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| | {{Bible}} | | {{Bible}} |
| − | '''The Gospels''' of the [[Bible]] (from the Greek for "good news") are the first four books of the [[New Testament]], quoting [[Jesus]] and compelling testimony as to his [[Resurrection]]. Two are by [[Apostles]] ([[Matthew]] and [[Gospel of John|John]]), another by the outsider [[Mark]] who witnesses events as a boy accompanying his mother who was a disciple, and the fourth by a physician-historian who interviewed many about him ([[Gospel of Luke]]). The stated [[authorship]] of the Gospels is linguistically confirmed, and were written before [[Paul]]'s letters that began in the late 40s A.D. because [[Paul]] made use of them. The Gospels shaped modern advancements by developing the concepts of [[infinity]] and [[eternal life]]. | + | '''The Gospels''' of the [[Bible]] (from the Greek for "good news") are the first four books of the [[New Testament]], quoting [[Jesus]] and compelling testimony as to his [[Resurrection]]. Two are by [[Apostles]] ([[Matthew]] and [[Gospel of John|John]]), another by the outsider [[Mark]] who witnessed events as a boy accompanying his mother who was a disciple, and the fourth by a physician-historian who interviewed many about him ([[Gospel of Luke]]). The stated [[authorship]] of the Gospels is linguistically confirmed, and they were written before [[Paul]]'s letters that began in the late 40s A.D. because [[Paul]] made use of them. The Gospels shaped modern advancements by developing the concepts of [[infinity]] and [[eternal life]]. |
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| | '''''The Gospels are the single best way to overcome all types of [[addiction]], which afflict everyone in some way'''''. | | '''''The Gospels are the single best way to overcome all types of [[addiction]], which afflict everyone in some way'''''. |
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| | ==The relationship of the Gospels== | | ==The relationship of the Gospels== |
| | [[Image:Gospel Leaf.jpg|thumb|Gospel Leaf, [[Ethiopia]].]] | | [[Image:Gospel Leaf.jpg|thumb|Gospel Leaf, [[Ethiopia]].]] |
| − | Although [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] comes first in Biblical order, since the nineteenth century the Gospel of [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] is widely agreed to be the oldest of the Gospels (see [[Bible#The Gospels|Bible: The Gospels]]). However, this view has more recently been disputed.<ref>Eusebius relates the already-existing tradition in his day that Matthew wrote the first Gospel. In every manuscript of the New Testament, Matthew is always placed first, and for almost 1900 years the traditional view prevailed unchallenged that Matthew was the first Gospel written. This is called the [[Augustinian Hypothesis]], which holds that Matthew was the first Gospel, written by Matthew the Evangelist. Mark, according to tradition a Roman, and a companion of Peter, was the author of the second Gospel, but beginning in the 19th century Heinrich Julius Holtzmann, together with other German scholars, abused the literary tools of [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|historical-critical methods]] in opposition to Christian tradition, declared on their authority as German scholars that Mark's gospel was the first to be written down, about A.D. 50. This theory is called "[[Marcan priority]]", and it was aggressively spread as part of [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck's]] anti-Catholic 'Kulturkampf' policy. See [http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/KULTGOS.TXT Kulturkampf and the Gospel, by John Beaumont]<br/>[http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/farmer%28n%29.htm Church in History. The ChurchinHistory Information Centre. BISMARCK AND THE FOUR GOSPELS 1870 - 1914, by William R. Farmer (University of Dallas) Editor of A NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY. The theory that Mark's Gospel was published before Matthew's is widely held in German and English-speaking countries. This article shows how this theory, with little supporting evidence, came to be spread as part of Bismarck's anti-Catholic 'Kulturkampf' policy. BIBLIOTHECA EPHEMERIDUM THEOLOGICARUM LOVANIENSIUM. THE FOUR GOSPELS. 