Editing Jesus (section)

=== Canonical gospels ===
{{Main|Gospel|Gospel harmony|Historical reliability of the Gospels}}
[[File:P. Chester Beatty I, folio 13-14, recto.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A 3rd-century Greek [[papyrus]] of the [[Gospel of Luke]]|alt=A four-page papyrus manuscript, which is torn in many places]]

The four [[canonical gospel]]s ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], and [[Gospel of John|John]]) are the foremost sources for the life and message of Jesus.<ref name="Britannica" /> But other parts of the New Testament also include references to key episodes in his life, such as the [[Last Supper]] in [[1 Corinthians 11]]:23–26.<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|11:23–26|9}}.</ref>{{sfn|Blomberg|2009|pp=441–442}}<ref name="Fahlbusch52" />{{sfn|Evans|2003|pp=465–477}} [[Acts of the Apostles]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|10:37–38|9}} and {{bibleverse|Acts|19:4|9}}.</ref> refers to Jesus's early ministry and its anticipation by [[John the Baptist]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Book of the Acts |first=Frederick F. |last=Bruce |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-8028-2505-6 |page=362 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans}}</ref>{{sfn|Rausch|2003|p=77}}{{sfn|Vermes|1981|pp=20, 26, 27, 29}} Acts 1:1–11<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|1:1–11|9}}.</ref> says more about the [[Ascension of Jesus]]<ref>also mentioned in {{bibleverse|1 Timothy|3:16}}.</ref> than the canonical gospels do.{{sfn|Evans|2003|pp=521–530}} In the [[Pauline epistles#Authenticity|undisputed Pauline letters]], which were written earlier than the Gospels, Jesus's words or instructions are cited several times.<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Corinthians 7:10–11, 9:14, 11:23–25|multi=yes}}, {{bibleverse|2 Corinthians|12:9}}.</ref>{{efn|Powell writes: "[Paul] does cite words or instructions of Jesus in a few places,<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Cor. 7:10–11; 9:14; 11:23–25|multi=yes}}; {{bibleverse|2 Cor.|12:9}}; cf. {{bibleverse|Acts|20:35}}</ref> but for the most part he displays little interest in the details of Jesus' earthly life and ministry."<ref>{{cite book |last=Powell |first=Mark A. |title=Introducing the New Testament |url=https://archive.org/details/introducingnewte00powe |url-access=limited |date=2009 |publisher=Baker |page=[https://archive.org/details/introducingnewte00powe/page/248 248] |isbn=978-0-8010-2868-7}}</ref>}}

Some [[early Christian]] groups had separate descriptions of Jesus's life and teachings that are not in the New Testament. These include the [[Gospel of Thomas]], [[Gospel of Peter]], and [[Gospel of Judas]], the [[Apocryphon of James]], and [[New Testament apocrypha|many other apocryphal writings]]. Most scholars conclude that these were written much later and are less reliable accounts than the canonical gospels.{{sfn|Brown|1997|pp=835–840}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=C. A. |title=Exploring the Origins of the Bible |date=2008 |publisher=Baker |page=154}}</ref>{{sfn|Keener|2009|p=56}}

==== Authorship, date, and reliability ====
The canonical gospels are four accounts, each by a different author. The authors of the Gospels are pseudonymous, attributed by tradition to the [[four evangelists]], each with close ties to Jesus:{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|The Jesus Seminar|1993|p=3}} Mark by [[John Mark]], an associate of [[Saint Peter|Peter]];<ref name="May Metzger Mark" /> [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]] by one of Jesus's disciples;{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|The Jesus Seminar|1993|p=3}} [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]] by a companion of [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] mentioned in a few epistles;{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|The Jesus Seminar|1993|p=3}} and John by another of Jesus's disciples,{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|The Jesus Seminar|1993|p=3}} the "[[beloved disciple]]".{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc=John, St.}}

According to the [[Marcan priority]], the first to be written was the Gospel of Mark (written AD&nbsp;60–75), followed by the Gospel of Matthew (AD&nbsp;65–85), the Gospel of Luke (AD&nbsp;65–95), and the Gospel of John (AD&nbsp;75–100).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2sloGWzzV8C&pg=PA58 |title=Can We Trust the Gospels?: Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John |publisher=Crossway |year=2007 |page=58 |isbn=978-1-4335-1978-9 |first=Mark D. |last=Roberts |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907174109/https://books.google.com/books?id=l2sloGWzzV8C&pg=PA58 |url-status=live}}</ref> Most scholars agree that the authors of Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source for their gospels. Since Matthew and Luke also share some content not found in Mark, many scholars assume that they used another source (commonly called the "[[Q source]]") in addition to Mark.{{sfn|Licona|2010|pp=210–221}}

