Matthew
•Matthew was one of the 12 original disciples who learned directly from Jesus and walked with him on earth.
•Matthew, by occupation, was a tax collector- a profession that was not looked upon too highly or with much regard.
•The Gospel of Matthew was written with a Jewish focus (although it had a universal outlook) sometime in the late 40s to early 50s AD and records the events of Jesus’ life.
•Matthew, by occupation, was a tax collector- a profession that was not looked upon too highly or with much regard.
•The Gospel of Matthew was written with a Jewish focus (although it had a universal outlook) sometime in the late 40s to early 50s AD and records the events of Jesus’ life.
Mark
•A close associate and “son” to the Apostle Peter, Mark was not a direct follower of Christ during his life but instead wrote this book based on facts he gained from Peter.
•Mark aimed his Gospel to the Roman people, but did not intend to give an exhaustive account of the life of Christ. This one is the shortest of the Gospels.
•It is most likely that this Gospel was written in the 60s AD because Mark places a special emphasis on the overcoming of persecution- which would have been severe during this decade.
•Mark aimed his Gospel to the Roman people, but did not intend to give an exhaustive account of the life of Christ. This one is the shortest of the Gospels.
•It is most likely that this Gospel was written in the 60s AD because Mark places a special emphasis on the overcoming of persecution- which would have been severe during this decade.
Luke
•Luke, a physician and friend of Paul, wrote a two part book that goes together with the book of Acts.
•Luke’s purpose was to write a book to Gentiles to show them the universality of Jesus’ message and give them a very detailed and orderly account of Jesus life.
•Luke (like Mark) was not a disciple of Jesus but instead obtained most of his information from Paul (or from the book of Mark).
•This book was written (along with Acts) sometime around the late 60s to early 70s.
•Luke’s purpose was to write a book to Gentiles to show them the universality of Jesus’ message and give them a very detailed and orderly account of Jesus life.
•Luke (like Mark) was not a disciple of Jesus but instead obtained most of his information from Paul (or from the book of Mark).
•This book was written (along with Acts) sometime around the late 60s to early 70s.
Synoptic
•These Gospels run very close to each other in information although they have three different authors. The reason for this is- much like an attorney proving his case in court- each witness (or author) tells a different piece of the testimony to form a total view of the entire picture.
•The information from each of these three gospels should be used in harmony with one another in order to see the total picture when it relates to the events of the life of Jesus.
•The information from each of these three gospels should be used in harmony with one another in order to see the total picture when it relates to the events of the life of Jesus.