The Four Gospels

Overview

A modern publisher would say ‘you’re fired’ to all four evangelists.

The Gospels are not like modern biographies.

They’re about the ‘good news’ of Jesus Ministry.

The earliest NT writings

The fragment beside is taken from his Letter to the Ephesians

Ephesus – modern day Turkey

St Paul’s letters are among the earliest

Particularly his Letters to the Thessalonians

Northern Greece C. 50 AD

Four Canonical GospelsFragment of St Matthew’s Gospel

Fragment of St Luke’s Gospel

Fragment of St Johns’s Gospel

Apocryphal Writings The fragment is of the so-called

‘gospel of Thomas’ Simon Peter said to them: Let

Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Jesus said: Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This fragment is from so-called ‘sayings of Jesus’

Egyptian papyri

Terminology Canonical = according to

the rule of the Church This means that they are

accepted as authentic Divinely inspired and

therefore accepted as part of Holy Scripture

Apocryphal = not approved by the rule of the Church

This means that they are not accepted as wholly authentic

Not accepted as part of Holy Scripture

Christians accept the Torah, Wisdom, History and Prophecy of the OT as canonical

Inspiration – 2 understandings Inspiration according to

Islamic understanding Muhammad’s receiving

of the Qu’ran Grace sidesteps nature?

Inspiration according to Judeo-Christian understanding

The various author’s talents, abilities and even limitations are engaged

Grace builds on nature

Gospel formation Process by which

the gospels came about …

Christian oral tradition

Eyewitness accounts

Use of written records now lost

Comparison of the above to correct distortions

FALSEHOOD

EXAGGERATIO

N

TWIS

TS

CONFUSION

Evangelists: St MatthewSt. Matthew's GospelThe Apostle Matthew (Levi) For people who were Jewish converts to Christianity. Jesus' Jewish background and Jewish customs are explained. Many quotations from the Jewish Scriptures to show that Jesus was the fulfilment of God's promise to the Jews about the Messiah.

Evangelists: St MarkSt. Mark's GospelShort Gospel Concentrates on the last week before Jesus died. Shows how Jesus accepted suffering and won final victory. To encourage the Church in Rome which was suffering persecution. Message was to keep faith in Jesus in spite of troubles.

Evangelists: St LukeSt. Luke's Gospel

Gentile writer for a Gentile church.

Includes many stories to show that Jesus is the saviour of the whole world.

Shows how Jesus had time for the outsider, for people in society who were normally on the margins - women, the poor, foreigners, the sick and sinners.

Evangelists: St JohnSt. John's GospelThe Apostle John Many differences between St. John's Gospel and the other three. Only Gospel in which Jesus openly claims to be the Messiah. ‘I am the Light of the World’, ‘I am the Bread of Life’ are in this Gospel. This Gospel has a very ‘spiritual’ feel.

Terminology checkTerminology check

synoptic

evangelist

Christian oral tradition

canonical

apocryphal

inspiration

Judeo-Christian

gentile

Messiah persecution

Synoptic Gospels

Matthew's gospel - 1068 verses (28 chapters)about 600 verses from Markabout 218 from sources known to Matthewabout 250 verses from a source known to Luke and MatthewWritten in Antioch (?) about A.D. 70-80?  

Luke's gospel - 1149 verses (24 chapters)about 350 verses from Mark about 600 verses from sources known to Lukeabout 250 verses from a source known toLuke and MatthewWritten in Syria (?) about A.D. 70-80?

Mark's gospel - 676 verses (16 chapters)Early recordsMemories of PeterStories from first disciplesWritten in Rome about A.D. 65

Kingdom of God The Synoptic Gospels

are about a mysterious reality …

The Kingdom of God The Reign of Darkness is

on the way out The miracles and the

parables ‘unpack’ this reality for the people

Many of the parables of Jesus begin with:

‘The Kingdom of God (Heaven) is like this …’

Why miracles? For the ordinary people,

miracles show evil (sickness, death) being defeated

The back-up the claim the Jesus is the Messiah

Exorcisms (driving out demons) was a dramatic sign of defeat of the Evil One

Very important ministry in the early Church

Types of Miracle

Some miracles are healing miracles

…demonstrating the Messiah’s power over sickness, evil & death

Some miracles are called nature miracles

… demonstrating the Messiah’s power of natural processes

Parables Parables explain the

unfolding reality of God’s Kingdom using simple comparison stories

Parabolos = throw alongside

Simple, everyday stories were thrown alongside …

the mysterious reality of the Kingdom of God

To help make sense of this mystery

Parables continued … Some parables are

allegorical An allegory is a ‘coded

message’ that relates through the code to reality

E.g. Parable of the Sower

Some parables are eschatological

This means they talk about the ‘end times’

