What do Catholics consider the oldest gospel?

Answer 1

Originally, St. Matthew's Gospel was considered the first Gospel. However, today that status is in question. Matthew is said to have written the Gospel in Hebrew but that text disappeared over time and was lost to history. A Gospel of Matthew in Greek is still extant but it is unknown if this was a translation of the original Hebrew Gospel or was a different version. Matthew's Gospel includes the version written by Mark almost in its entirety so Matthew may have borrowed extensively from Mark's Gospel and added to it from his own personal observations and remembrances. That would mean that Mark is the author of the oldest Gospel.

Answer 2

AnswerMark's Gospel was written approximately 70 CE and is clearly the oldest of the four New Testament gospels. By the second century, the Church Fathers had recognised that there is a literary dependency among Matthew, Mark and Luke, but their view was that Matthew must have been written first and that Mark and Luke were based on Matthew. However, modern scholars say that the author of Luke clearly knew nothing of Matthew, and that for this and other reasons Mark's Gospel must have been the original gospel. They say that John's Gospel was inspired by Luke's Gospel, with some material taken direct form Mark. Thus, Mark is the oldest of the New Testament gospels.

Another source used by the authors of Matthew and Luke is believed to have been the hypothetical 'Q' document, a sayings gospel that could be as old as Mark's Gospel. In fact, Q is believed to have been written in four stages, and at least the earliest level is quite likely to have been written before Mark's Gospel.

Some scholars believe that the Gospel of Thomas could be older than Mark's Gospel, although this remains subject to debate. as with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we do not really know who wrote Thomas, but again it is unlikely to have been the disciple Thomas.