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Unity Church of Castro Valley

Sunday Message for November 12, 2006

Gospels – by Whose Authority?

You will quite often hear me quoting from the New Testament.  But recently, someone asked, “Who wrote the New Testament?”  That’s a good question, and the answer depends on who you ask.  There are religions that stick to the old opinions of who was thought to have written them.  But recent studies have disputed the validity of the old beliefs.

There are those who say that God wrote the Bible – or that God inspired the Bible writers.  Since we in Unity know that God is in all people, we can agree with that.  But who were the human vessels that God used to write the New Testament?

TESTAMENT/COVENANT

There are 27 books in the New Testament.  Although a more appropriate term, rather than testament, might be covenant.  This is the word that the Bible uses in referring to the relationship that God established with his people.

More than 500 years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah predicted that the covenant established with Moses and the people of Israel would give place to a more inward and personal one in the future.

(Jeremiah 31:31-34) “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

GOSPELS, HISTORY, LETTERS, APOCALYPSE

The books of the Old Testament originated during a period of many centuries, but the books of the New Testament were written within a period less than one hundred years.

These books fall into four different literary forms: Gospels, Church history, letters, and apocalypse.  Four of the books are Gospels because they tell the “good tidings” of Jesus Christ.  Church history is represented in the Acts of the Apostles, which is an account of the spread of the Christian faith.  21 of the books of the New Testament are in the form of letters.  The last book of the New Testament is an apocalypse, that is, a revelation or disclosure of God’s will for the future.

GOSPELS

Unfortunately for us, Jesus himself left no written records.  All of the information regarding his words and his works comes from his immediate followers (the apostles) and their disciples. At first, all of this information was transmitted orally. 

As far as we know, right now, the first attempt to produce a written Gospel was made by John Mark, who might have been a disciple of the Apostle Peter.  The Gospel According to Mark, along with a collection of sayings of Jesus and several other special sources, formed the basis of the Gospels attributed to Matthew and Luke.

Because these three Gospels have so much in common, they are generally called the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek word meaning “viewing together.”

In contrast to the Synoptics, the Gospel according to John contains information regarding Jesus’ early ministry as well as speeches to the disciples about the union of the Christian with Christ.  John frequently weaves the words of Jesus so closely with his own interpretation of them that it is difficult to find the break between the two.

The story of Jesus in the Gospels was put together over a period of time and in several stages.  First, the teachings of Jesus and the stories about him were communicated among his followers by word of mouth.  Probably the longest and most important story being the “Passion Narrative,” or the account of the week or so leading up to his death and resurrection. And they told the stories of his healings and confrontations with the authorities.

Secondly written collections were assembled consisting of selections of these teachings and stories.  Included in these would have been a complete Passion Narrative, or a collection of short sayings, or some parables.

Finally, the 4 evangelists collected these materials, both oral and written, and combined them into the gospels that we have today.

Matthew and Luke depended on Mark for their general outline and many of the incidents of Jesus’ ministry.  They also had a separate list of sayings of Jesus which came from one common source that we call “Q”.  And they each had additional materials like the story of the Wise Men from the East and the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Gospel According to Matthew is anonymous.  The unknown Christian teacher who prepared it during the last of the first century may have used as one of his sources a collection of Jesus’ sayings that the apostle Matthew is said to have drawn up.

The Gospel According to Mark is generally recognized as the earliest attempt to write down the apostolic tradition concerning Jesus.  Although the Gospel is anonymous, an ancient tradition may be correct in ascribing it to John Mark, who is said to have composed it at Rome as a summary of Peter’s preaching. The date of writing, though uncertain, was probably prior to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D, 70.

The Gospel According to Luke is anonymous and the evidence about its author is inconclusive.  Many support the early Christian tradition that the author was the physician Luke.  He was a Gentile convert and friend of the apostle Paul.  The Gospel appears to have been written, perhaps at Antioch, during the last third of the first century, though the precise date is unknown.

Tradition says that The Gospel According to John was written by the apostle John.  Many scholars, however, think that it was composed by a disciple of John who recorded his preaching.  In any case, when the Gospel was published near the close of the first century, the church accepted it as authentic.

LETTERS

The letters in the New Testament were written by various teachers in the primitive church to congregations and to individuals in order to provide instruction in the Christian faith.  By their very nature, letters permit the writer to communicate with the recipients in a personal, affectionate manner. They also allow the writer to approach abstract subject in more detail.

Of the 21 Letters, or Epistles in the New Testament, fourteen have been traditionally attributed to Paul, and the other seven to a variety of authors.  In the case of the Pauline letters, the titles now given to them involve the names of the recipients (To the Romans, To the Galatians, To Philemon, etc.)  In the case of the others the titles (except To the Hebrews) identify the author (Letter of James, Letter of Jude, etc.)  These titles were added by the scribes and editors after the letters had been collected together.