E.g. The Parable of the Last Judgement

Summary so far …

The Synoptic Gospels …

A mysterious reality unpacked through …

Are mainly about the Kingdom of God/Heaven

miraclesparables

St Mark’s G St Matthew’s G St Luke’s G

Terminology checksynoptic

allegorical parable

parable

miracle

eschatological parable

exorcism

nature miracle

healing miracle

Kingdom of God

evangelist

Christian oral tradition

canonical

apocryphal

inspiration

Judeo-Christian

gentile

Messiah

persecution

Opposition Jesus was

opposed by ‘the religious authorities’

Pharisees Sadducees Scribes

Their main objections were about

Interpretation of the law especially about the Sabbath and work

Mixing with ‘outcasts’ (sinners, tax collectors, pagans, etc.)

Suspicions of blasphemy

Behaviour in Temple

Pharisees

6000+

Not ‘full-time’ religious – had jobs

Very strict Jews – fasted twice a week, prayed regularly etc.

Some points of agreement with Jesus

Clear differences, too

Ordinary Jews respected them

ScribesLiterally means ‘writer’

Made copies of the sacred Torah

Gradually came to be seen as experts in the Jewish Law

Some belonged to

the Pharisee party

A.k.a. ‘lawyers’ or ‘teachers of

the law’

Debated finer points of law

– prone to legalism

SadduceesWealthy priests who controlled the Jewish Temple

Were on reasonably good terms with the Romans

Not that well liked by many ordinary Jews

High Priest, chief priests

were Sadducees

Doctrinal differences

with Pharisees

Jesus clearing of

the Temple a direct

challenge to them

The Jewish Temple

TEM PLE SYNAG O G UE

Prie sts to o ffe r sa c rific e

Ra b b i to le a dre a d ing s & p ra ye r

O ne M a ny

J e rusa le m In villa g e s, to wns, c itie s

Hug e a nd o rna te O f va rying size s &d é c o r

He ro d ’s Te m p led e stro ye d in 70 AD

Syna g o g ue wo rshipha s survive d to thisd a y

TEM PLE SYNAG O G UE

Prie sts to o ffe r sa c rific e

Ra b b i to le a dre a d ing s & p ra ye r

O ne M a ny

J e rusa le m In villa g e s, to wns, c itie s

Hug e a nd o rna te O f va rying size s &d é c o r

He ro d ’s Te m p led e stro ye d in 70 AD

Syna g o g ue wo rshipha s survive d to thisd a y

The Jewish Temple

Samaritans Samaritans lived in

Samaria, a land between Galilee and Judea

Samaritans were seen as ‘half-breeds’ by other Jews

Samaritans considered themselves proper Jews

They had built a Temple in their lands

Samaritans and Jews avoided each other

Often, Jews would cross the Jordan rather than cross through Samaria

Tax Collectors (Publicani)

They were outcasts from respectable Jewish society

These were also known as ‘publicans’

They were seen as collaborators

They earned their money by overcharging

Levi/Matthew & Zacchaeus

Sometimes worked on the Sabbath

Zealots (Sicarii)These were

freedom fighters or terrorists,

depending on whose side

you were on

Their motives were religious

Believed pagan Romans had to be driven out of the land, by force if necessary

Simon the Zealot

Masada – the Zealots’ last stand

A.k.a. daggermen

Political Situation

ROMEHERO D THE G REAT

Pa le stine

ANTIPASG a lile e ,Pe ra e a

PHILIPNE o fG a lile e

ARC HELAUSPRO C URATO RJ ud a e a ,Sa m a ria

Pontius Pilate• Pontius Pilate, Procurator • Seacoast town of Caesarea• Had military standards bearing

the emperor’s image erected in Jerusalem

• Robbed the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct

• When the Jews protested, he disguised some of his men and had them infiltrate a protesting crowd

