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Reflections on synoptic gospels
Comparison of the three synoptic gospels
Comparison of the three synoptic gospels
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Recommended: Reflections on synoptic gospels
All of the Synoptic Gospels speak much the same message, but not all in the same way. As having learned in our readings this week from the Robert Gundry’s book, Mark most likely wrote to non-Christian Jews, while Matthew most likely wrote to a “Jewish Christian” (Jewish converts) audience, and Luke most likely wrote to the Gentiles. The Gospel of Luke stands out as the most distinctive for multiple reasons, not only is Luke’s emphasis into topics different from the other Gospels, but his audience made the major difference. While the other synoptic Gospels say much of the same as Luke, they do not speak to a Gentile, as Luke does. Luke, Gundry says, “was probably a Gentile…” giving him a superior perspective in which to bring the Gospel to
Throughout Jesus’ life he has effected many people for the better. But each person sees Jesus in a different way and interprets his almighty powers differently. This is where all of these Gospels came from. Each one is unique and talks about Jesus from each authors point of view. For example in the gospel of Luke there are many themes and ideas that are unique to the gospel and wouldn’t find in the other ones like salvation for the people by Jesus being portrayed as the Universal Savor, the Messianic Secret, God’s plan and the focus on poverty and the wealthy.
If the Gospel of mark was written to the Romans and the Gospel of Luke for Theophilus and all non-Jewish believers the Gospel of Matthew was written to Jewish believers. The Jewish background of this Gospel seems in many ways, including
In the Gospel of Luke, he starts off with Jesus is speaking in a synagogue where he grew up. Jesus was preaching a sermon to the Jew and said that he was a prophet. Because Jesus said, he was a prophet the Jews tried to kill him. The narrative of a gospel is Jews people rejected to Jesus say he was a prophet, but the Gentiles embraced it.
When you think of Sabbath, you think of a holy day, a day of rest and relaxation for both man and animals. The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word meaning “day of rest”. The Sabbath day is God’s day of relaxation after he finished the creation of the earth. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each tell about the Sabbath dispute, but each gospel tells their story differently.
Nickle, Keith F. The Synoptic Gospels, An Introduction. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. 2001. Print.
Should one fully read the opening four Gospels of the New Testament, he or she can find many similar patterns of literature and themes affording much attention to detail and study. This is what someone such as Merriam Webster would define as the ?Synoptic Gospels?. So, what are and how can we explain the differences and similarities among synoptic authors Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the gospel, John? Which Book was written first? To what extent did the Evangelists depend on oral tradition, written sources, or each other? The phenomenon and mystery of these similar but unique Synoptic Gospels has for centuries challenged some of the best minds of academia and the church, stirring up much scholarly controversy; baffling many New Testament Survey students. To completely understand the similarities and differences between these Synoptic Gospels we must first be acquainted with the authors of them; we ought to discern the background of their life, academic qualifications, experiences, literature styles, and occupations. We must also ask the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? The first very important question I?d like to pose is: Who? Who were these author?s that challenged our hearts and minds and taught us Jesus? life, ministries, and importance?
The ultimate goal of any form of communication is understanding. If the audience is unable to grasp the message of the speaker, the speaker has failed his purpose. In gospel ministry, effective communication becomes all the more necessary. In his Gospel and the book of Acts, Luke made it clear that Jesus and the Early-Christian proclaimers of the gospel would use common life experiences, known cultural facts, and previously known religious information to present the gospel message and its truths. Luke accomplished this in several different ways. In his Gospel, he included several parables in which Jesus used common life experiences and cultural situations to explain different truths of his gospel message. Luke presented these parables in a style which both Jewish and Gentile readers could understand. In Acts, Luke emphasized the speech of Stephen, who utilized Old Testament history to prove how Jesus is the true Messiah. He later recounted the Areopagus speech of Paul, which showed how even heathen religious information can be a bridge to the gospel. In all these ways, the writings of Luke show the importance of presenting the gospel so all may
In chapter eight of Felder he talks about the four gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each have their own ways of telling the readers about Jesus, but Jesus’s message is the same in each gospel. The core message of Jesus’s teachings is the reign of God, and His kingdom. Jesus was not sent down to change the old laws, but to make them fit what God wanted. Jesus wanted everyone to know the kingdom of God is already present, but it is also a future as well. People need to accept God and live for Him, so that way they can become a part and better the kingdom. The gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as a universal savior that is friends with everyone no matter who they are. Jesus wanted everyone to love each other, and not judge one another. To Him
The Synoptic Gospels are the very first three gospels of the New Testament which consist of Matthew, Luke, and Mark. These 3 gospels have been named the Synoptic Gospels because of how noticeably similar that they all are, having many of the same stories often in a similar sequence and with the same wording, and also because of how different they are to the gospel of John. There are many theories that suggest Matthew and Luke used Marks gospel, who supposedly wrote his before theirs, as a major source when writing their gospels. I am going to compare the gospels of Matthew and Mark to find out just how similar they both are and to determine whether or not these theories are true.