1992] (churchinhistory.org). <br>This view is widely held by liberal biblical scholars in German and English-speaking countries. In the United States acceptance of Marcan Priority has often been a test of the "academic competency" of those faculty members who teach Biblical Studies. <br>See [https://books.google.com/books?id=UYKvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA282&lpg=PA282&dq=academic+persecution+regarding+Augustinian+hypothesis&source=bl&ots=iDysvbe5ii&sig=oNOrQku42-Tx-n-yBzhQtzAeQls&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VHKkVNa7IceiyAStsYKYAw&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=academic%20persecution%20regarding%20Augustinian%20hypothesis&f=false Mark's Gospel--Prior or Posterior?: A Reappraisal of the Phenomenon of Order, By David Neville]</ref> The [[hypothesis]] of Marcan Priority holds that Matthew and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were probably compiled slightly later, drawing both from Mark, eyewitness accounts, and oral testimony. It is also possible that Matthew or Luke each used the other as a source as well, although which one would have come first is unknown. [[Gospel of John|John]] is the last of the Gospels, the most theologically mature, and the strongest in its emphasis on God's loving sacrifice of his only son, Jesus, and how this sacrifice redeemed all mankind. The first three canonical Gospels are often called the "synoptic" (''sighted with'' another) Gospels, as they tell slightly different versions of the same underlying story of Christ's life and ministry on earth. | + | Although [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] comes first in Biblical order, since the nineteenth century the Gospel of [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] has been widely acknowledged as the oldest of the Gospels (see [[Bible#The Gospels|Bible: The Gospels]]). However, this view has more recently been disputed.<ref>Eusebius relates the already-existing tradition in his day that Matthew wrote the first Gospel. In every manuscript of the New Testament, Matthew is always placed first, and for almost 1900 years the traditional view prevailed unchallenged that Matthew was the first Gospel written. This is called the [[Augustinian Hypothesis]], which holds that Matthew was the first Gospel, written by Matthew the Evangelist. Mark, according to tradition a Roman, and a companion of Peter, was the author of the second Gospel, but beginning in the 19th century Heinrich Julius Holtzmann, together with other German scholars, abused the literary tools of [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|historical-critical methods]] in opposition to Christian tradition, declared on their authority as German scholars that Mark's gospel was the first to be written down, about A.D. 50. This theory is called "[[Marcan priority]]", and it was aggressively spread as part of [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck's]] anti-Catholic 'Kulturkampf' policy. See [http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/KULTGOS.TXT Kulturkampf and the Gospel, by John Beaumont]<br/>[http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/farmer%28n%29.htm Church in History. The ChurchinHistory Information Centre. BISMARCK AND THE FOUR GOSPELS 1870 - 1914, by William R. Farmer (University of Dallas) Editor of A NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY. The theory that Mark's Gospel was published before Matthew's is widely held in German and English-speaking countries. This article shows how this theory, with little supporting evidence, came to be spread as part of Bismarck's anti-Catholic 'Kulturkampf' policy. BIBLIOTHECA EPHEMERIDUM THEOLOGICARUM LOVANIENSIUM. THE FOUR GOSPELS. 1992] (churchinhistory.org). <br>This view is widely held by liberal biblical scholars in German and English-speaking countries. In the United States, acceptance of Marcan Priority has often been a test of the "academic competency" of those faculty members who teach Biblical Studies. <br>See [https://books.google.com/books?id=UYKvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA282&lpg=PA282&dq=academic+persecution+regarding+Augustinian+hypothesis&source=bl&ots=iDysvbe5ii&sig=oNOrQku42-Tx-n-yBzhQtzAeQls&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VHKkVNa7IceiyAStsYKYAw&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=academic%20persecution%20regarding%20Augustinian%20hypothesis&f=false Mark's Gospel--Prior or Posterior?: A Reappraisal of the Phenomenon of Order, By David Neville]</ref> The [[hypothesis]] of Marcan Priority holds that Matthew and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were probably compiled slightly later, drawing both from Mark, eyewitness accounts, and oral testimony. It is also possible that Matthew or Luke each used the other as a source as well, although which one would have come first is unknown. [[Gospel of John|John]] is the last of the Gospels, the most theologically mature, and the strongest in its emphasis on God's loving sacrifice of his only son, Jesus, and how this sacrifice redeemed all mankind. The first three canonical Gospels are often called the "synoptic" (''sighted with'' another) Gospels, as they tell slightly different versions of the same underlying story of Christ's life and ministry on earth. |
