The Origin & Characteristics of Each Gospel

This paper examines the provenance of the four Gospels: authorship, origin, and intended audience and outlines the unique characteristics of each. Analysing each Gospel’s provenance will show that each one served a particular need, at a specific time in the early Church.

The Gospel According to Matthew

The Gospel of St. Matthew was written for Jewish communities, probably eight years after Christ’s Ascension . St. Matthew’s geneaology of Jesus proves him to be of the tribe of Judah¹ fulfilling Old Testament prophecies of which tribe the Messiah would come. Writing for Jews, he used Aramaic rather than Greek, as the latter Gospels used, and unlike² Luke and Mark, he rarely explains Jewish customs, assuming readers already understood. St. Matthew frequently (66 times), and often verbatim (43 times), cites the Old Testament;³ since Gentiles would have had little to no knowledge of the Old Testament, these citations benefit

the Jewish reader, helping them to see that Christ fulfilled the Scriptures. In early Church art, St. Matthew is represented as a man. As St. John Chrysostom said “Matthew, as writing to Hebrews, sought to shew nothing more, than that He was from Abraham, and David”⁴ and the Jews knew that Jacob prophecied the Messiah’s coming from the tribe of Judah. This Gospel catechised Jewish believers in Palestine by showing them that Christ was the Son of David, Who fulfilled the Old Testment Scripture.

The Gospel According to Mark

The Gospel of St. Mark was written, under the guidance of the Holy Apostle Peter, for Gentile communities in Rome about ten years after the Ascension (according to Eusebius). St. Mark⁵ emphasises Jesus’ miracles and royal authority while showing Him to be a God for Jew and Gentile. St. Mark swiftly recounts Jesus’ miracles: the cleansing of lepers, miracles in Capernaum, the healing of the paralysed man, the withered hand restored on the Sabbath, while drawing great multitudes and healing them.⁶ All of this occurs in the first three chapters. Although a Jew, St. Mark rarely cites the Old Testament and prefers “Son of God” to “Son of David”. He also writes “He cannot be hid” , neither from Jew nor Gentile. Evidenced by the⁷ Gentiles who sought Him for healings. Christ healed the child of the persevering⁸ Syrophoenician woman who showed self-restraint after being ignored and insulted . While the⁹ Centurion “became worthy” when he confessed he was not worthy to have the Lord enter beneath his roof. “St. Mark received the symbol of a lion because he especially underlines¹⁰ Christ’s kingly power” : the King who cast “Legion” into the swine and, upon healing the paralytic, declared “Your sins are forgiven you”. These acts demonstrate his dominion over¹¹ demons and sin. This Gospel strengthened Gentile believers with a concise narrative showing Christ’s power and authority over nature, demons and sins while helping those Gentiles who didn’t believe to recognise Him as Lord of all who repent and seek Him.

The Gospel According to Luke

St. Luke wrote his Gospel for Gentiles, under the guidance of St. Paul. As Paul was the¹² Apostle of the Nations it is clear that St. Luke, under his direction and filled with the Holy Spirit, set out to catechise diverse groups of people’s. In doing this it has been said, “the history of his Gospel embraced the virtue of all wisdom”: the Holy Spirit giving rise to the divine Incarnation, the moral truths of the Beatitudes, and the natural truth that he who is faithful in small things, will be faithful in great things.¹³ St. Luke is often depicted as an ox for showing Christ as the High Priest Who offers Himself for sacrifice;¹⁴ His Gospel starts with priests and ends with the sacrifice of the calf.¹⁵ This Gospel provides an orderly and detailed historical account of the earthly life of Christ from conception to crucifixion and resurrection for the Gentiles and the church as a whole. In this he helps diverse groups to see that Christ is not only Lord, but Lord of all.

The Gospel According to John

St. John wrote his Gospel at the request of bishops in Asia Minor who wanted him to provide material that the Synoptics did not include and to help overcome the heresies that had arisen questioning the divinity of Christ.¹⁶ Cyril of Alexandria tells us how the opening verse of St. John’s Gospel destroys these heresies: “[St. John] springs upon the prattle of those who are introducing such things, saying, ‘in the beginning was the Word.'”¹⁷ He is represented by the eagle, as he writes in majestic language about the profound teachings of Christ. He was with¹⁸ Christ during His most important moments: the Transfiguration, raising Jairus’s daughter, His prayer in Gethsemane and even leaned on His breast during the Mystical Supper. He wrote about profound dialogues such as: the conversations with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, and the discourses about the Good Shepherd and at the Mystical Supper. This Gospel deepens the faith of the reader by defending Christ’s divinity with Christological and theological discourses. This does two things: Overcomes heresy and shows us the most important aspect of Christ’s teachings: we must love one another. This is why John is known as the Apostle of love.¹⁹ The Gospels addressed specific audiences, often, at specific times, to clarify specific concerns. Each Evangelist selected and wrote about the aspects of Christ’s earthly life and teachings that would meet those needs. In this way, the Gospel spread quickly over the world, not by force of arms, but by a few holy men, who preached the story of our salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bibliography

Averky (Taushev), Archbishop. The Four Gospels: Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the

New Testament, Vol. 1. Translated by Nicholas Kotar. Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Seminary

Press, 2017.

Ambrose of Milan. Exposition of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke. Translated by

Theodosia Tomkinson. Etna, CA: Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, 2003.

Chrysostom, John. Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. Edition/translator unknown.

Cyril of Alexandria. Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John, vol. 1 (Books 1–5).

Translated by P. E. Pusey. Oxford: James Parker, 1874.

“Notable Remarks of the Apostolic Fathers and Writers on the Holy Gospels.” Course

handout.