RETURN TO MAIN DIRECTORY

OVERVIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT - PART TWO
Copyright © 2008 Kay Murdy

STAGE THREE: The Writing of the Evangelists 

When and how did the writing of the New Testament begin? We know that during the pre-gospel stage, material was already being shaped. As the Church grew and spread to foreign lands, Christians were led by the Holy Spirit to record sayings (logia) of Jesus Christ for these far-flung communities. These writings which no longer exist are sometimes referred to as "Q" for quelle (German for "source," abbreviated "Q").  Instruction also came to the communities of believers in the form of apostolic letters. Many of these were preserved. They were copied and passed on to other communities. The letter to the Colossians says:

"Give greetings to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and to the church in her house. And when this letter is read before you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and you yourselves read the one from Laodicea" (Col 4:15-16).

LETTERS OF PAUL

Thirteen Letters are attributed to Paul (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon). These are often subdivided:

• Almost all scholars agree that Paul himself wrote these seven "authentic" or "undisputed" Pauline Letters: (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon). 
• Six "disputed" or "Deutero-Pauline Letters" (Colossians, Ephesians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). Some scholars think these are "authentic" [written by Paul], while others argue they were written by Paul’s followers.

The earliest written documents that are preserved in the New Testament are Paul's letters or "epistles." Paul considered himself an eye-witness, an apostle equal to the Twelve, even though he never saw Jesus in the flesh. On the road to Damascus, Paul met the risen Christ who commissioned him to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). Jesus told Paul that he would serve as his  "witness to what you have seen and what you will see" (Acts 26:14-18). Paul's primary mission was to preach the crucified, living Jesus Christ to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Eventually, Paul wrote letters to various church he had visited and helped establish. As the church grew from loose communities to a more structured institution, Paul addressed questions that had arisen in the churches: What do we do until Christ's return? What sort of Jewish practices, if any, must we follow? What are the roles of men and women, slaves and converts? How do we celebrate the Eucharist? Paul gave advice, encouragement and even rebuke where needed. One of the major reasons why Paul wrote was to combat heresy. His letters abound with corrections of false teaching and incorrect understanding of the Christian message. Paul wrote:

"I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!" (Galatians 1:6-8).

Paul never intended his writings to be systematic presentations of the faith nor did he imagine them to be scripture. But by 90 AD, they were collected and formed the foundation of the New Testament. Peter wrote:

"Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures" (2 Peter 3:15-16).

OTHER LETTERS

Eventually letters were written by other disciples, sometimes in the name of the apostles Paul, Peter, James or John. Some were written to individuals (Timothy and Titus), others to whole communities (Ephesians and Colossians). These letters are:

• Three letters were written to early "pastors" (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). They are usually called the "Pastoral Epistles."
• An anonymous sermon was apparently written "To the Hebrews." Most scholars agree it was not written by or even attributed to Paul! Hebrews is considered more of a sermon than a letter.
• Seven "Catholic Epistles" (James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John and Jude); "catholic" means "universal" or "general", indicating that these letters were written to a wider audience of many different Christians, not just one community.

A WRITTEN RECORD OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS

As the Apostolic Age came to an end with the death of the eye-witnesses of Jesus, there was a pressing need for the Church to have a written record of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It was vital for the disciples of Christ to put the record straight during their lifetime, so that the true message would be passed on to future generations of believers.

Another key factor that motivated writing was the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. As Christians moved away from Jerusalem and their Jewish roots they began to understand themselves as a separate group.

The first known list of 27 books of the New Testament (all written in Greek) was made in 367 AD by St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. This list was adopted by the bishops of North Africa, Hippo at Carthage in 393 AD. Not until 1546 AD was the list officially ratified by the Council of Trent. It was only since 1450 AD, with the advent of the printing press, that the bible was available to the general public, and still more recently that the average person was able to read.

So it was that the early Church created the New Testament. The New Testament did not create the Church. A body of believers already proclaimed the gospel before any written document appeared. It was the Church that decided which of the many writings circulating in the first century were clearly canonical or "sacred scripture."

THE GOSPELS

From 65-100 AD, the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote their gospels. Scholars believe Mark was the first to write his gospel in the late 60's of the first century, some thirty years after the death and resurrection of Christ. In the 80's Luke wrote his gospel and his companion volume the Acts of the Apostles, followed by Matthew's gospel. It was not until the last decade of the first century that John's community published the fourth gospel. Already by the year 110 AD the early Church writers were quoting the gospels that we know today. By the year 200 AD, the gospels held undisputed authority. 

