13 January 2005 1

What is a gospel

21 January 2012 2

What a gospel is not… and what it is

It is not a modern:• novel• history • biography or• life of Jesus • theological treatise

Although it has things in common with all these, we must beware of reading it as if it wasone of them.

A gospel proclaims the good news of God’s saving activity in Christ.

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What do the evangelists say about their “proclamations”?

• Mark - to provoke belief in Jesus as Lord

• Luke - to enable the reader “to know the certainty of what you have been taught”

• John - written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and believing, may have life”

The gospel genre

Concern is to: • Proclaim what Jesus has

done• Confront us with Jesus

– who he is – what that means; and

• Provoke – belief and – action

• living; and

• spreading

Content is a unique mix of:• Action narrative

• Jesus’ sayings

• Theological reflection

This makes gospel into a genre in its own right

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The core gospel message

Initial concern was to share experience of Jesus died, risen and ascended

•through his words and actions

•based on personal recollection and experience

and to show the consequences

The evangelists are much less clear how to present his birth than his death.

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Refining, preserving and applying the message

Working out what it meant– Relating words and actions to particular situations– Going over and over (accounts become standardised)– Developing insights over time

Putting sayings and stories in memorisable form (if they were not already)– Parrallelism– Formulaic presentation– Structure

Different streams in different centres

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Why were the gospels written?

• First-hand witnesses getting old

• To guard against abuse, distinguishing

– acceptable application to specific needs from

– unacceptable fictionalising (as in “gnostic gospels”)

• They reflect a rabbinic respect for “word” and desire to ensure careful preservation

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Content and form

4 determinants

• Available material

• Issues in community where written

• Structure to manage the material

• Evangelist’s perspective

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Available material

• Certain events of great importance in all gospels

– John the Baptist; feeding the five thousand; triumphal entry; cleansing the temple; last supper together; trial, crucifixion and resurrection…

• Other events and actions are arranged for effect rather than historical sequence

• Sayings are often grouped for effect

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Anchor points

• All 4 gospels give great weight to last week

• Ministry always starts from baptism

• All show link to Israel

– Mark via Isaiah– Matthew by genealogy and birth narrative: God

working in Israel, in the sight of the Gentiles– Luke by showing Jesus emerging from what is best of

the old Israel– John through God’s eternal plan

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The gospels have different shapes

• Matthew - 5 blocks of teaching linked by narrative

• Mark - 2 phases– up to Peter’s confession– on to the passion

• Luke to be seen with Acts• John

– signs of his glory– his glory revealed

Possible broad themes of the gospels

• Matthew: Jesus as God’s anointed one who fulfils the OT

• Mark: the binding of “the strong man”

• Luke/Acts: the work of Christ which makes possible the work of the Holy Spirit

• John: the glory of Christ

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