Thematic Paper Option 2: Gospel Audiences
Many people who read and study the bible today, would find the four Gospels of the New Testament to be similar in context. Although the four Gospels communicate many of the same life events of Jesus, the terminology, historic details, and cultural traditions used in each Gospel suggest the four Gospels were intended for different audiences. Analyzing the Jewish references of Matthew, the Roman traditions of Mark, the Greek mythology of Luke, and the contemporary styles of John will help clarify these specific audiences.
Matthew
Many believe the Gospels should have started with Mark, because “as far as we know, [Mark] first applied the term “gospel” to a book telling the story of Jesus.” (New American …show more content…
By definition a synagogue is a “building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction.” (Oxford Dictionaries, Def. 1) Matthew does not explain this religious terminology because he expects his audience to already know what a synagogue represents. He validates this by classifying the synagogue as their place of worship. “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues.” (Matthew 4-23) Matthew also emphasized the Jewish Law throughout his text by quoting commandments from the Old Testament. The Jewish people were very traditional in that they lived by the Old Testament. We can assume Matthew’s comment: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5-17) is an attempt to reassure the Jewish people that his gospel is not going to replace the teachings of the Old …show more content…
Focusing on the struggles of the disciple’s and discrimination towards the people leads us to believe his gospel was written for a Roman audience. Unlike the Jewish audience in Matthew, who fully understood the Old Testament, any reference towards Jewish tradition in Mark has to be explained to his audience who are less familiar with the Old Testament. For example, in Mark 7: 1-2 he tells the story of some scribes who “observed that some of [the] disciples ate their meals with unclean hands.” Mark further goes into detail identifying why this act was unholy by saying “For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands.” (Mark 7-3) The frequent translations of Hebrew traditions are found throughout the book of Mark, often referred to as the “Septuagint”, or Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures. (Oxford Dictionaries, Def 1) The use of the Aramaic language is also an indication of a Roman audience. “Aramaic” is “a Semitic language, a Syrian dialect of which was used as a lingua franca in the Near East from the 6th century B.C. It gradually replaced Hebrew as the language of the Jews in those areas and was itself supplanted by Arabic in the 7th century ad.” (Oxford Dictionaries, Def 1) The use of this Aramaic terminology can be found in Mark 5-41: “He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha Koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you,
Many people who read and study the bible today, would find the four Gospels of the New Testament to be similar in context. Although the four Gospels communicate many of the same life events of Jesus, the terminology, historic details, and cultural traditions used in each Gospel suggest the four Gospels were intended for different audiences. Analyzing the Jewish references of Matthew, the Roman traditions of Mark, the Greek mythology of Luke, and the contemporary styles of John will help clarify these specific audiences.
Matthew
Many believe the Gospels should have started with Mark, because “as far as we know, [Mark] first applied the term “gospel” to a book telling the story of Jesus.” (New American …show more content…
By definition a synagogue is a “building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction.” (Oxford Dictionaries, Def. 1) Matthew does not explain this religious terminology because he expects his audience to already know what a synagogue represents. He validates this by classifying the synagogue as their place of worship. “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues.” (Matthew 4-23) Matthew also emphasized the Jewish Law throughout his text by quoting commandments from the Old Testament. The Jewish people were very traditional in that they lived by the Old Testament. We can assume Matthew’s comment: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5-17) is an attempt to reassure the Jewish people that his gospel is not going to replace the teachings of the Old …show more content…
Focusing on the struggles of the disciple’s and discrimination towards the people leads us to believe his gospel was written for a Roman audience. Unlike the Jewish audience in Matthew, who fully understood the Old Testament, any reference towards Jewish tradition in Mark has to be explained to his audience who are less familiar with the Old Testament. For example, in Mark 7: 1-2 he tells the story of some scribes who “observed that some of [the] disciples ate their meals with unclean hands.” Mark further goes into detail identifying why this act was unholy by saying “For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands.” (Mark 7-3) The frequent translations of Hebrew traditions are found throughout the book of Mark, often referred to as the “Septuagint”, or Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures. (Oxford Dictionaries, Def 1) The use of the Aramaic language is also an indication of a Roman audience. “Aramaic” is “a Semitic language, a Syrian dialect of which was used as a lingua franca in the Near East from the 6th century B.C. It gradually replaced Hebrew as the language of the Jews in those areas and was itself supplanted by Arabic in the 7th century ad.” (Oxford Dictionaries, Def 1) The use of this Aramaic terminology can be found in Mark 5-41: “He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha Koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you,