The Four Traditionally Identified Authors of the Gospels - Essay Example

Discuss the four traditionally identified of the gospels The of Mark’s gospel is Mark who was a Jew and who embraced Christianity. He was the son of Mary and was from a Hellenistic family. Mark was the cousin of Barnabas of Cyprus. He was a close ally of Peter. Peter had a special relationship with Mark. During the latter years Mark was closely associated with Peter and Paul. He was imprisoned along with Paul on many occasions. He traveled to Egypt and found the church of Alexandria and died there by Martyrdom. Matthew also known as Mathias was the son of Alphaeus of Capernaum. His original name was Levi. He was engaged in the collection of taxes from people crossing the Sea of Galilee. Matthew was a rich man who was called upon by Jesus to do his apostolic work. He is the man who conducted the great feast on behalf of Jesus so to introduce his friends and companions to him. He was born as a Jew and was converted to Christianity. Writings in the Acts suggest that his name was mentioned only after the resurrection of Christ. He wrote the gospel of Matthew after the resurrection of Christ. He traveled to Persia, the Parthian and Medes. He is believed to have died of Martyrdom in Ethiopia. Luke or Lucius is considered as the author of the gospel of Luke. He was a medical practioner born in Syria. He was also a painter. He did not have a Jewish background. He was a close associate of St Paul during the days of travel to Troas and Macedonia. It is also believed that Luke is the author of Acts which he wrote in the company of Paul. The exact age of death of Luke is still unknown. Luke also died as a martyr during his evangelistic life. John the apostle is believed to be the author of the fourth gospel, I.e. gospel of John. He is the son of Zebedee and Salome. He and his brother James were fishermen fishing in the Sea of Galilee from where Jesus called them to follow him. He was related to Jesus and is one of the closest disciples of Jesus. John and Peter were the first persons who met Mary Magdalene to hear the news of resurrection; they were the first persons who inspected the empty tomb of Jesus after resurrection. John is also the first person who saw Jesus after resurrection. After the resurrection, he joined hands with Peter and Paul in spreading the messages of Jesus. He was witness to the transfiguration as well as the crucification of Christ. John is also the first person to see Jesus after the crucification (Smiths Bible Dictionary). These four books are regarded as the gospels. These are the only original records that describe the life of Jesus. Of which, the gospel of Mark, Luke and Matthew are regarded as synoptic gospels because they are comparable. Mark was an associate of Peter and Paul so was Luke. However there were no strong associations in the case of Matthew. The gospel of John is completely different from the other three gospels. It is extremely difficult to answer questions regarding exact authorship of the gospels. Matthew and John were the disciples and apostles of Jesus. Mark and Luke followed Peter and Paul in many of their journeys. They were present during their speeches which were recorded as gospels. The gospel of Mark is believed to be written by Mark himself. Tradition depicts the association of Mark with Peter and Paul. May be the preaching of those two could have influenced Mark in writing this gospel. His family members had close association with the apostles after the resurrection of Christ. Description about a naked man running proves that Mark was an eye witness to many events mentioned in his gospel. Moreover no real objection has been put forward by researchers with regard to authorship of Mark’s gospel. The exact date of Marks gospel is around 64AD. A distinctive style can be observed in the gospel of Mark. The text is terse and it contains a fast moving plot. The writings of this gospel are presented in the present tense. The writings are short and to the point. It is presented using lots of verbal and situational sarcasm. Importance is also given to show the sentiments of Jesus. Mark’s gospel is regarded as the earliest books among the four gospels. The major differences between the gospels of Mark and the other three gospels is that the gospel of Mark is comparatively shorter and things are somewhat presented in a puzzling manner. The author has omitted birth and resurrection sequences. It has been proved that around eighty percent of Mark’s gospel was used to write the gospels of Luke and Matthew Frequently Asked Questions About the Gospel of Mark. 1997). The gospel of Luke was written during 30AD. Luke traveled extensively with Paul and Peter. Luke’s gospel was written on the basis of preaching made by Paul. The style of writing shows that he was an eyewitness to many events. Luke wrote nearly twenty five percent of the New Testament. It is believed that he wrote the book for a prominent man called Theophilus. The main source of this gospel is also Paul. Mark also had influence on Luke. It is widely believed that Luke got a copy of the gospel written by Mark and this was a source of his gospel. The gospel of Luke