Matthew:
The community in which Matthew lived and was writing for played a major role in influencing the content and presentation of his gospel; Jesus is portrayed as a new Moses, though his actions and preachings, which plays on the importance of Jewish tradition in this particular gospel. The Gospel of Matthew holds “Old Testament Messianic Ideals” and frequently refers to “the son of David.” (Andrews, 54) Because of its deep rooted and clear Jewish influence, Matthew's Gospel is thought to be, by some theologians, evolved from the Hebrew Gospel. Matthew is said to be the most historical of the three Synoptic Gospels, but it is, however less trustworthy. Because of the lack of detail and clarity throughout, some theologians argue that Matthew was not an eyewitness to the events of which he writes. (Andrews, 55)
Mark:
The Gospel of Mark, also, was heavily influenced by Jewish tradition; Mark himself portrays clear indications of his nationality through numerous historical and ideological references to Judaism and Palestine. (Burton, 250) What sets Mark apart from the Gospel of Matthew is that, because of the heavily detailed nature of the Gospel, it is thought that Mark was either an eyewitness to the events, or drew upon information from eyewitness of the events touched upon in the Gospel. (Burton, 252) The intended audience of this Gospel is, according to many theologians and scholars, Gentile; whether it is Christian or non-Christian Gentiles is still unclear. (Burton, 254) The opening line of Mark reads, The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. (Mark, 1:1) This opening line indicates that Mark himself was a Christian, as he believed Jesus to be the Son of God, something that contrasts directly with Jewish tradition.
Luke:
The Gospel of Luke, like the other two Synoptic Gospels, is largely derived from oral narratives of the life of Jesus Christ, either by his direct followers, or by members of the society that gained knowledge of his life through stories that were passed down. Luke’s accounts of Jesus’s life, like Mark’s, are heavily detailed, and thus it is likely that the narrations in the text were from direct eyewitness accounts, or information from those who witnessed the events. Luke frequently uses the pronoun “us”, which indicates that the events he writes about occured during his time, or at least were directly influential in his own, personal life. (Burton, 249) The geographical references in the text and the references to the political climate of the time, such as Luke 3:1, indicate the credibility of the text. Like the other Synoptic Gospels, Luke’s goal was to create a historical context for the faith; he frequently references the secular aspects of life in Palestine at the time of Jesus’ life, and thus build a historical basis for his audience to better understand the Word of God and, in turn, their faith in general.
The community in which Matthew lived and was writing for played a major role in influencing the content and presentation of his gospel; Jesus is portrayed as a new Moses, though his actions and preachings, which plays on the importance of Jewish tradition in this particular gospel. The Gospel of Matthew holds “Old Testament Messianic Ideals” and frequently refers to “the son of David.” (Andrews, 54) Because of its deep rooted and clear Jewish influence, Matthew's Gospel is thought to be, by some theologians, evolved from the Hebrew Gospel. Matthew is said to be the most historical of the three Synoptic Gospels, but it is, however less trustworthy. Because of the lack of detail and clarity throughout, some theologians argue that Matthew was not an eyewitness to the events of which he writes. (Andrews, 55)
Mark:
The Gospel of Mark, also, was heavily influenced by Jewish tradition; Mark himself portrays clear indications of his nationality through numerous historical and ideological references to Judaism and Palestine. (Burton, 250) What sets Mark apart from the Gospel of Matthew is that, because of the heavily detailed nature of the Gospel, it is thought that Mark was either an eyewitness to the events, or drew upon information from eyewitness of the events touched upon in the Gospel. (Burton, 252) The intended audience of this Gospel is, according to many theologians and scholars, Gentile; whether it is Christian or non-Christian Gentiles is still unclear. (Burton, 254) The opening line of Mark reads, The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. (Mark, 1:1) This opening line indicates that Mark himself was a Christian, as he believed Jesus to be the Son of God, something that contrasts directly with Jewish tradition.
Luke:
The Gospel of Luke, like the other two Synoptic Gospels, is largely derived from oral narratives of the life of Jesus Christ, either by his direct followers, or by members of the society that gained knowledge of his life through stories that were passed down. Luke’s accounts of Jesus’s life, like Mark’s, are heavily detailed, and thus it is likely that the narrations in the text were from direct eyewitness accounts, or information from those who witnessed the events. Luke frequently uses the pronoun “us”, which indicates that the events he writes about occured during his time, or at least were directly influential in his own, personal life. (Burton, 249) The geographical references in the text and the references to the political climate of the time, such as Luke 3:1, indicate the credibility of the text. Like the other Synoptic Gospels, Luke’s goal was to create a historical context for the faith; he frequently references the secular aspects of life in Palestine at the time of Jesus’ life, and thus build a historical basis for his audience to better understand the Word of God and, in turn, their faith in general.