How can you be sure that the 4 Gospels were truly written by St Matthew St Mark St Luke and St John?

Answer 1

As with any other historical document, various methods of "criticism" - here not referring to any insult or bias against the document - are used to determine the origins of each Gospel. The related link "Synoptic Problem" to the left provides some detail about this in relationship to the Gospels. These books are anonymous. They do not purport to have been written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Their titles do not affirm it. They simply imply that they are "according" to the supposed teachings of these Evangelists. As Renan says, "They merely signify that these were the traditions proceeding from each of these Apostles, and claiming their authority." Concerning their authorship the Rev. Dr. Hooykaas says: "They appeared anonymously. The titles placed above them in our Bibles owe their origin to a later ecclesiastical tradition which deserves no confidence whatever"

Answer 2

The authors of the four Gospels are all anonymous (not known). The early Church Fathers traditionally attributed it to the four disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Answer 3

The four New Testament gospels were actually anonymous until they were attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John later in the second century. However, modern New Testament scholars say there is no good reason to accept those attributions and that none of the gospels could have been written by eyewitnesses to the events portrayed.

Let's look at the New Testament gospels, one by one, starting from the first to be written - Mark's Gospel. Even those who believe that Mark wrote this gospel concede that he was not an eyewitness to the events portrayed, although there is a view that Mark wrote the gospel from the recollections of Peter. We can look at the gospel text to test this hypothesis. The entire gospel is based around a parallel structure, a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first, providing emphasis and creating narratives by context and association:A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

Notice that each important event has a matching event in just the right sequence. This is too neat and artificial to be based on real life. This is evidence that the author knew little or nothing about the life and mission of Jesus, but created a narrative around Jesus, using what few facts he knew from sources such as Paul's epistles.

Matthew's Gospel was next to be written, but scholars reading it in parallel ('synoptically') with Mark and Luke, in the original Greek language, have established that Matthew and Luke were substantially based on Mark, and that Matthew and Luke also contain material copied from another source, now known as the hypothetical 'Q' document. An eyewitness would not need to rely so extensively on other sources. Material unique to Matthew, such as the nativity and the empty tomb could not have been witnessed by this author, and in any case most scholars dismiss these accounts as literary creations.

As previously stated, Luke was substantially based on Mark and 'Q'. Material unique to Luke, such as the birth of John the Baptist and the nativity could not have been witnessed by this author. In any case, even those who believe that Luke wrote this gospel concede that he was not an eyewitness to the events portrayed.

Until early in the twentieth century, New Testament scholars accepted that John's Gospel, alone among the New Testament gospels, was independent of Mark. This allowed that we could have one gospel that was written by an eyewitness. Further research has shown that John was loosely based on Luke, with some material copied direct from Mark. Once again, an eyewitness would not need to rely so extensively on other sources.

Whatever the ultimate source of the gospel story, the New Testament gospels were not written by eyewitnesses to the events described.

Answer 4

It is not possible to give more than a brief opinion in response to these questions.

Mark
There is considerable evidence that the author we know as Mark wrote the first of the Gospels approximately 70 CE - during or just after the First Jewish War, that began in 66 CE. The Romans were looking for everyone remotely responsible for the uprising and the small Christian community may have been vulnerable. Christians had relied on oral teachings, but now they needed a text that showed that they held no views or beliefs injurious to Roman rule. Mark produced his Gospel, showing Jesus to be a righteous and pacifist Jew who upheld Roman rule.

Matthew
Scholars have shown that the author now known as Matthew used the Gospel According to Mark as his primary source for information about the life of Jesus. In the oldest manuscripts available to us, Mark did not claim that the risen Jesus appeared to others. Without a resurrection or virgin birth, and without evidence of Davidic descent, the Gospel provided little to convince Jews or pagans of the significance of Christianity.

Matthew introduced a miraculous birth, but also descent through Joseph from David, proof that he rose from the dead, and many more wise sayings and miracles. He also used many references to the Old Testament to link Christianity to Judaism and show that Jesus had been prefigured. From this evidence, it may be that Matthew was responding to pagan or Jewish criticism that Mark had not proven that Jesus was really the Messiah nor that Jesus was more than a wandering preacher.

Luke Luke also introduced a miraculous birth and descent through Joseph from David, proof that he rose from the dead and many more wise sayings and miracles. He frequently reported the same sayings as in Matthew, but at different times in the ministry of Jesus and in different circumstances; scholars say that they were using a sayings source called the 'Q' document. Luke relied less on the Old Testament, but tried to place the events in a historic context, thus 'proving' that they really happened. Once again, it may be that Luke was responding to pagan or Jewish criticism that Mark had not proven that Jesus was really the Messiah nor that Jesus was more than a wandering preacher.

John John's Gospel differs in some important respects from the other, 'synoptic' gospels, although Luke's Gospel seems to have been his primary source. Elaine Pagels believes that the author we now know as John was attempting to counteract the influence of St Thomas' Gospel. It was John who created the image of "doubting Thomas" and exposed many weaknesses in the apostle. John was also opposed to Gnostic concepts such as docetism.

Answer 5

Scholars rely on historical accounts, textual analysis, and early Christian traditions to attribute authorship of the Gospels to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While there is no definitive proof, the traditional attributions have been widely accepted in Christian tradition.

Answer 6

Another answer from our community:

Yes, it is generally accepted that the authors were eyewitnesses and were Christ's apostles.