The first three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are called Synoptics (Syn means "with" and optic means "eye"). We can say that these three gospels "see with one eye" because of their close similarities. Someone once told me, "Then it must mean that John sees with two eyes!" That is close to the truth. John's gospel is the most unique, and in many ways the most spiritual. John's gospel is also the most symbolic, using contrasting words like light and dark, above and below, spirit and flesh, life and death. John's gospel does not follow the same order as the other gospels, and it contains stories not found in the other gospels. John's gospel is considered by scholars to represent "High Christology," because of his exalted view of the Risen Christ, the Christ of Faith; whereas, the synoptic gospels are considered "Low Christology" because they are more concerned with the Jesus of History. 

Scholars attest to a "Two-Source" theory for these gospels. One was the lost source called "Quelle," the sayings of Jesus Christ. Both Matthew and Luke rely heavily on on this "Q" source and also on Mark's gospel, believed to be the first written gospel. Each evangelist also had an independent sources. 

The evangelists (gospel writers) did not write historical accounts or a biography of Jesus' life. The best phrase to define a gospel is that which we used for the Old Testament writings: a faith record. The evangelists did not record everything that Jesus said and did but rather those things that built faith in their communities. Each gospel was an invitation to their own particular communities to meet the Lord in their own particular needs.

MATTHEW - His symbol is a man because his gospel begins with the human genealogy of Jesus Christ
Matthew writes to Jewish-Christians as demonstrated by his frequent citing from the Old Testament. He writes after the destruction of the temple around 85 AD. He writes to Jewish converts who were cut-off from their Jewish traditions, disowned by their families and felt no longer welcome in the synagogue. Matthew showed that the promised Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus who did not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets (the Hebrew scriptures) but to fulfill them, to give new meaning to God's word as seen in Jesus' Sermon on the mount. Like Moses, Jesus preached radical submission to the will of God, not just external conformity: "You have heard it said . . . but I say to you . . . " (Matthew 5:21,22). Jesus forbid not only outward immoral behavior: murder, adultery, perjury, but inner motives such as anger, lust and deceit. God had claims on the whole person- thoughts, words and deeds.

Who responded to the message of Jesus? The Anawim, those outlined in his Sermon on the Mount, all those on the margins of society -- the outcasts, the tax-collectors, sinners and harlots, women and slaves, the blind, deaf and lame, the poor who recognized their need and dependence on God (Matthew 5:3-12). God's blessings and judgment would be upon those who did or did not recognize the suffering Christ in the "hungry, the thirsty, the alien, the homeless, sick and imprisoned" (Matthew  25:31-40). All who who neglected these lowly ones would receive punishment, while those who did these corporal works of mercy would receive eternal life.

MARK - His symbol is a lion because his gospel begins with Jesus in the wilderness facing the wild beasts of temptation
Mark wrote to a community suffering persecution during the reign of Nero, the emperor of Rome. Peter and Paul already lost their lives as martyrs in Rome. Mark wrote for Gentile Christians who were unfamiliar with Jewish customs, and  who faced persecution for their beliefs. The main question facing these Christians was why they were being asked to suffer and die for their faith. Mark reminded them that Jesus himself suffered. If Jesus' disciples wanted to follow Christ, they must take up the cross as he did. Jesus imposed silence on those who misunderstood his powerful works as some sort of Messianic "wonder worker." Jesus' power could only understood through the power of the cross. In the midst of their trials, Mark told the suffering community, "Here begins the good news, the gospel, of Jesus Christ" (Mark 1:1).

LUKE - His symbol is the ox because his gospel begins in the temple where animal sacrifice was performed
Luke wrote two volumes: the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. He wrote for Greek speaking Gentiles after the persecution of Nero, but while hostilities were still prevalent around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. The author is identified as a companion to Paul on his missionary journeys. Luke's gospel recounts Jesus' long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem where he suffered and died. His Acts of the Apostles relates Paul's journey from Jerusalem to Rome, fulfilling Christ's mandate to the Apostles to preach the gospel "to the ends of the earth." 

Popular tradition says that Luke was an artist. Most artists rely on Luke's portrait of Mary in his gospel for their inspiration: The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Jesus, the Presentation, the Finding in the temple. Tradition also says that Luke was a physician. Paul wrote: "Luke the beloved physician sends greetings" (Colossians 4:14). Luke portrayed a compassionate, healing Christ who identified with the poor and suffering. Luke told the story of Jesus' humble birth, and Jesus' mother sang a hymn of the poor and lowly (The Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55). The shepherds were the first to respond to the good news, and women have a special place in Luke's gospel. Jesus' sermon is not on a mountain as in Matthew's gospel, but on a plain - on the level with the lowliest of people. Only Luke told the parables of God's mercy -- the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost son. In the story of  the "Prodigal Son," the father rejoiced over the repentant son’s return: "Now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found" (Lk 15:32).

