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Gospels of christ

Stage 1: Jesus of Nazareth and his Disciples

  1. Jesus was born a Jew around the year 5 B.C.E.
  2. He was raised in the small village of Nazareth.
  3. At about age 30 Jesus began a public career of preaching and teaching.
  4. He proclaimed the beginning of a new era, he called the Kingdom of God.
  5. Some believed him to be a great prophet, others rejected him as one who lacked reverence for God and who was a threat to the Roman state.
  6. Those in power eventually brought him to trial, found him guilty of crimes under Roman law, and had him executed by Crucifixion.

The Resurrection: The Pivotal Event

  1. around the year 30 C.E. Jesus' followers claim that Jesus did not remain dead. They experienced him alive again and present among them.
  2. Belief in the resurrection became the identifying mark of all who claimed Jesus as Lord and Savior.
  3. Calling Jesus Christ was a radical expression of the first Christians' belief in the divinity of Jesus
  4. Why: Because Christ is not just a surname but a title that means the anointed one, the messiah, the savior sent by God.

Christ: Not Jesus' Last Name

  1. No one called Jesus "Mr. Christ"
  2. The name Jesus (Yeshua) was a common name which means savior.
  3. Christ is Greek and literally means anointed one.
  4. Greek christos is translation of the Hebrew word Messiah.
  5. Messiah: Hebrew for "the one" anointed by God as king, priest, or prophet.

Stage 2: The Disciples and the Early Community of Faith

The second stage is characterized by oral telling of the Good News

  1. After Jesus' resurrection, early Christians began an intense campaign to proclaim the Good News to surrounding communities.
  2. Fundamental part of understanding Jesus was understanding that he fulfilled the prophecies of the Jewish Scriptures.
  3. Why wasn't Jesus' life recorded in a chronological, biographical account? Because the early Christian community's focus was on the message and not the chronology of Jesus' life.
  4. For many decades stories of Jesus were shared by word of mouth developing into oral tradition : The sharing of carefully selected and highly polished recollections.

Stage 3: The Early Community of Faith and Evangelists

The third stage is characterized by the writing down of carefully selected and edited stories of Jesus.

  1. The first Gospel was written approximately 40 years after Jesus died.

Why the Transition from oral tradition to written?

  1. Time - As the number of eye-witnesses of Jesus' life began to diminish, it became increasingly important to record Jesus' teachings and actions in writing to preserve them for future generations.
  2. Instruction - The written gospels were also used as a tool for instruction for new converts and for the purpose of consolidating the teachings of Jesus within the communities of faith.

Why do we have multiple gospels?

Because different communities of faith may have had different perspectives on the life and teachings of Jesus and these perspectives were reflected in the gospels they chose to preserve and share.

Opinion: Given that the Gospels were written many years after Jesus died, why do you trust (or not trust) the truth that is found in the Gospels about who Jesus is?

It ultimately depends on one's personal beliefs and perspective. Some scholars believe that the Gospels were written by authors who were close enough to the events and teachings of Jesus to accurately record them, while others argue that the Gospels were written with certain theological or political agendas in mind and may not be entirely historically accurate. Ultimately, the question of the reliability of the Gospels is a complex one that requires careful examination and critical analysis. I personally do not trust the truths written in the gospel about who Jesus Christ was. Due to being written almost a century after his death, its very possible that Jesus was a very different character than what he was portrayed as in the gospels. I am, however, not denying the existence of a historical character of Jesus, simply implying that many of the stories written in the gospel were only written through word of mouth, or oral tradition.

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Last update: June 5, 2023
Created: June 5, 2023