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What are some events in John's Gospel that cannot be found in the synoptic Gospels?
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
The uniqueness of John may be summed up in that it is the only Gospel that states its purpose clearly and succinctly. It was written to tell individuals how to find eternal life (John 20:31) which sets it apart from the other Gospels. John does not speak so much of the life of Jesus as he powerfully presents the deity of Jesus - each and every chapter presents evidence in both signs and statements for Jesus' divine authority.
John's Gospel discusses many foundational and deep subjects the other Gospels don't. He was the only writer to explain who the 'Word' was and why His sacrifice should inspire us (John 1:1-5; 3:14-21). It is only John who discusses the mighty 'I AM' (authoritative God of OT) and who He really was. John explains the resurrection of Lazarus and shows us how it relates to our incredible human potential (we are potential Gods in John 1:12; 10 all). Explains to us what the Samaritan (no longer purely Jewish stock) woman means to the world. And why 'Jesus wept,' which even most of God's own people today don't understand.
For anyone wanting to delve into the Scriptures, I would highly recommend reading John first.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoSome events in John's Gospel are entirely unique to that Gospel; some appear to elaborate on stories found in Luke's Gospel, the primary source used by the author of John's Gospel; while some can be found in the synoptic gospels but at a clearly different time in the life and mission of Jesus.
In the first group we find the story of Jesus turning water into wine. Another example is the story in John's Gospel of Jesus three times asking Peter if he loved him as the other disciples did, at first using the Greek word for unconditional love (agape),and each time Peter could only offer brotherly love.
In the second group is John's story of Lazarus. Luke contains a brief story of Jesus visiting the sisters, while Lazarus is in a parable that mentions his resurrection hypothetically (Luke 16:20-31). John wrote an important episode, in which Jesus visited the sisters, Mary and Martha, and really did resurrect their dead brother, Lazarus (John 11:43-44). Luke had the risen Jesus visit the disciples at a meal on the evening of his resurrection, after which he was taken up bodily into heaven. John splits this account into two different visits of the risen Jesus in the same room, allowing for the famous story of Doubting Thomas.
The cleansing of the Temple occurs at the very end of the synoptic gospels, and is used as the trigger for the arrest of Jesus. John's Gospel uses the resurrection of Lazarus as the trigger for the arrest of Jesus and moves the Cleansing of the Temple to the beginning of the Gospel story. John chapter 21 tells of the risen Jesus telling the disciples to cast their nets on the other side, and they had a huge catch of fish. This mirrors an earlier episode in Luke 5:1-11, where Jesus tells the disciples to cast their nets on the other side, and they had a huge catch of fish.
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Which author did not write one of the three synoptic reports on the life of Jesus Christ?
A:All the New Testament gospels were originally anonymous, which means that in spite of the best efforts of the second-century Church Fathers we do not know who any of the authors really were. The synoptic gospels were attributed to Matthew, Mark and Luke. The fourth gospel was attributed to the disciple John, although modern Bible scholars say that none of the gospels could have been written by an eyewitness to the events portrayed. For convenience, scholars continue to use these names for the authors of the gospels, so John did not write a synoptic gospel.
What does synoptic mean when referring to the christian gospels?
A:The word synoptic means 'seen with the same eye' and can refer to many different things such as synoptic weather charts. In a religious context, it refers to the close similarities among the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke - the synoptic gospels. When the synoptic gospels are looked at in parallel - synoptically - in the original Greek language, it soon becomes apparent that there is a literary dependency among the three gospels. New Testament scholars say that Mark's Gospel was written first, approximately 70 CE, and that Matthew and Lukewere largely based on Mark's original Gospel. There are further similarities between Matthew and Luke only, which have been traced back to the hypothetical 'Q' document.
What are the 2 groups of the gospels?
Of the four canonical Gospels - Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels because they contain a lot of the stories - in some cases with almost the exact same wording. Matthew was written primarily to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, Luke to the Gentiles. The Gospel of John focuses less on specific historical events (ex. Jesus' birth) in the synoptic Gospels, but zeroes in on the signs that Jesus is the Messiah. It starts out claiming that Jesus is the Logos or Word of God and continues showing signs pointing to his divinity as much as his humanity.
What is the difference between the synoptic gospels and John's Gospel?
