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Discussion » Questions » Religion and Spirituality » Have you ever thought about why there are 4 Gospels or why they don't all say the same exact things?

Have you ever thought about why there are 4 Gospels or why they don't all say the same exact things?

Interesting article:

WHY FOUR GOSPELS?

Posted - December 19, 2017

Responses


  • 22891
    not really
      December 19, 2017 3:28 PM MST
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  • Some of them say the same things, word for word, probably because Matthew and Luke at least borrowed from Mark in their narrative. There were other Gospels too, but most of them were determined to have been written later than the 4 canonical ones and written for specific sects, hence why they were not included. 
      December 19, 2017 7:41 PM MST
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  • 63
    As was Tex's buybull.
      December 19, 2017 9:14 PM MST
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  • 2657
    Are you still not able to take your finger and click a relevant link and learn and discuss another view?

    I gave you instructions here: https://answermug.com/forums/topic/46649/can-you-trust-the-bible-below-are-some-links-that-may-at-leas

    I gave you the instructions in the link above because you also were not able to do that here: https://answermug.com/forums/topic/45397/you-re-not-religious-that-s-fine-still-do-you-feel-appreciativ
      December 21, 2017 8:16 AM MST
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  • 2657
    It looks like you are saying that some of the Gospels say the same things, word for word. Is that what you are saying or do you mean that some verses from different Gospels say the same things, word for word?

    You don't believe that Matthew and Luke wrote under inspiration their eye witness accounts but just plagiarized off of Mark?
      December 21, 2017 8:13 AM MST
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  • I am saying that some of the Gospels contain the same passages verbatim, indicating that the Gospel-writers used the same sources (such as a purported source documenting Jesus' sayings; the Gospel writers incorporated these sayings into a narrative. Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source, but that doesn't mean that they "plagiarized", only that Mark served as a guideline).

      December 21, 2017 11:38 AM MST
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  • 2657
    You don't think that Matthew, Luke and Mark could have been present at some of the same events and that that could have been the source of their narratives?

    This article reminded me of what you said so I deleted my previous comment and reposted it with this addition:
    https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2008736?q=%22Were+the+Gospel+Writers+Plagiarists%22&p=par
    [...

    Was the Gospel of Mark Written First?

    The theory that Mark’s Gospel was written first and served as a source for Matthew and Luke is not based on “one logically cast-iron argument,” admits The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Yet, many scholars feel that Mark wrote his Gospel before Matthew and Luke wrote theirs because, they claim, Mark adds little to the other Gospels. For example, 19th-century Bible scholar Johannes Kuhn insisted that Mark’s Gospel must have been written first. Otherwise, Kuhn said, “one would have to imagine that Mark had cut the two scrolls of Matthew and Luke up into little snippets, mixed these together in a pot, and produced his Gospel from this mixture.”

    Since Mark’s Gospel is the shortest, it is not surprising that it contains the least amount of unique material. Still, that does not prove that it must have been written first. Further, it is simply not true that Mark adds nothing to Matthew and Luke. In Mark’s vigorous, fast-moving account of Jesus’ ministry, there are actually more than 180 passages and fascinating details that are not found in Matthew and Luke, making it a truly unique account of Jesus’ life.—See box on page 13.

    What About Document Q?

    What can be said about document Q, which some claim was a source for Matthew and Luke? James M. Robinson, professor of religion, states: “Q is surely the most important Christian text that we have.” That statement is surprising because document Q does not exist today, and in reality, no one can prove that it ever existed! Its total disappearance is all the more remarkable because scholars claim that several copies of the document must have circulated. In addition, document Q is never quoted by the Church Fathers.

    Think about this. Q is supposed to have existed and to have supported the hypothetical priority of Mark’s Gospel. Is that not a case of one hypothesis built upon another hypothesis? When it comes to theories such as these, we are wise to keep this proverb in mind: “A simple man believes every word he hears; a clever man understands the need for proof.”—Proverbs 14:15The New English Bible.

    ...]

      December 28, 2017 6:10 AM MST
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  • 1393
    It is generally agreed that Matthew was "written for specific sect" the Jews, maybe that is why it was included.
      December 29, 2017 1:39 PM MST
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  • 32527
    They are simply written from 4 different points of view. Just as if you take 4 people and have them discribe an event, you will get 4 different views of the same thing.
      December 21, 2017 7:34 PM MST
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  • 2657
    Yup, did you go to the link in the question?
      December 21, 2017 8:40 PM MST
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  • 32527
    No, I didn't.  
      December 21, 2017 8:47 PM MST
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  • 2657
    Here's part of what I found interesting:
    [...There are benefits to having these separate accounts of what Jesus said and did. To illustrate, imagine that four men are standing near a famous teacher. The man standing in front of the teacher has a tax office. The one on the right is a physician. The man listening from the left side is a fisherman and is the teacher’s very close friend. And the fourth man, located at the back, is an observer who is younger than the others. All four are honest men, and each has a distinct interest or focus. If each writes an account of the teacher’s sayings and activities, the four records would likely feature different details or events. By considering all four accounts, bearing in mind the varying perspectives or objectives, we could get a complete picture of what the teacher said and did. This illustrates how we can benefit from having four separate accounts of the life of the Great Teacher, Jesus.

    Continuing the illustration, the tax man wants  to appeal to people of a Jewish background, so he groups some teachings or events in a way to help that primary audience. The physician highlights the healing of the sick or crippled, so he omits some things that the tax man recorded or presents them in a different order. The close friend emphasizes the teacher’s feelings and qualities. The younger man’s account is briefer, more succinct. Still, each man’s account is accurate. This well illustrates how having all four accounts of Jesus’ life enriches our understanding of his activities, teachings, and personality.

