Why So Many Gospels?
Sara Driediger Writing, GEN 101 Oct. 18, 2016
1
Why So Many Gospels?
Why are there so many gospels? Why are there four different re-tellings of the same story? One might think they could be simplified, condensed, edited into one concise book, instead of overlapping. The three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke are the first books of the New Testament, and make up the synoptic gospel. These books give three different accounts of the same story, showing that the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection has many levels. Some scholars think that they are contradictory, but despite the differences, the gospels are complimentary, and help give the full picture of Jesus’ time on earth.
A Glance at Matthew The word …show more content…
The author knew that the Romans did not care for theology, and he omitted things like the birth of Christ or the parables he told. They were unfamiliar with the Old Testament as well as Jewish traditions. That 's why he included explanations (the washing of cups, pots and bronze kettles referenced in Mark 7:4). They cared more for a God of works than a good teacher. The author of Mark had to think like a Roman to convince them of the authenticity and authority of Jesus.
Mark knew that the Romans would be impressed with a God who could perform miracles. So the focus of this gospel was on Jesus doing. His service, his miracles and his ministry would speak to the Romans more than his parables. Mark is considered the gospel of action, because of it’s fast paced narrative and more of a storytelling style with vivid …show more content…
John is 90% unique to itself,6 and cannot be found in the other books. The gospel of John is short, simple sentences and connected with coordinating conjunctions. It does not included Jesus’ miraculous events and misses many main events from the life of Jesus,7 which are common in the Synoptic gospels. The book of John is not included in the synoptic (Greek, meaning having a common view) gospel becauses of his very distinct difference in contents, order of events, theme and style of writing. There are no parallels to the other gospels, and no word-for-word connections, like the ones that appear in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It also only uses the key phrase “kingdom of God”, where it’s used 56 times from Matthew to Luke. Like the other gospels tho, John is constructed topically, written to a particular audience, it acts as a call to faith and is ultimately inspired by
Sara Driediger Writing, GEN 101 Oct. 18, 2016
1
Why So Many Gospels?
Why are there so many gospels? Why are there four different re-tellings of the same story? One might think they could be simplified, condensed, edited into one concise book, instead of overlapping. The three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke are the first books of the New Testament, and make up the synoptic gospel. These books give three different accounts of the same story, showing that the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection has many levels. Some scholars think that they are contradictory, but despite the differences, the gospels are complimentary, and help give the full picture of Jesus’ time on earth.
A Glance at Matthew The word …show more content…
The author knew that the Romans did not care for theology, and he omitted things like the birth of Christ or the parables he told. They were unfamiliar with the Old Testament as well as Jewish traditions. That 's why he included explanations (the washing of cups, pots and bronze kettles referenced in Mark 7:4). They cared more for a God of works than a good teacher. The author of Mark had to think like a Roman to convince them of the authenticity and authority of Jesus.
Mark knew that the Romans would be impressed with a God who could perform miracles. So the focus of this gospel was on Jesus doing. His service, his miracles and his ministry would speak to the Romans more than his parables. Mark is considered the gospel of action, because of it’s fast paced narrative and more of a storytelling style with vivid …show more content…
John is 90% unique to itself,6 and cannot be found in the other books. The gospel of John is short, simple sentences and connected with coordinating conjunctions. It does not included Jesus’ miraculous events and misses many main events from the life of Jesus,7 which are common in the Synoptic gospels. The book of John is not included in the synoptic (Greek, meaning having a common view) gospel becauses of his very distinct difference in contents, order of events, theme and style of writing. There are no parallels to the other gospels, and no word-for-word connections, like the ones that appear in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It also only uses the key phrase “kingdom of God”, where it’s used 56 times from Matthew to Luke. Like the other gospels tho, John is constructed topically, written to a particular audience, it acts as a call to faith and is ultimately inspired by