• Slaughtered many of the Jews• Seemed to want to clear Jesus

of the serious accusations brought by the Sanhedrin

• Pressure from the chief priests and crowds made him cave in

New facts & vocabularyProcurator

Temple

Herod the Great

Sadducees

Pharisees

Publicans

Scribes

Zealots

Synagogue

Herod Antipas

Pontius Pilate

Caesarea

Sicarii

Masada

Torah

Synagogue

A Wanted Man In that last week in

Jerusalem … Some of the Scribes and

Pharisees had tried to trap Jesus …

As had the Sadducees … Through dangerous

questions In the end, Jesus was

betrayed by an insider Judas Iscariot Jesus could have

escaped

W A N T E DJ esus the Nazarene

Also k now n as:

For the fo l low ing cr imes:

Rew ard

do approach; h is teaching is dangerous

not

I f you see th is man:

Lik eness by Temple ar tist

Tw isting of rel igious teachingB lasphemy

The Teacher

K now n associates

Mixing w i th outcasts

Last Supper The Passover meal

commemorates the great way God liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt

The Last Supper was a Passover meal with a twist

Jesus said his own blood rather than a lamb’s blood would seal the New

Covenant

Covenant Connection

Israel

Church

Sla

very

God

’s

Peo

ple

In Egypt

To sin

Fre

ed

Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God

Blood of the Lamb

Pro

mis

ed

Lan

d

Canaan via Red Sea

Eternal Life via Baptism

Jewish Trial

A hasty gathering of the Sanhedrin

Mood to find guilty rather than give fair

trial

Various witnesses

whose stories couldn’t

agree

Torah ruled that false

witnesses should receive the

punishment of the accused

High Priest asks whether Jesus is the

Messiah

Jesus’ ‘I am’ secures the blasphemy charge

Roman Trial

Pilate had already been primed by the Chief Priests

They put it to him that Jesus was an unauthorised king

In this way a blasphemy

charge could be switched to

treason

Pilate’s not convinced, he

offers the people a dealThe people go

for Barabbas

Jesus is condemned to be crucified – but is first scourged, mocked and crowned with thorns

Scourging & Crowning

Flagellum

Small handle with leather or rope strands

Bits of metal or sharp bone tied in the strands

Crown of Thorns

Replica made using local thorny shrubs

Might have been a ‘cap’

Suffering …

‘Via Dolorosa’ – the ‘sorrowful way’ through the Jerusalem streets to Golgotha (Calvary) just outside the city walls

According to St Mark, Jesus took six hours to die

Burial The Gospels tell us that

Jesus was buried in haste

The Passover was a approaching (sundown)

Touching a corpse would offend against ritual hygiene

So Jesus is wrapped in a shroud

And laid in a new tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathaea

Women made plans to return

New facts & vocabulary

Ritual hygiene

PassoverTitulus

Joseph of Arimathaea

FlagellumVia Dolorosa

Barabbas Covenant

shroud

patibulumstipes

sedile

Golgotha

Calvary

Resurrection Central doctrine of

Christianity Without it, Christianity is

worthless, St Paul wrote Easter is the greatest feast

of the Church Every Sunday = mini-Easter

All the gospels are clear on the fact of the bodily resurrection

Although none except St Matthew’s give us any clue as to how it happened

Evidence … St Mark’s Gospel gives clues First, the death must be real Abuse, scourging, etc. Simon of Cyrene Pilate’s astonishment at early

death Gets confirmation

Details about the burial provide further clues …

No signs of life during deposition

New tomb Large stone to cover the

entrance

Witnesses … St Mark tells us that women

watched the whole thing Mary Magdalene, another

Mary and Salome St John tells us that Jesus’

mother Mary was by the cross

St Mark tells us that the women took note of where he had been buried (cf. 15:47)

They needed to return to anoint the body after the Sabbath

On that Sunday dawn they were worried about who would remove the stone

What they saw … The stone had been rolled

back They saw a young man

‘dressed in white’ – angelic presence

Tells them of the news of Jesus’ resurrection

St Mark tells us that the women ran away terrified

St Matthew tells of how Jesus spoke to them

St John gives details of two visits to the empty tomb

Other evidence Psychological state of the

Eleven Fear & disbelief St Mark tells us that the

risen Jesus told them off about this

St Mark (epilogue) tells us of the bodily Ascension of Jesus

Love is stronger than death Preparation for the Descent

of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

Church = Christ’s bodily presence on earth