JOHN - His Symbol is the Eagle because of his soaring theology
John wrote toward the end of the first century, around 90 AD. Like an Eagle in flight, Jesus came from the Father and through his death, resurrection and ascension, drew all who believed in him back with him to the Father. John responded to the theological needs of a maturing community. John was not so interested in the stories of Jesus, as in the Synoptic gospels, but the meaning behind these stories. John displayed artistic genius in presenting Jesus' words in long poetic discourses. Jesus identified himself as "I AM," the name of God given to Moses at the Burning Bush: "I AM who am" (Exodus 3:14). This mysterious name Yahweh has many meanings: "I cannot be named or defined. If I told you, you wouldn't understand who I Am. I AM who I AM." Jesus spelled out who God was through his many "I AM" statements. Jesus is the water of life without whom we cannot exist, "I AM the living water." Jesus is the daily nourishment which sustains us, "I AM the bread of life." Jesus is the light that drives out darkness from our lives, "I AM the light of the world." Jesus is the living vine; all who are united to him bear fruit, "I AM the vine." Jesus says, "I AM the Good Shepherd," the one who guides us to eternal life, "I AM the resurrection and the life." Jesus says, whatever is good and holy and true, I AM. Those who came through Jesus, the gateway to eternal life, would have life, not just ordinary life, but "life in abundance" (Jn 10:10).

As with all four gospels, John selected those things necessary for the circumstances of his audience. He made a choice as to the material he included in his gospel to benefit the faithful. John wrote: 

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31).

The Message Proclaimed to You

Jesus, who we find in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is the same Jesus proclaimed by Peter and Paul -- all written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is therefore a living Jesus speaking to each new situation that the Church experiences. Questions we ask of scripture today --  the moral and ethical questions of the 21^st century about the value of human life, the arms race, social justice and peace issues, were not those asked in the First or Fifteenth century. Similarly, people will be asking different questions in the future because they will be struggling with different problems than we are today.

QUESTION: Who is Jesus for me? Do I recognize the eternal life that I have in his name?

JESUS IS CALLING YOU TO WRITE A 'FIFTH GOSPEL'

No generation will exhaust the infinite depth found in the mystery of God's word. Each of us must write a "Fifth Gospel," the Jesus whom we experience as "the power leading everyone who believes to salvation" (Ro 1:16). Paul wrote:

"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring (the) good news!' But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?" Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ" (Ro 10:13-17).

• THE FINAL BOOK IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS THE BOOK OF REVELATION
• The Book of Revelation (not plural!) is also called "The Apocalypse." This book contains seven short letters addressed to the "Churches of Asia," and a long series of highly symbolic "visions" attributed to a certain man named "John," culminating in the destruction of all evil and the establishment of "a new heaven and a new earth" and "the new Jerusalem."

GOSPEL INVESTIGATION
Read the story of the Penitent woman as described by each evangelist. Note where each story comes in the gospel and what the writer may be trying to convey by this. Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-11.
Focus for you
Are the characters the same in each gospel? Does any author ever identify the "Penitent woman" as Mary Magdalene? Who does John say the woman is in his gospel? How does this change the story?

GOSPEL INVESTIGATION
Now read the parable of the Prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Put yourself in the story. Imagine yourself moving through the whole experience. With which character do you identify? Are you the younger or older son. How do you respond to your brother (or sister)? How do you respond to the father?  
Focus for you
What relationship do you see between forgiveness and love in the Lord's Prayer, in the story of the Penitent woman, and in the parable of the Prodigal Son. How can you apply this to your own life?

GOSPEL INVESTIGATION
Here are two versions of the Lord's prayer from Matthew and Luke's Gospels (New Revised Standard Version):

Luke wrote: "He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial'" (Luke 11:2-4).

Matthew wrote: "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:9-13).

Focus for you
This is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples and it is the most important prayer of the Christian community. How is it that two people can write about the same thing, and yet end up with very different versions?

From Pharaoh to the Father: 
A Journey Toward Freedom 
Through The Lord's Prayer
Unpack the Lord's Prayer and experience the Exodus. It's true. If you meditate on the Lord's Prayer - beginning with the last phrase and going backwards to the first phrase - you move from the world of evil to the world of the Father. You recreate, in effect, the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt. Kay Murdy builds her provocative book on this insight, moving in eight steps from an all-too real world to intimacy with the Holy One. Along the way, she builds powerful connections between Scripture and Tradition and the Old and New Testaments. Discussion questions make this a useful tool for introducing catechumens to the Lord's Prayer.

"From Pharaoh to the Father is written in a clear and simple style. Kay Murdy teaches spiritual things spiritually, and her work deserves to be warmly welcomed as a good guide along the path of prayer and Scripture. She has the rare gift of being able to integrate Scripture, prayer, and contemporary daily living." - Joseph Glynn, ODC

Paper, $17.95  You can order my book from Resource Publication http://www.rpinet.com/products/fpf.html