Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
 Discovering the Good News
 Similarities in the Synoptic Gospels
 Dating the Gospels
 Formation of the Gospels
 Authorship of the Gospels
 The Gospel of Mark
 The Gospel of Matthew
 The Gospel of Luke
 The Gospel of John
 Acts of the Apostles
 Strategies for Reading, Studying,
and Praying the Gospels
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Good News
1. Gospel comes from an Old English word for “good news”
2. Most references to “Good News” in the New Testament
refer to Jesus’ preaching rather than his life
3. The word “gospel” did not originally
mean “a narrative of Jesus’ life”
4. The four Gospels narrate Jesus’ life and teach
about the events of the Paschal Mystery
5. The Gospels hold the central place of all the
inspired and Sacred Scriptures in the liturgy
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Synoptic Gospels
1. Because Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain a great deal of
common material, they are called the Synoptic Gospels
2. The similarities suggest that one of the three was used
as a primary source when the other two were written
3. For a variety of reasons, most scholars
agree that Mark was a source used
by both Matthew and Luke
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
Dating the Gospels
1. Scholars date Mark’s to the period of the destruction of
the Temple (AD 68-72) due to clues given in Mk 13:4
2. Because Matthew is quoted by both canonical and
noncanonical sources, scholars date it to AD 85–90
3. While Luke cannot have followed Mark by too late a date,
he does not seem to know of Paul’s letters leading
scholars to place it somewhere during the AD 80s
4. John is difficult to locate in time but scholars tend to
place it as early as AD 90 but not later than AD 120-130
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
Formation of the Gospels
1. The Gospel was handed down in two ways:
 orally in preaching
 in writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
2. Three stages in the formation of the Gospels:
(a) the period of
the public life and
teaching of Jesus
(b) a period of oral tradition
and preaching by the early
disciples in 3 key forms:
The kerygma or
preaching to
unbelievers
The Didache or
Catechesis
(c) the written
Gospels
themselves
The liturgy or
worship of
Christians
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
Authorship
1. The Gospels never state the identities of their authors
2. Authorship by tradition:  Matthew was identified as a tax
collector called by Jesus;  Mark was a companion of
Paul;  Luke was Paul’s
beloved physician;  John was the brother
of James and son of Zebedee
3. Though a connection with the apostolic tradition cannot
be disputed, the position that Apostles or companions
of Jesus undertook the actual authorship is not certain
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of Mark
1. Background:
Date:
approximately
AD 66-70
Hypotheses:
it was written
for a community
that was suffering,
possibly even
persecuted
Two main parts:
(a) A long introduction
that details Jesus’
ministry and travels
(b) The Passion
narrative
The shortest,
and probably
the first,
Gospel
Audience:
largely Gentile
living in Rome
or Syria
The literary style
suggests it was written
from the perspective
of a peasant living
shortly after the
time of Jesus
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of Mark
2. Characteristics:
 Jesus is portrayed as very human and inquisitive
 Though God, Jesus understands painful human moments
 Jesus makes three predictions of his coming crucifixion
 Jesus uses parables to communicate his teaching
 The evil spirits are sometimes slow to obey Jesus
 The Passion narrative is grim, somber, heart wrenching
 Because Mark’s community had difficulty being faithful
disciples in the midst of their suffering; his message:
Jesus is right there with you, sharing your pain
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of Matthew
1. Background:
Most of the
common material
between Matthew and
Luke is made up of
sayings and
parables
Date:
some time in
the AD 80s
Audience:
Jewish
Christians
While generally faithful
to Mark’s outline of events,
Matthew also edited and
compacted several of
Mark’s passages
Matthew
edited and compacted
several of Mark’s
passages
Sources:
Mark, “Q”
and “M”
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of Matthew
2. Characteristics:
 The disciples understand his instructions more clearly
 Matthew intended his Gospel to help Jewish Christians
understand the Jewish roots of their faith
 He is aware of Jewish sensibilities, practices, and beliefs
 He is concerned to help his largely Jewish-Christian
readers understand that Jesus was the Messiah
 He makes numerous comparisons between Jesus
and Moses
 He presents Jesus as the founder of the Church
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of Luke
Audience:
1. Background:
both Luke and
Luke’s
eloquence marks
him as well educated,
almost certainly from
a well-to-do
background
Date:
approximately
the 80s AD
the Acts are
addressed to
“Theophilus”
Luke has
a good vocabulary
and the desire to
be accurate and
orderly
Sources:
Mark, “Q”
and “L”
There are
various theories
about where
Luke wrote
Heart of
the Gospel:
“Jesus is
Lord”
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of Luke
1. Recurring themes:  the needs of the poor;  the
importance of prayer and the Holy Spirit as the constant
companion to prayer;  the importance of woman in
Jesus’ life and ministry
2. The first events in the life of Jesus through the eyes of a
woman (Mary) rather than through the eyes of a man
3. Differences in the Passion narrative:  the portrayal of the
disciples more positively;  Jesus is in control until the
very end;  the centurion present at the crucifixion
acknowledges that Jesus was truly innocent
4. An important theme: follow in the footsteps of Jesus as he
followed the will of his Father
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of John
1. Background:
Authorship:
tradition attributes
to the “beloved
disciple”
1, 2, & 3 John,
& Revelation are
also attributed to
this author
Organization:
Prologue
Book of Signs: 7 miracles
Book of Glory: Last Supper &
Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
Epilogue
Focuses on
Jesus as God’s
Revelation
Sources:
independent
traditions and does
not rely on the
synoptics
Date:
approximately
AD 90
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of John
1. Differences between John and the synoptic Gospels:
 new characters such as Nicodemus and Lazarus
 Jesus’ public ministry lasts three years, not one
 Jesus’ teaching takes the form of long discourses
 Jesus’ teachings are very poetic
 presents a more solemn and holy Jesus
 use of literary techniques: irony, plays
on words, metaphors, figurative language
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Gospel of John
2. John is concerned with defining and clarifying love
3. Jesus teaches using metaphors
4. Nicodemus seems to represent Christians silent or
fearful about expressing their commitment to Christ
5. The Johannine community was aware of Peter’s
primacy in the Church
6. John’s Christology stresses Jesus’ heavenly origins,
his fundamental identity as the Son of God, and his
preexistence as the Word of God
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Acts of the Apostles
Two Apostles
are primarily
featured: Peter
and Paul
Features the
Church’s new
outreach to
the Gentiles
Christ’s
transcendent Ascension
acts as a bridge connecting
the end of Luke and the
beginning of Acts
Paul’s vision
helped inspire the
Church’s outreach
to Gentiles
Provides a
chronology of
events in the
early Church
Ends with
ambiguous news that
Paul remained in Rome
for two years, proclaiming
the reign of God and
teaching about
Jesus Christ
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Acts of the Apostles
1. Symmetry of Luke and Acts:
2. Many themes and events parallel the life
and ministry of Jesus
3. The first Church in Jerusalem illustrates: the
importance of prayer; the presence of women
disciples; the central role of Mary
4. Parallelism of the Spirit who hovers: over creation,
at the Annunciation, at the beginnings of the Church
Sacred Scripture: A Catholic Study of God’s Word
Part 2A The Gospels
The Acts of the Apostles
5. The Church was not a perfect community, but it
overcame the challenges and continued to grow
6. Jerusalem is the epicenter: In Luke, Jesus is
resolutely determined to journey there
while in Acts the Church begins there
and moves out from there
7. A recurring pattern involves Paul bringing
many Gentiles to the faith but experiencing
rejection from many Jews