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| | Luke was said to have been a Greek physician (see Col 4:14) who accompanied [[Paul]] and also wrote the [[Acts (of the Apostles)|Acts of the Apostles]] describing the arrival of the [[Holy Spirit]]. Unlike the Gospels of Matthew and John, written as firsthand accounts, the Gospel of Luke records eyewitness accounts of others, much as a doctor asks a patient for his medical history and then writes it down in the medical file. Due to Luke's professional nature, his Gospel is very comprehensive about Jesus' life and [[resurrection]], and it also conveys the great sense of [[joy]] that Jesus' family, friends, and followers felt. | | Luke was said to have been a Greek physician (see Col 4:14) who accompanied [[Paul]] and also wrote the [[Acts (of the Apostles)|Acts of the Apostles]] describing the arrival of the [[Holy Spirit]]. Unlike the Gospels of Matthew and John, written as firsthand accounts, the Gospel of Luke records eyewitness accounts of others, much as a doctor asks a patient for his medical history and then writes it down in the medical file. Due to Luke's professional nature, his Gospel is very comprehensive about Jesus' life and [[resurrection]], and it also conveys the great sense of [[joy]] that Jesus' family, friends, and followers felt. |
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| | In addition to the four Canonical gospels, other texts claiming to record the accounts of Jesus's earthly ministry have survived in part or in whole. Most notable among these is the [[Gospel of Thomas]], which contains additional sayings and teachings. Recently, a [[Gospel of Judas]] surfaced, but this text is decidedly a later one, and its claim for any original authority is very slim. These Gospels are considered apocryphal by modern Christianity, and therefore not authoritative texts. | | In addition to the four Canonical gospels, other texts claiming to record the accounts of Jesus's earthly ministry have survived in part or in whole. Most notable among these is the [[Gospel of Thomas]], which contains additional sayings and teachings. Recently, a [[Gospel of Judas]] surfaced, but this text is decidedly a later one, and its claim for any original authority is very slim. These Gospels are considered apocryphal by modern Christianity, and therefore not authoritative texts. |
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| − | A number of other "gospels" were written sometime between the second and fourth centuries, most well after the dates when the disciples lived. They include the Gospel of the Ebionites, Gospel of the Hebrews, [[Marcion of Sinope|Gospel of Marcion]], Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, and the Infancy Gospel of James.<ref>Donald Harman Akenson, Surpassing Wonder: The Invention of the Bible and the Talmuds, 216.</ref> | + | A number of other "gospels" were written sometime between the second and fourth centuries, mostly after the dates when the disciples lived. They include the Gospel of the Ebionites, Gospel of the Hebrews, [[Marcion of Sinope|Gospel of Marcion]], Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, and the Infancy Gospel of James.<ref>Donald Harman Akenson, Surpassing Wonder: The Invention of the Bible and the Talmuds, 216.</ref> |
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| | Among fragments that still survive are the gospels according to the Hebrews (much prized by the early Jewish Church), according to the Egyptians, of the Ebionites, of Philip, of Matthias, of Peter, of Thomas (almost complete), of Nicodemus, of Bartholomew, of Pseudo-Melito, of Joseph of Arimathaea, of James, of Pseudo-Matthew, of Barnabas and a whole collection of infancy gospels.<ref>James. M.R, The Apocryphal New Testament (Clarendon, Oxford, 1924)</ref> | | Among fragments that still survive are the gospels according to the Hebrews (much prized by the early Jewish Church), according to the Egyptians, of the Ebionites, of Philip, of Matthias, of Peter, of Thomas (almost complete), of Nicodemus, of Bartholomew, of Pseudo-Melito, of Joseph of Arimathaea, of James, of Pseudo-Matthew, of Barnabas and a whole collection of infancy gospels.<ref>James. M.R, The Apocryphal New Testament (Clarendon, Oxford, 1924)</ref> |