Who Wrote the Gospels? — Centre Place

Study Guide: Who Wrote the Gospels? — Centre Place

Lecture Title: Who Wrote the Gospels?

Presenter: John Hamer, Toronto Centre Place

Producer & Chat Moderator: Leandro Palacios

Original Livestream Date: September 19, 2023

Video Reference: YouTube Stream

Transcript Source: Transcript for Who Wrote the Gospels? By CentrePlace

Integrated Knowledge Base: Glossary Knowledgebase

Source Tag: 230919

(00:00:01) Introduction: The Myth of Eyewitness Authorship & The Four Sigils

The traditional assumption among many believers is that the canonical gospels were authored by eyewitness apostles (Matthew and John) or close apostolic companions (Mark as a companion of Peter, and Luke as a companion of Paul).

However, the historical-critical consensus is that all four canonical gospels originally circulated anonymously. The authors never identify themselves within the text. Titles such as "According to Matthew" (Kata Matthaion) were attached in the late 2nd century to confer apostolic pedigree and authority.

The iconography of the Four Evangelists is derived from the Four Living Creatures around God's throne in Revelation 4:6–8 and Ezekiel 1:

• Matthew: The Winged Man / Angel, symbolizing the human incarnation and royal genealogy.
• Mark: The Winged Lion, symbolizing the prophetic voice crying in the wilderness (notably adopted as the state symbol of the Republic of Venice).
• Luke: The Winged Ox / Calf, symbolizing priestly sacrifice.
• John: The Soaring Eagle, symbolizing the celestial, high-flying divine Logos.

Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 180 CE) was the earliest patristic author to argue for exactly four gospels. He claimed there must be four just as there are four winds and four corners of the earth, mapping the four living creatures to this specific fourfold gospel canon.

(00:07:23) Chronological, Linguistic, and Social Setting of the Evangelists

There is a significant linguistic gap between the subjects and the authors. The historical Jesus and his early disciples spoke Galilean Aramaic within an illiterate rural agrarian society. In contrast, all four canonical Gospels were composed in fluent, educated Hellenistic Koine Greek decades later within the Mediterranean diaspora.

Chronological timeline of New Testament writings:

• c. 50s CE: The authentic letters of Paul (Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon). These are the earliest surviving Christian writings, focusing on the risen cosmic Christ with minimal reference to Jesus's pre-Easter earthly ministry.
• c. 50s–60s CE: The Sayings Gospel Q (Quelle), an early Greek collection of Jesus's sayings shared by Matthew and Luke.
• c. 70 CE: The Gospel of Mark, composed during the crisis of the First Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.
• c. 80–85 CE: The Gospel of Matthew, composed in Antioch or Syria for a Greek-speaking Jewish-Christian community.
• c. 85–95 CE: The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, dedicated to Theophilus by an educated literary author.
• c. 90–100 CE: The Gospel of John, composed in Ephesus / Asia Minor by the Johannine community following expulsion from the synagogue.

(00:10:45) The Synoptic Problem: Proving Literary Dependency

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are named from the Greek synopsis ("seen together") because of their extensive shared structure, wording, and chronology.

The Two-Source Hypothesis explains this relationship:

1. Markan Priority: Mark was written first. Matthew incorporates approximately 90% of Mark, and Luke incorporates about 50–60% of Mark. They both independently smooth out Mark's crude Greek grammar and correct geographical and scriptural errors.
2. The Q Source (Quelle): This consists of roughly 230 verses of non-Markan shared sayings and parables (such as the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the story of the Centurion's servant) present in both Matthew and Luke with word-for-word Greek agreement.
3. Special Material: Material unique to specific gospels is categorized as Special Matthew (M) and Special Luke (L).

(00:23:00) Deconstructing the Traditional Patristic Attributions

The Gospel of Mark

Papias of Hierapolis (c. 130 CE, recorded in Eusebius) claimed Mark was Peter's interpreter (hermeneutes) who recorded Peter's memories accurately but not in order.

• Critical problems: Mark writes a polished Greco-Roman dramatic narrative and displays several geographical errors regarding Palestine. Furthermore, the text portrays the disciples, including Peter, in a remarkably negative and obtuse light.

The Gospel of Matthew

Papias claimed Matthew compiled the sayings (logia) of Jesus in the Hebrew dialect (Hebraïdi dialekto), which each translated as they were able.

• Critical problems: Canonical Matthew is an original Greek composition that copies 90% of Greek Mark. An apostolic eyewitness would be unlikely to copy a non-eyewitness like Mark for his core narrative.

The Gospel of Luke

Traditionally attributed to Luke the physician, a traveling companion of Paul.

• Critical problems: The author of Acts contradicts Paul's own firsthand letters on major historical details, including the Council of Jerusalem, Paul's visits to Jerusalem, and Paul's attitude toward the Torah.

The Gospel of John

Attributed to John the apostle, son of Zebedee, and identified with the anonymous "Beloved Disciple."

• Critical problems: Acts 4:13 describes John as an illiterate Galilean fisherman, making it unlikely he could compose high Platonic Greek theology. The gospel appears to be a multi-layered composite work (Signs Gospel, Evangelist, Redactor) completed after the Beloved Disciple had died.

(00:45:00) Four Distinct Theological Portraits

Rather than being identical journalistic biographies, each gospel presents a tailored theological vision:

• Mark: The Hidden, Suffering Messiah; characterized by secrecy and apocalyptic urgency.
• Matthew: The Jewish Messiah and New Moses; fulfilling the Law through five major discourses.
• Luke: The Universal Savior of the Poor; acting as a champion of social outcasts, women, and the marginalized.
• John: The Divine Pre-Existent Logos; a cosmic Savior descending from above to reveal spiritual truth.

(01:10:00) Why Four Gospels? The Rejection of Gospel Harmonies

In the 2nd century, Tatian produced the Diatessaron (c. 170 CE), a popular attempt to synthesize the four gospels into a single, seamless narrative, which was widely used in the Syrian church.

However, the "Great Church" deliberately rejected such harmonies. They chose to retain four independent, competing, and sometimes contradictory portraits. This plurality has significant theological value: it defeats biblical literalism, fundamentalism, and authoritarian dogmatism. Instead, it invites believers into dynamic theological dialogue and reflection.

(01:30:00) Live Audience Q&A with John Hamer & Leandro Palacios

The session concluded with a discussion on several topics, including:

• Whether new gospels could be written today.
• The concept of continuing revelation.
• The role of community memory.
• The dating of the earliest papyrus fragments, such as P52.

Standardized Thematic Glossaries

Glossary 1: Archaeological Sites & Epigraphy

Glossary 2: Bible Passages

Glossary 3: Books Mentioned

Glossary 4: Chronology & Historical Events

Glossary 5: Geographic Locations

Glossary 6: Graphics, Charts, Maps & Timelines

Glossary 7: Linguistics Terms

Glossary 8: Non-English & Ancient Words

Glossary 9: People Named

Glossary 10: Philosophical Concepts & Theodicy

Glossary 11: Previous Lectures or Episodes

Glossary 12: Religious Studies Terms

Glossary 13: Scientific & Historiographical Terms