Another answer from our community:John differs from the synoptic Gospels because it is not just listing events in the life of Jesus and reporting His teachings. John is more thematic in nature and provides more theological discourse on the person and work of Christ. John also focus' on events in Judea rather than the Galilean ministry. The synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called such because they contain a brief review, summary or synopsis of Jesus' life and teachings. John is recognized as somewhat different with a lot less detail in terms of coverage of events but a much greater degree of theological detail focused around people's reactions to Jesus work and teachings and ensuing discussions. Thus John's different structure which is more theological and not a summary of all Jesus said and did is classified as non-synoptic.Another answerThere are four gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are called the synoptic gospels because they agree moderately well on the life and teachings of Jesus, although each is a little different from the other two.John's Gospel is quite a good deal different from the other gospels. Some scholars believe that John was originally written in a Gnostic community and was subsequently edited to remove some of the more clearly Gnostic material, although the gospel still has a Gnostic flavour. John is the only gospel that states Jesus to be God and to have been pre-existing. John also contains a good deal of material that is not in the other gospels, including a much longer account of the appearances of the risen Jesus. Although some say that this gospel is concerned with themes rather than the chronological order of events, it is nevertheless true that events are certainly placed in a different sequence compared to the other gospels.Scholars have noted that the events in the mission of Jesus, as described by the synoptic gospels, could have taken place in as little as one year, but the events described in John's Gospel would require four years. John appears to differ from the other three gospels in several ways. For example, in John the ministry of Jesus seems to last several years, whereas in the other gospels it appears to be limited to about one year. Also, John give an important role to the un-named "disciple whom Jesus loved", but the other gospels don't even mention such a person. Also, in John, Jesus performs several major miracles that aren't recorded in the other gospels, such as the resurrection of Lazarus and the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. John depicts Jesus somewhat differently than the other gospels do. Some people have said that this is because John tries to show the spiritual side of Jesus, whereas the other gospels mainly try to show his human side.
What gospel is a little different from the other three?
There are four gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are called the synoptic gospels because they agree moderately well on the life and teachings of Jesus, although each is a little different from the other two.John's Gospel is quite a good deal different from the other gospels. Some scholars believe that John was originally written in a Gnostic community and was subsequently edited to remove some of the more clearly Gnostic material, although the gospel still has a Gnostic flavour. John is the only gospel that states Jesus to be God and to have been pre-existing. John also contains a good deal of material that is not in the other gospels, including a much longer account of the appearances of the risen Jesus. Although some say that this gospel is concerned with themes rather than the chronological order of events, it is nevertheless true that events are certainly placed in a different sequence compared to the other gospels. Scholars have noted that the events in the mission of Jesus, as described bythe synoptic gospels, could have taken place in as little as one year, but the events described in John's Gospel would require four years.John wrote to give more of a theological presentation of whom Christ was and why He came. His purpose was more evangelistic in nature. Christ's role as Lord and Messiah is particularly emphasised, and encapsulated in the seven great "I Am" statements.
Who are the Gospel's writers?
The synoptic gospels were written by:Matthew, an apostle of Jesus (Matt. 9:9; 10:3) and eyewitness to many of the events related in his gospel, though not some of the earlier events prior to his calling.Mark, also known as John Mark; a disciple of Jesus though not an apostle, he was well-acquainted with Peter (Acts 12:12), and was a compatriot and fellow-worker with Barnabas and Paul (Acts 12:25). There is evidence that he was an eyewitness to at least some of the events he relates (Mark 14:51, 52 - no other gospel mentions this young man, whom many take to be Mark himself).Luke, the physician (Colossians 4:14) and only Gentile writer represented in the Bible. Neither apostle nor eyewitness, he was a thorough historian who shared in Paul's missionary work (2 Timothy 4:11) and also wrote the church's early history, Acts of the Apostles.Whether they were eyewitnesses to the events they recorded is quite beside the point, as all of their writings were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16).
Why are the synoptic gospels called synoptic?
The synoptic gospels are called synoptic because they share a similar perspective and structure, allowing for easy comparison of the parallel accounts of Jesus' life, teachings, and miracles. The word "synoptic" comes from a Greek term meaning "seen together," highlighting the commonalities in content and order among Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Why are the first three Gospels called synoptic Gospels but not John?