    People may speak of ‘the Gospel of Matthew’ or ‘John’s Gospel.’ That is not inaccurate, for each contains “good news about Jesus Christ.” (Mark 1:1) However, in a larger sense, there is but one overall gospel, or good news, about Jesus​—available to us in the four records....]

      December 21, 2017 8:50 PM MST
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  • 1326
    "Jesus- the way, the truth, the life" superb reading on the life of Jesus Christ and the example he set for all to follow. (1peter 2:21)
      December 27, 2017 12:04 AM MST
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  • 1393
    Q "Have you ever thought about why there are 4 Gospels or why they don't all say the same exact things?"


    Yes, I did look into why there are 4 Gospels many years ago and found that it was apparently Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 185 who insisted that there must be four gospels in the Bible, neither more nor less, symbolic of the earth having four corners, neither more nor less.

    Anyway, I looked at the article WHY FOUR GOSPELS? referred to in the question hoping to find a better answer, but was puzzled to see no answer to the question "why FOUR?" It explained the advantages of having more than one but did not answer the question "why FOUR?" - unless I missed it.

     The article implies that "God inspired four accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings" but does not say why it could not have been more or less than four. Let us say that God inspired four and not more or less than four, how did the Councils who chose the four they did out of the many that were available know that those were the four inspired by God? The article does not shed any light on that puzzling question.

    It is generally agreed that Mark's Gospel written nearly 40 years after the ministry of Jesus was the first to be written. The Gospels attributed to Matthew and Luke, written separately about 20 years later, were based on Mark's Gospel and an unknown lost source of the sayings of Jesus. The Gospel of John followed about 10 years further down the line. Matthew's account was written to appeal to the Jews while Luke spells out its audience and purpose by saying "it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught".

    A simple comparison is enough to show that the article is quite right in saying that "each has a distinct interest or focus". Whereas Mark portrays Jesus more as a human being, both Matthew and Luke present a more than human Jesus compared to the Jesus in Mark, while in John, Jesus is elevated even more into divine status. For example, Mark [at 4:38] deems it okay for disciples to be impertinent to Jesus, "Teacher, don't You care that we are perishing?" Luke [8:24] on the other hand, reporting the same event, has them saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" while in Matthew 8:25 their words come through as a prayer, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" Whereas Mark [14:36], Luke [Luke 22:42] and Matthew [26:39] have Jesus going to be crucified not according to his will but the Father's will, in John [18] Jesus is portrayed as boldly handing himself to the Romans as if it was his will or at least as if his will was the same as that of the Father.
      December 29, 2017 5:36 PM MST
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  • 2657
    I know you miss a lot in getting the sense of something while trying to be a stickler about the letter of the law, so to speak, as long as it fits your beliefs and agenda, but wasn't really about the exact magical number 4 as in why neither more nor less like 3 or 5. You seemed to acknowledge that by saying [It explained the advantages of having more than one]. If you want to consider Irenaeus as somehow equivalent to to the Bible writers, that's your prerogative to believe that. 

    [Luke 22:42] and Matthew [26:39] - a bit easier if you put the full verses in brackets like you did Luke 22:42 rather than the way you did Matthew 26:39. Just saying.

    I would also find it a little easier if you would just quote the verses or quote and add your opinion of what they say rather than just giving your opinion. I don't see the minutiae you are trying to pick apart here. Jesus was consistently willing to do Gods will over his own even though he wasn't a sadist. Reading and looking to try to pick apart the littlest things in support of your agenda will never lead you to truth. Can't see the forest for the trees. I don't understand why you spend way much more time in attacking the Bible that you do in talking about the superiority of the Quran and perhaps how that has brought peace among those that live my it, if it does?

    (Mark 4:38) But he was in the stern, sleeping on the pillow. So they woke him up and said to him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are about to perish?”
    (Luke 8:24) So they went and woke him up, saying: “Instructor, Instructor, we are about to perish!” With that he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they subsided, and a calm set in.
    (Luke 8:24) So they went and woke him up, saying: “Instructor, Instructor, we are about to perish!” With that he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they subsided, and a calm set in.
    (Matthew 8:25) And they came and woke him up, saying: “Lord, save us, we are about to perish!”
    (Mark 14:36) And he said: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you; remove this cup from me. Yet, not what I want, but what you want.”
    (Luke 22:42) saying: “Father, if you want to, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, let, not my will, but yours take place.”
    (Matthew 26:39) And going a little way forward, he fell facedown, praying: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will.”
    (John 18:11) Jesus, however, said to Peter: “Put the sword into its sheath. Should I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
      December 31, 2017 10:15 AM MST
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  • 1393
    TY for your comments. I'm always looking to increase and improve my knowledge but I did not find anything in your post to show that any information I gave in my answer is wrong. I appreciate your effort though.
      December 31, 2017 2:46 PM MST
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  • 7280
    Well, probably because God intended that those 4 be listed.

    John 21:25---Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
      December 29, 2017 5:53 PM MST
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  • 44173
    There are 5...you forgot the Gospel according to Larry.
      December 31, 2017 10:19 AM MST
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  • 2657
    Oopsy, my bad. Also forgot about Moe, Curly, Shimp, Curly Joe and maybe more? lol
    I didn't get an alert that you commented. For some reason, it appears that I have to click 'Subscribe Topic', even on my own questions and more than just once on each question. Have you noticed that on your questions?
      December 31, 2017 10:43 AM MST
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  • 44173
    No, I haven't. I like your answer. Gotta have some fun here. Bible questions always take a serious side.
      December 31, 2017 12:05 PM MST
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  • 2657
    I like yours too. I do wish people could be a little nicer to one another, myself included as I know I get over defensive sometimes when some are just trying to demean. Gotta remember, two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do. 
      December 31, 2017 1:24 PM MST
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