There are numerous similarities between the synoptic Gospels, to many to say that it is just chance. There are similarities in events, grammar, location, use of words, expressions and many more. Four types of similarities, according to the ‘Catholic planet’ article are “that some material is found in all three, second that there are similarities between Matthew and Luke which are not found in mark, third, that there are similarities in Mark and Luke not found in Matthew, and fourth is that there are similarities between Matthew and Mark not found in Luke. The strongest proponent of the synoptic characterization in my opinion would have to be items that are in all three gospels. These
The Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Luke and Matthew are three of the most important books in the New Testament and bear a direct relationship to each other. It is believed by most scholars that Mark was the first to be written and directly influenced the writings of Luke and Matthew. The authors of Luke and Matthew appear to have drawn some of their information from Mark’s Gospel and mixed it with their own individual sources, referred to as the M and L sources. Many scholars also believe that there is also a yet undiscovered book of sayings referred to as the Quelle, or simply the Q source which was used as a reference by the authors of Mathew and Luke, but not by Mark’s writer. In the story of the plucking of grain on the Sabbath, found in Mark
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because their writings that tell the story of Jesus is so closely matched, especially when compared to the gospel of John who wrote a very different account of Jesus’ life (Harris, 2014). It is also important to note, that the Synoptic Gospels do not match exactly. There are some significant differences, however, the overall context shares much in common with one another (Harris, 2014). One of the major differences between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John, is that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all state that Jesus went to Jerusalem only once, while John states Jesus made multiple trips there (Harris, 2014). Luke is also the only Synoptic Gospel to declare he never had a personal
In the gospels of Mark and Matthew, the authors state that Jesus only taught his audience by using parables; However, in John’s composition, Jesus teachings are described as being lengthy dialogues that are conducted both publicly and privately (Harris, 2014). Another difference between the gospel of John and the synoptic gospels’ is the Mosaic Law. In the synoptic gospels, the Mosaic Law is a major topic as it describes to believers and followers the requirements for obtaining salvation. On the other hand, the author of the book of John identifies love to be the only important directive. In prioritizing love, John excludes topics about divorce, the Sabbath, retaliation, and forgiving enemies (Harris, 2014). Still another omission in the book of John is that of Jerusalem’s fall. Unlike the synoptic gospels, John disassociates Jesus from the apocalyptic hopes that many early Christians had linked to Jerusalem’s destruction. Lastly, John’s gospel differs from the other gospels in that it does not focus on the apocalyptic prophecies of Jesus Second Coming. According to John, Jesus had already finished his work. In addition, he believed that divine judgement was a current reality, not a future event (Harris,
The Gospel of Mark was the first written gospel in 70 CE and the “shortest of the four canonical Gospels” (Coogan 1791). The ancient tradition believes that the author of this gospel furnishes his account on the life of Jesus by drawing upon his experience of being Peter’s interpreter (Kalin 1). Additionally, the author utilizes, “written documents or literary fragments as well as oral material (to enhance the account)” (Harold 70). Being the first written gospel, it serves as the framework for the other gospels, but contains noticeable differences. The gospel stands out as the only gospel to be tragic and ironic. For example, the Gospel of Mark contains, “Jesus only overt miracle in Jerusalem and only destructive miracle in the Gospels” (Boring
- What are the major differences between the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and the gospels of John concerning the life and teachings of Jesus?