REL - Lecture 7

Gospel (Old English: god spell = good news); from Greek euangelion (evangelion) meaning good news.
In the New Testament, terms shift: Paul uses gospel mainly as the message about Jesus’ death and resurrection; rarely focuses on Jesus’ life; Mark uses gospel to signal a written account of Jesus and his message.
Early non-Christian uses of the term gospel appear (e.g., Caesar Augustus inscriptions) to describe “good news” and a savior figure; shows gospel language existed in broader Roman context.
Jewish Scripture (Septuagint) uses terms like evangelion to announce salvation and the reign of God (e.g., Isaiah passages); sets background for gospel language in Judaism and early Christianity.
The four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are written aims to persuade readers about Jesus’ salvific significance; they present Jesus in ways that reflect each author’s Christology.
Genre note: the Gospels are not simple journalistic histories but literary-biographical works designed to convey who Jesus is and what God has done through him.

Early tradition views the Gospels as a genre like ancient biographies; Mark is the earliest written Gospel, followed by Matthew and Luke (and John is distinct).
Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) share much material and sometimes same wording; John differs in order and theology.
Oral to written: initial oral traditions circulated for roughly $40$ years after Jesus’ death before Mark and others were written; later editors arranged and refined these traditions.
The genre is biographical but with distinctive aims: to convey the significance of Jesus, not to provide a modern historian’s chronology.
The ancient biography aims to communicate character and importance more than exhaustive factual detail; reflective authorial craft shapes portrayal.
Paul’s use of gospel centers on the salvific message; Mark’s Gospel introduces the written form as a unified narrative of Jesus and his message.

The genre’s purpose: to convey Jesus’ salvific significance and persuade readers of his identity as Messiah, Son of God, and Savior.
Subgenres within the Gospels: miracle stories, parables, sermons, sayings, conflict scenes, passion narratives, reinterpretation of tradition.
Core Christology across the Gospels (five elements):
- $ext{Jesus is commissioned by God to bring salvation}$
- $ext{Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit}$
- $ext{Jesus is innocent yet unjustly executed}$
- $ext{Jesus’ death has salvific significance}$
- $ext{Jesus ascends to the Father and will return}$
Distinctive Christologies shape each Gospel’s emphasis while maintaining these core points.

Parables: symbolic stories, sometimes difficult to understand on purpose.
Miracle scenes: miracles often prompt further questions or conflict.
Reinterpretation scenes: Jesus reinterprets Jewish laws/traditions.
Sayings: concise, pithy teachings following events.
Conflict scenes: Jesus’ wit and ministry tested by opponents.
Passion narratives: arrest, suffering, death, resurrection; traditions may vary in emphasis across Gospels.

Mark: the suffering Messiah; emphasis on Jesus’ suffering and the Messianic Secret (Jesus’ identity not openly proclaimed at times).
Matthew: the Jewish Messiah; Jesus as fulfillment of Scripture; reinterpretation of Israel’s laws; inclusive without abandoning Jewish roots.
Luke: Savior of the world; broadening beyond Judaism to Gentiles, the poor, the outcast, and the stranger, while not denying Jewish roots.
John: strong paradoxes; emphasis on Jesus’ humanity and divine glory; tension between flesh and radiance where Jesus’ glory is revealed.

Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke share similar material and arrangement; likely Markan priority (
- Mark’s outline appears in Matthew and Luke; Matthew and Luke expand on Mark with additional material).
John is distinct in order, content, and theology; represents a different approach to Jesus’ identity and mission.
Traditional account (Clement of Alexandria via Eusebius) suggests Matthew and Luke written first (including genealogies), Mark built on Peter’s preaching, and John later as a spiritual Gospel; modern view emphasizes Mark as first due to simple Greek and common material, with Matthew/ Luke refining Mark and John as distinct.
Outside the four, other Gospels exist (e.g., Thomas, Mary), reflecting diverse early Christian perspectives.

Initial assumption: Gospels arose from an oral tradition about Jesus; later written to preserve and persuade; early editors compiled and arranged traditions.
The term Gospel expands from a message to a written narrative genre; Mark is the first written Gospel to present a unified account that incorporates both Jesus’ life and the message he brings.
By late antiquity, authors like Justin Martyr referred to Gospel as a collection of writings; the genre evolves from proclamation to a recognized set of four canonical works.
The Gospels function as ancient biographies: aim to convey character and significance, not merely to record every historical detail.

Other early Christian texts (e.g., Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary) offer alternative views and theological emphases; studying them helps illuminate early Christian diversity and pastoral aims.

Gospel = good news; in NT, it refers both to the message and to the written accounts; Mark helps establish the written Gospel genre.
Gospels are not neutral histories; they are persuasive biographies crafted to affirm Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior.
Four Gospels share a broad outline of Jesus’ life but differ in emphasis and theological focus.
The synoptic problem explains why Matthew, Mark, and Luke resemble each other; John remains distinct.
Understanding the genre and its aims helps interpret passages, motifs, and Christology across the Gospels.