The christian gospels
The christian gospelsThe Christian Gospels
The Christian Bible has been a mainstay in society for the past two thousand years. At the heart of this ancient work, one finds the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These Gospels serve as a religious foundation for Christianity as well as a historical record of the time. Faithful followers believe that authors who were possessed by the Holy Spirit, which explains their similarity in style and content, wrote the Bible. However, through archeological findings and scholarly analysis, the origins of the Bible begin to take on a new light.
Studies done by modern scholars have sparked some interesting debates about the writings found in the Christian Bible. Many, such as Professor L. Michael White, believe that each Gospel was written for a specific region with a specific purpose. That would explain the distinct differences in the tones that they are written. Another theory emphasizes the use of a common text as a point of reference in writing these Gospels. In scientific terms, this would explain the similarity in the sayings and teachings that appear throughout all the Gospels, both Biblical and Gnostic. Together, these two beliefs form a basis for a number of new theories about how the Gospels were written.
All the Gospels were written after the Roman sack of Jerusalem in 70A.D. The first to be written was the Gospel of Mark around 75A.D. This work was intended for the Jewish audience of Judea, which had just gone through a bloody war with the Roman Empire. With that in mind, Mark focuses his story on the Death of Jesus as its underlying message. As L. Michael White states in his book, Images of Jesus: The Shape of the Gospels and the Making of Tradition, “ Mark’s gospel is really about the death of Jesus. It’s a passion narrative with an extended introduction, some people would say…” (White49). By concentrating on the aspect of his death, Mark could gain the support of the people around him, for they have seen the merciless killing of their own by the Roman soldiers.
The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes the truth that Jesus was of Jewish descent. Matthew lived in the area around Jerusalem and wrote his gospel around the year 85A.D. The people he preached to be in the midst of re-building their lives after the destruction of the Temple. For that reason, Matthew felt that he needed to show that Jesus was not a foreigner, but rather one of them. Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage through David and back to Abraham, enforcing his point to the surrounding people.
Another main point for the gospel of Matthew was to attack the Pharisees, the quickly growing Jewish group that would later form into Rabbinic Judaism. This point would prove to be very intriguing, as L. Michael White states, “ … in Matthew's gospel, the Pharisees are Jesus' main opponents throughout his life. Now, in Jesus' own times, the Pharisees weren't that prominent...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.