The word 'synoptic' means to see with the same eye, in other words to see the story of Jesus in much the same way. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are regarded as synoptic gospels because they are moderately similar in the storoes they tell. John's Gospel differs considerably and is therefore not called a synoptic gospel.Scholars say that Mark's Gospel was the first gospel to be written, about 70 CE, and that the author's of Matthew and Luke relied on Mark for information about the life and mission of Jesus, as well as taking further, sayings material from the hypothetical 'Q' document. Whenever Matthew and Luke agree with Mark they are very close to the account in Mark, often even using exactly the same words in the Greek language. The extent of copying is demonstrated by Matthew's Gospel containing some 600 of the 666 verses in Mark. Thus, Matthew and Luke and therefore Mark are 'synoptic'.Scholars say that John's Gospel was loosely based on Luke's Gospel, with some material taken direct from Mark. So, not only is John further removed from the original gospel than were Matthew and Luke, but its author felt less inclination to follow his source closely. Although Johnrarely contradicts Luke directly, its author did change the timing or significance of events, or add further details that coloured the meaning. In defence of John, the early Church Father, Origen (Commentary on John) says, "Although he does not always tell the truth literally, he always tells it spiritually."
Did Matthew write one of the gospels?
A:No, the apostle Matthew did not write any of the New Testament gospels. The four gospels were originally anonymous and were only attributed to the apostles whose names they now bear, later in the second century. Thus we only have the opinions of the Church Fathers as to who any of the authors were. Seeing a literary dependency among the synoptic gospels, they believed that Matthew, the disciple of Jesus, wrote the first gospel and that the gospels they attributed to Mark and Luke were based on copying and improving Matthew's Gospel. In fact, scholars now say that none of the gospels could have been written by an eyewitness to the events they portray.Scholars can demonstrate that Mark's Gospel was actually the earliest gospel and that Matthew's Gospel was largely based on it, with some 90 per cent of the verses in Mark, as well as containing further sayings material from the hypothetical 'Q' document. Clearly, a disciple of Jesus would not have needed to base almost his entire gospel on these prior sources. Matthew did not write the Gospel of Matthew.
What was Matthew's influence on writing the Bible?
A:Matthew, the disciple of Jesus, seems to have had no influence on writing the New Testament. When the Church Fathers first saw that there was a literary dependency among the synoptic gospels, they assumed that the gospel they would attribute to Matthew was the original and that Mark and Luke were copied from it. This would mean that Matthew's influence was very considerable, having not only written one gospel, but having two of the other gospels based on that original.Modern scholars agree that there is a literary dependency among the synoptic gospels but have established that the gospel the Church Fathers attributed to Mark was really the original and that most of Mark was copied by the author of Matthew. Not only do they say that Matthew was not written by an eyewitness to the events portrayed, but that it was largely derived from Mark and another source, the hypothetical 'Q' document.
Why do the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of St John not seem related?
AnswerThe synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and the Gospel of John are, of course, related, because all four gospels attempt to tell the story of Jesus of Nazareth. The synoptic gospels are so called because they are in substantial agreement on the life and mission of Jesus. John's Gospel differs more substantially in its description of the events it describes.Matthew's Gospel and Luke's Gospel tell a quite similar story to Mark's Gospel because they actually used Mark's Gospel as their primary source for the life and mission of Jesus. Even the words used, in the original Greek language, are remarkably similar. Matthew and Luke also contain a number of identical sayings and parables that they both copied from the hypothetical 'Q' document. However, 'Q' was a sayings document only and did not describe the time or place where Jesus would have spoken these sayings, so the two authors wrote their own, generally quite different context for each saying.John's Gospel used Luke's Gospel as its main source, with some input direct from Mark's Gospel. The author often used passages in Luke as inspiration ofr his own stories, rather than simply copying them more or less as they were in Luke. Scholars say that John's Gospel seems to have originated in a Gnostic Christian community and was probably much more Gnostic in flavour when first written. Subsequent editing made the book more acceptable to members of what was to become the mainstream branch of Christianity.
Which gospels are synoptic gospels?
A:The first three gospels are often referred to as the synoptic gospels. This is because the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke have many of the same stories, often in same sequence (although not always). There are even ocasions where they use the exact same wording. A:The Synoptic Gospels are Matthew, Mark and Luke. They are called synoptic because they are intriguingly similar and intriguingly different. The most common theory is that Mark is the oldest of these, and Matthew and Luke in various ways used Mark along with other material to create their individual narratives.Scholars believe that this other material consisted of material unique to each of Matthew and Luke (ie material they wrote themselves - called 'M' and 'L') and further material that is common to both Matthew and Luke but not found in Mark. This material consists mostly of the sayings of Jesus and scholars now believe that this came from a now lost source called 'Q' (from the German 'Quelle' meaning 'source').Other theories - for example, that Matthew (or Luke) is the oldest Gospel and Mark wrote his account later leaving outchunks of material was once a common belief, but modern textual criticism suggests that Mark was the first gospel to have been written with additions made by Luke and Matthew.