is written according to Greek customs prevailing during that period. The book is written in Greek language and gives importance to the forgiveness of God. The book also has descriptions of women, who are characterized with great importance (Frequently Asked Questions About the Gospel of Luke. 1997). The gospel of Matthew is a copied version of the gospel of Mark. It was written in and around 80- 90 AD. The book contains narrations that connect Jesus with the Old Testament. This book was mainly written for the Jewish community living in Palestine. In Matthews’s gospel the word Ekklesia, which means church is used. The use of numerology is also another feature of Matthews’s gospel. This gospel contains various Jewish traditions which suggest that the author was a well known practicing Jew. The apostle Peter is given special importance in this gospel. The difference between this gospel and the others is purely theoretical and related to Mosaic Law. A detail about the family tree of Christ is also given in the gospel (The gospel according to Matthew. 2004). Evidences strongly prove that the author of the gospel written by Mark was a disciple of Peter. Moreover there were no objections from the early church regarding the authorship of the gospel written by Mark. Application of a wide range of linguistics along with theological agreements as well as cross references in the gospel of Luke and Acts prove that both are from the same author ((Kirby. 2006). However Matthew’s gospel is the most controversial among the four gospels regarding authorship. It is believed that the true author of this gospel is unknown and the name of Mathew was added to give credibility to it (Nale). The gospel of John which is last among the four gospels is totally different from others. This gospel has a unique style, presentation and contains things that are not in the other gospels. The language used is also different from other three gospels. The introduction of this gospel is philosophical. The gospels of Mark, Luke and Matthew describes the life of Jesus Christ centered on Galilee, however John’s gospel describes the events around Judea. Another significant feature is that it uses long conversations. But certain important events like the temptation and transfiguration of Christ are omitted from this gospel. This gospel contains many events of Jesus‘s life that cannot be seen in the other three gospels. Many traditional and conservative researchers believe strongly that the Apostle John is the author of this gospel. However there is also another theory which suggests that John was the source of this gospel, which was written by John the Elder (Ezell 1997). The gospels written by Matthew, Luke were not regarded as fully satisfactory. These gospels were written by them using their own incorporations and styles. There are textual problems that occur in the beginning as well as in the end for Mark’s gospel. It also said that many additions were made by scribes to bring this gospel close to that of Matthew and Luke. The vocabulary, style and syntax used by Mark lack distinction. In Matthews’s gospel, things are arranged systematically. He presents the fourteen generations before Jesus in a chronological order. Some scholars argue that Matthews gospel is a far improved gospel when compared to Mark. In his gospel Matthew presents Jesus in a manner that is similar to the rabbis. The author is deeply committed about the fulfillment of the prophecy rather than depicting the teachings of Jesus. Luke’s gospel is considered as having a superior literary content. Written mainly using Greek style, the author was quite unaware about the differences between faith and history. The last among the four gospels, the gospel of John, is not comparable with the synoptic gospels. It is argued that it was written first in Aramaic and then later translated to Greek. Scholars argue that the differences in the gospel of John with that of the synoptic gospels were caused by the translation. John is fond of using single expressions which have many meanings (Grant1963). Works cited: Ezell, Douglas.1997.Gospel According to John. Available:http://mb-soft.com/believe/txs/john.htm Frequently Asked Questions About the Gospel of Luke. 1997. Available:http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2736/faq.html Frequently Asked Questions About the Gospel of Mark. 1997. Available:http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2736/faq.html#No Grant, Robert.1963 A historical introduction to the New Testament. Available: http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=1116&C=1231 Kirby, Peter. 2006. Gospel of Mark. Available:http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/mark.html Kirby, Peters. 2006. Gospel of Luke. Available:http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/luke.html Nale,Justin..Understanding the Gospel of Matthew and Why it Matters. Available:http://www.ambafrance-do.org/spirituality/31727.php Smiths Bible Dictionary. Available:http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/SmithsBibleDictionary/ The gospel according to Matthew. 2004. Available:http://faculty.cbhs.org/rmartin/contents/matthewgospel8090.htm Read More