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Wednesday Wisdom
Why are there 4 Gospels? If we only had Matthew, we would all be Ebionites. If we only had Mark, we would all be Nestorians. If we only had Luke, we would all be Marcionites. If we only had John, we would all be Valentinians.
“Against Heresies” 180 AD
Irenaeus (paraphrased)
Why are there 4 Gospels? If we only had Matthew, we would all be Ebionites. If we only had Mark, we would all be Nestorians. If we only had Luke, we would all be Marcionites. If we only had John, we would all be Valentinians.
“Against Heresies” 180 AD
Irenaeus (paraphrased)
God
Christianity
Religion
Posted 1 mo ago
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There are four because humans decided which ones to include. The process occurred both before and after 180 AD.
https://people.howstuffworks.com/books-of-bible.htm
https://people.howstuffworks.com/books-of-bible.htm
Who Decided Which Books of the Bible Made the Final Cut?
The books that make up the Bible were written over a span of 1,000 years. During that time, many other religious writings were also produced. So, who decided which would be part of the Bible and which would be left out?
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Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
Mans interpretation of when...historically in the New Testament only for of the chosen twelve original disciples were books name after them as written.
"Jesus, of course, never predicted that there would be four and only four authoritative Gospels. But he did, you might say, set a natural limit on the number of authoritative Gospels that could be written. He did this by calling and commissioning a limited number of people to be his authorized witnesses, his apostles, to speak in his name. The four Gospels now in our Bibles were received by the church as the direct fruit of the apostolic mission—written either by apostles themselves or by their personal assistants. And this is tantamount to saying that they were received as the ones Jesus had authorized, even as the ones the Old Testament prophets had pre-authorized!" "The apostles all died, but their authoritative witness still endures, in the writings they left to the church. To remain faithful to that original apostolic mission, the church must carry out its ministry by constantly conforming itself to that written deposit. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were received as constituent elements of the permanent, apostolic legacy from very early on. The unique origins of these Gospels and their continual use in the church from the time they were published explain why their early attestation far surpasses that of any others.
Their Self-Authenticating Power
But there is one final aspect of the explanation for a “fourfold Gospel,” and it is the one I suggested could give us the “most direct path” to the answer: the self-authenticating power of these Gospels themselves. In the 160s, Justin testified that Jesus’ words (which he knew from these Gospels) “possess a certain awe in themselves, and are able to put to shame those who turn aside from the straight path; while the sweetest rest is afforded those who diligently practice them” (Dial. 8.2). Over and over again, the confession of Peter as recorded in the Gospel of John has been echoed by individuals and churches as they encounter the Jesus of the four Gospels: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68–69). In these four Gospels the church has heard the voice of its Shepherd, as he said they would (John 10:27)."
https://textandcanon.org/why-are-there-just-four-gospels/
SFC (Join to see) Lt Col Charlie Brown LTC Trent Klug CMSgt Marcus Falleaf Cpl Vic Burk MSgt James Parker SMSgt Lawrence McCarter CMSgt (Join to see) Sgt (Join to see) PO1 H Gene Lawrence LTC David Brown SSG Paul Endes LTC Trent Klug
"Jesus, of course, never predicted that there would be four and only four authoritative Gospels. But he did, you might say, set a natural limit on the number of authoritative Gospels that could be written. He did this by calling and commissioning a limited number of people to be his authorized witnesses, his apostles, to speak in his name. The four Gospels now in our Bibles were received by the church as the direct fruit of the apostolic mission—written either by apostles themselves or by their personal assistants. And this is tantamount to saying that they were received as the ones Jesus had authorized, even as the ones the Old Testament prophets had pre-authorized!" "The apostles all died, but their authoritative witness still endures, in the writings they left to the church. To remain faithful to that original apostolic mission, the church must carry out its ministry by constantly conforming itself to that written deposit. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were received as constituent elements of the permanent, apostolic legacy from very early on. The unique origins of these Gospels and their continual use in the church from the time they were published explain why their early attestation far surpasses that of any others.
Their Self-Authenticating Power
But there is one final aspect of the explanation for a “fourfold Gospel,” and it is the one I suggested could give us the “most direct path” to the answer: the self-authenticating power of these Gospels themselves. In the 160s, Justin testified that Jesus’ words (which he knew from these Gospels) “possess a certain awe in themselves, and are able to put to shame those who turn aside from the straight path; while the sweetest rest is afforded those who diligently practice them” (Dial. 8.2). Over and over again, the confession of Peter as recorded in the Gospel of John has been echoed by individuals and churches as they encounter the Jesus of the four Gospels: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68–69). In these four Gospels the church has heard the voice of its Shepherd, as he said they would (John 10:27)."
https://textandcanon.org/why-are-there-just-four-gospels/
SFC (Join to see) Lt Col Charlie Brown LTC Trent Klug CMSgt Marcus Falleaf Cpl Vic Burk MSgt James Parker SMSgt Lawrence McCarter CMSgt (Join to see) Sgt (Join to see) PO1 H Gene Lawrence LTC David Brown SSG Paul Endes LTC Trent Klug
Why There Are Just Four Gospels in the Bible
Despite tales of conspiracy, there are good historical and theological reasons why the Church recognized four—and only four—Gospels.
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