The Development of the Gospels Three Stages The Development of the Gospels

Stage #1 Jesus of Nazareth and his Disciples

What basic facts about Jesus can we be certain of ? Jesus was born a Jew sometime around 5 B.C.E. in Bethlehem of Judea He began teaching and preaching at about age 30

He was referred to as a holy person, a prophet, others said he was a fraud and a threat to the Roman State He was brought to trial and crucified around 30 C.E.

What did the early Christians believe Jesus to be? They thought he was the awaited Messiah - God’s only Son Stage #1

What events caused people to change their minds about Jesus? The resurrection changed their minds. Three days after Jesus was crucified and died on the cross he rose from the dead. Stage #1

What is the significance of calling Jesus, “Lord”? “Lord” was a name used only to refer to God so it showed they thought he was divine. LORD Stage #1

What is the significance of Jesus Christ’s name? Jesus means “Yahweh saves” Christ means “Anointed One” or “Messiah” Christ is not Jesus’ last name like Smith. Stage #1

Stage #2 The Disciples and the Early Community of Faith

How was the Good News spread after the death and resurrection of Jesus? Stage #2

The Good News (Gospel) was spread orally for at least 30yrs after Jesus death and resurrection.

Why did it take so long to write the Gospels? The people thought that Jesus was going to return in their life time so they didn’t need to write anything Stage #2

“Oral Tradition” Oral Tradition is the sharing of information about Jesus by word of mouth Jesus’ friends would share their experiences through telling stories and preaching.

Stage #3 The Early Community of Faith and the Evangelists

How long after Jesus’ death were the Gospels written? The Gospels were not written until about 30 - 40 years after Jesus’ death.

In what order and when were the Gospels written? Stage #3

The order of the Gospel writing: Mark - Luke - Matthew - John Mark written around 70 C.E. Luke and Matthew around 75-90 C.E. John written around 100-110 C.E.

Why were the Gospels written? It became necessary to preserve Jesus’ teachings to pass on to future generations It was needed to instruct the community of faith

Why is each Gospel unique? Stage #3

Each Gospel is unique because the stories were gathered and assembled so they would respond to the needs of a particular audience, in a particular location, at a particular time

What information was used to write the Gospels? Stage #3

Stories about Jesus Words of Jesus applied to life experience Insights between the life and message of Jesus Information Jesus taught about our relationship with God.

Gospels were written by several people in different times and places. It is doubtful that any one person was responsible for the total development of the Gospels. Gospels were written by several people in different times and places. Stage #3

How should the Gospels be viewed? They should be viewed as portraits of Jesus - not as a complete biography of his life

What’s Next… Using “The Gospel Authors” Handout. create a chart in you notebooks which provides information on the following: Author, Date, Themes, portraits of Jesus, questions answered, additional information Continue to work on ‘Everyday Truths” Project