially the same story in the same sequence, sometimes with the same words.
 
What is the Synoptic Problem?
 
In 1771-75 a German scholar named Griesbach placed the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in parallel columns for the purpose of comparison and called his work a synopsis. He thereby participated in the rise of the synoptic problem, the attempt to determine the literary relationship between the three gospels. Given the fact that Matthew contains 90% of Mark and Luke contains 55% of Mark, that there are triple traditions (material found in all three gospels), double traditions (material found only in two, in particular the case of Matthew and Luke), and unique traditions, some theory must account for both similarities and differences.
 
Most scholars believe that something like the following arrangement is probable:
 
Before 70 c.e., proto-Mark was written.
In the 80's, working independently Matthew and Luke were written with proto-Mark and Q (a sayings source which German scholars call Quelle) as sources. Matthew also had a unique source (M), and Luke had his own unique source (proto-Luke or L).
By this time, an edited version of proto-Mark, our Mark, was available.
 
Quelle: The Q Source
 
The argument for Q is based upon the agreement of long passages, verbatim, in Matthew and Luke. Because there is no clear primary and secondary status where the two differ, one cannot simply argue that Matthew is dependent on Luke or visa versa. Their source must be independent.
 

What is the literary relationship and the literary history of the four gospels? (one hypothesis)

Stages of Development
A. Common Development
1.Jesus' Ministry
2. Oral Traditions
 miracle stories
parables
birth stories
pronouncement stories
 healing stories
teaching material
conflict stories
 passion story
resurrection stories
prophecies
(oral traditions at first are in Aramaic and then are translated into Greek)
 
B. Johannine Tradition
1. From the oral tradition develop speech and signs sources and perhaps early editions of the Fourth Gospel
2. Ca. 75-90 the Gospel takes its final form.
 
C. The Synoptic Tradition
1. From the oral tradition develop written collections of parables, the passion story and collections of teachings in both Aramaic and Greek.
2. A written sayings document appears -called "Q" by modern scholars- from the German word for source Quelle
3. The first version of Mark appears (proto-Mark) ca. 60 and the final version ca. 66-70.
4. Using oral tradition , written collections, "Q" and proto- Mark, and his own special sayings source (M) Matthew writes his gospel, ca. 75-90.
5. Using oral tradition , written collections, "Q" and proto- Mark, and his own special sayings source (L) Luke writes his gospel, ca. 75-90.
 

A simple comparison of the four gospels reveals that each gospel has its own particular focus.

Mark begins with Jesus' baptism: his focus is upon the immediate meaning of Jesus' ministry.

Matthew begins with Jesus' genealogical relationship to Abraham: Matthew situates Jesus' ministry in the context of the Israelite story. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that he spends more time treating the question of Jesus' relationship to his Jewish contemporaries.

Luke begins with a birth narrative that situates the advent of Jesus' life in "world history." His genealogy connects Jesus with Adam. Luke sets the story of Jesus in the context of world history. The second volume of his work, Acts, describes how the gospel is taken from Jerusalem to the world, that is Rome.

John begins with a prologue that describes the descent of the Word, begotten by God prior to creation, and the reascent of the Word. Scholars refer to this as the cosmological tale. The Fourth Gospel contains the highest christology of the canon.

A comparison of the passion also illuminates essential differences.

Matthew and Mark have Jesus recite the beginning of Ps 22, "Eli Eli lama sabach thani -- My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Certainly Jesus' suffering is real, but one should also read the end of the psalm for it describes God's deliverance from death, the ingathering of the nations, the restoration of divine rule and a possible reference to the resurrection of the dead. Matthew and Mark have the clearest eschatalogical focus of the four gospels.

Luke's portrait of Jesus on the cross grants Jesus the energy to engage in conversation. Jesus begins "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" and dies with the words "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke does not emphasize the necessity of Jesus' death, rather he focuses upon Jesus' innocence. Jesus is the innocent prophet. He has fewer conflicts with authorities. The focus is squarely upon Christian forgiveness and hospitality. This is the gospel favored by Mennonite and Liberation theologians because of its emphasis upon peace and the pacifism of Jesus. Rome and the pax Romana are treated as the political and social agent for the growth of the Church.

John's account gives us the lines "I thirst" and "It is finished." This Gospel focuses squarely upon the movement to the cross. Jesus' conflict with Jerusalem authorities occurs at the beginning of the Gospel. John places the cleansing of the Temple two years earlier than Jesus' death. There can be no doubt: God has a plan and it includes the cross. Jesus' death marks the beginning of the resurrection. He becomes the door through which humanity enters into eternal life.