As to the actual author of these letters, it is still up for debate.  Letters were sometimes dictated and written verbatim; sometimes given to the scribe to write in his own words; and even sometimes written by friends after the death of the person to whom it is attributed.

The Letter of Paul to the Romans was probably written between A.D. 54 and 58.  The Letters of Paul to the Corinthians were probably written a few years before the one to the Romans.  The Letter of Paul to the Galatians was written perhaps about A.D. 55 or slightly earlier.

The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians is widely regarded as a “circular letter” that was not written specifically for Ephesus, but was distributed to several churches.  Through the years it has been assumed that Ephesians was written by Paul late in his career and from prison, probably in Rome.  Many scholars, however, hold that Ephesians was written by a follower of Paul who had a collection of Paul’s letters.

The Letter of Paul to the Philippians may have been written when he was in prison and awaiting trial which would be about A.D. 61-63 – or it may have been written at an earlier stage in Paul’s career.

The Letter of Paul to the Colossians is another one that is in dispute. It may have been written by a disciple of Paul shortly after his time.

The Letters of Paul to the Thessalonians were probably written when Paul was in Corinth, perhaps in the early 50’s. The first letter is probably the earliest of Paul’s correspondence and therefore the earliest of all New Testament writings.  The second letter was written shortly after the first, and before he received a response back.  Some scholars think that the second letter was written by someone else in Paul’s name.

The two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus were probably not written by Paul, but by a student of his.  The Letter of Paul to Philemon was probably written by Paul from prison.

The Letter to the Hebrews has an anonymous author.  The letter was probably composed before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in A.D. 70.  There are several differing opinions on who the author of this letter might be.  Some say that it was Luke that had translated a letter by Paul, some say it was written by an unknown disciple of Paul’s, and it has been suggested that it comes from a generation after that of the apostles.

The Letter of James may have been written by a student of James, the brother of Jesus.

The First Letter of Peter is from an elder in Rome. The greeting claims Peter as author while later in the epistle it refers to Silvanus.  Scholars claim it was written in A.D. 64, but this is disputable.  The Second Letter of Peter presents itself as the work of Simeon Peter.  Although identification with Peter, or even a disciple of Peter appears unlikely.  The second letter does not seem to be written by the same author as the first.

The First and Second Letters of John are from an unknown teacher.  Two letters from the same author indicate that the writer is an elder with authority in the Johannine communities.  The Third Letter of John is probably from the same author but it is directed to an individual, instead of the church.

The Letter of Jude has a traditional identification of Jude with Judas, a brother of Jesus, but this is unlikely.  This letter originated in the post-apostolic age.

CHURCH HISTORY

The book of Acts is the second part of a two-volume work, of which the Gospel according to Luke is the first part.  These two volumes reflect the conviction that both the story of Jesus and the story of the church are necessary.

The book of Luke ends with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  It is at this point that the book of Acts picks up the narrative by recounting in greater detail the ascension of Jesus.  It then tells of the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church.

It was apparently Luke’s aim to show how the Christian messengers created the establishment of the churches and how they aided in fulfilling the task laid on them to be (Acts 1:8) “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Like the four Gospels, The Acts of the Apostles is an anonymous book.  The tradition attributing the third Gospel and Acts to Luke, the companion of Paul, began in the latter part of the second century.

The date of the composition of Acts is disputed. Because there is no mention of the outcome of Paul’s arrest, some have thought that the book was published prior to Paul’s martyrdom under Nero, about A.D. 65-67.  On the other hand some of the writings suggest a later date, perhaps in the 80’s

APOCALYPSE

Apocalyptic literature is a class of Jewish and Christian writings that first appeared about 250 B.C. and continued well into the opening centuries A.D.  It frequently reflects a negative view of this world and expresses the hope for salvation in new creation or in another life.  It served to comfort and encourage the faithful in difficult times.

In the New Testament the leading example of apocalyptic writing is the book of Revelation.  Apocalyptic materials are present also in Mark chapter 13 and its parallels in Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 12.

Although parts of The Revelation to John may have been written before the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, it is probable that the author, whose name is John, put the book in its present form toward the close of the reign of the Emperor Domitian in A.D. 81-96.

But what it all comes down to is the question, “By whose authority were the books written?”  We know that it was God within each of them that inspired the writing.

It may not have been a disciple of Jesus who wrote those words.  It may have been a scribe, or a student of a student of a student of a master who wrote the words.  All people are inspired by God.

You can write something that will inspire others to greater faith, if you just tap into the Source, God.

As it says in (Galatians 3:27-29) “As many of you as have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.”

SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Acts 1:8; Galatians 3:27-29

Last updated November 12, 2006