Among first four books of the New Testament that proclaim the “Good News” brought by Jesus Christ, also known as Gospels, the first three are so alike that many passages can be placed side by side. These three books, the Gospels according to Saints Matthew, Mark , and Luke are often referred to or called “Synoptic Gospels”. Word “Synoptic” comes from Greek and literally means “with one eye”. The term indicates that synoptic gospels should be viewed and studied as it were with “one eye”, they should be seen together due to many factors; describing same events from life of Jesus Christ, using same sources and even relying on each other.
The Gospel of Saint Matthew.
The Gospel according to Saint Matthew in its present from was most likely written after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This gospel is very different from either Luke or Mark in it’s practice to quote Old Testament in connection to Jesus’ teaching and miracles. This makes many scholars believe that primary audience of Matthew’s Gospel were Judeo-Christian circles. The reader of the gospel according Saint Matthew must have been familiar not only with passages from the Old Testament but the Jewish culture and traditions as well. Many scholars consider the Gospel of saint Matthew to be an expanded version of Mark’s gospel, placing the time of writing of Mathew’s gospel around the year 85 A.D. If any one can describe the main theme of the Gospel of Saint Matthew in one term it would be “Messiah-King of Israel”.
The Gospel of Saint Mark.
The Gospel according to Saint Mark is considered to be the oldest gospels and was probably written around year 70 A.D., most likely before the destruction of Jerusalem for the luck of reference to these events. The main audience of Mark’s gospel were most likely Gentile Christians. In time of writing of Mark’s gospel the title “Christ” had already become part of Jesus’ proper name and had religious meaning to it as “savior” and “redeemer” instead of “Messiah” which would be understood mainly by the Jewish audience. The Gospels of both Saint Luke and Saint Matthew are better understood in the light of Mark’s gospel due to their direct reliance on data of Mark’s gospel. Relying on the suggestions of Clement of Alexandria and Origen, many of modern scholars hold that the gospel was written in Rome.
The Gospel of Saint Luke.
The third gospel distinguished by quality due to the attractive personality of its author, which shines through his work. Luke is a man, who at the same time is a gifted writer as well as man of marked sensibility. Luke dedicates his two books, his gospel and The Acts of the Apostles, to Theophilus, a names which in Greek means “God’s Friend”. It is uncertain whether this person is a literary figure signifying Gentiles, or a historical individual that has some degree of political and social importance. Luke may have seen him as a person of influence who was favorable towards Christian church or a maybe a Christian who is seeking more knowledge concerning practical implication of his faith. Many scholars agree that Luke relies in his gospel on both Mark and Matthew. His Greek is excellent but out of the respect for his sources, he incorporates their imperfections- after polishing them a little. Early Christina tradition places both the Gospel and The Acts of the Apostles to approximately year 75 A.D. When studying Synoptic Gospels, we should keep in mind their relationship to each other. Although different in style and language they compliment each other.
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