One important aspect of the study of the Gospels is the [[literary genre]] under which they fall. Genre "is a key convention guiding both the composition and the interpretation of writings".<ref>Burridge, R. A. (2006). Gospels. In J. W. Rogerson & Judith M. Lieu (Eds.) ''The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies''. Oxford University Press. p. 433.</ref> Whether the gospel authors set out to write novels, myths, histories, or biographies has a tremendous impact on how they ought to be interpreted. Some studies have suggested that the Gospels ought to be seen as ancient biography.<ref>Talbert, C. H. (1977). ''What is a Gospel? The Genre of the Canonical Gospels''. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press.</ref><ref>Wills, L. M. (1997). ''The Quest of the Historical Gospel: Mark, John and the Origins of the Gospel Genre''. London: Routledge. p. 10.</ref><ref>Burridge, R. A. (2004). ''What are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography''. revised updated edn. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans.</ref> Although not without critics,<ref>e.g. Vines, M. E. (2002). ''The Problem of the Markan Genre: The Gospel of Mark and the Jewish Novel''. Atlanta, Georgia: Society of Biblical Literature. pp. 161–162.</ref> the position that the Gospels are a type of ancient biography is the consensus among scholars today.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stanton |first=Graham N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A7wNGMrAiD0C |title=Jesus and Gospel |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-521-00802-0 |page=192 |access-date=22 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226005236/https://books.google.com/books?id=A7wNGMrAiD0C |archive-date=26 February 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rogerson |first1=J. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eKZYMifS1fAC |title=The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies |last2=Lieu |first2=Judith M. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-925425-5 |page=437 |access-date=22 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225204746/https://books.google.com/books?id=eKZYMifS1fAC |archive-date=25 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Concerning the accuracy of the accounts, viewpoints range from considering them [[inerrant]] descriptions of Jesus's life,{{sfn|Grudem|1994|pp=90–91}} to doubting whether they are historically reliable on various points,{{sfn|Sanders|1993|p=3}} to considering them to provide very little historical information about his life beyond the basics.{{sfn|Köstenberger|Kellum|Quarles|2009|pp=117–125}}{{sfn|Ehrman|1999|pp=22–23}} According to a broad scholarly consensus, the [[Synoptic Gospels]] (the first three—Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are the most reliable sources of information about Jesus.{{sfn|Sanders|1993|p=71}}{{sfn|Theissen|Merz|1998|pp=17–62}}<ref name="Britannica" />

==== Comparative structure and content ====
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Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek {{lang|grc|σύν}} ({{tlit|grc|syn}}, 'together') and {{lang|grc|ὄψις}} ({{tlit|grc|opsis}}, 'view'),<ref name="Haffner-2008" /><ref name="Scroggie-1995" /><ref>{{OED|synoptic}}</ref> because they are similar in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structure, and one can easily set them next to each other and synoptically compare what is in them.<ref name="Haffner-2008">{{cite book |title=New Testament Theology |first=Paul |last=Haffner |year=2008 |isbn=978-88-902268-0-9 |page=135 |publisher=Gracewing}}</ref><ref name="Scroggie-1995">{{cite book |title=A Guide to the Gospels |first=W. Graham |last=Scroggie |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-8254-9571-7 |page=128 |publisher=[[Kregel Publications]]}}</ref><ref>{{Britannica URL |title=Synoptic Gospels |url=topic/Synoptic-Gospels}}</ref> Scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary relationship between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Gospel of John |first1=Francis J. |last1=Moloney |first2=Daniel J. |last2=Harrington |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8146-5806-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/gospelofjohn0004molo/page/3 3] |publisher=Liturgical Press |url=https://archive.org/details/gospelofjohn0004molo/page/3}}</ref> Many events (e.g., Jesus's baptism, [[Transfiguration of Jesus|transfiguration]], crucifixion and interactions with his [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]]) appear in the Synoptic Gospels, but incidents such as the transfiguration and Jesus's exorcising demons{{sfn|Witherington|1997|p=113}} do not appear in John, which also differs on other matters, such as the [[cleansing of the Temple]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ladd |first=George E. |title=A Theology of the New Testament |year=1993 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |isbn=978-0-8028-0680-2 |page=251 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC&pg=PA251 |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907103156/https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC&pg=PA251 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Synoptics emphasize different aspects of Jesus. In Mark, Jesus is the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]] whose mighty works demonstrate the presence of [[God's Kingdom]].<ref name="May Metzger Mark" /> He is a tireless wonder worker, the servant of both God and man.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits">Thompson, Frank Charles. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. Kirk Bride Bible Company & Zondervan Bible Publishers. 1983. pp. 1563–1564.</ref> This short gospel records a few of Jesus's words or teachings.<ref name="May Metzger Mark" /> The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfilment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and the Lord of the Church.<ref>May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977. "Matthew" pp. 1171–1212.</ref> He is the "[[Davidic line|Son of David]]", a "king", and the Messiah.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits" />{{sfn|McGrath|2006|pp=4–6}} Luke presents Jesus as the divine-human saviour who shows compassion to the needy.<ref name="May Metzger Luke">May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977. "Luke" pp. 1240–1285.</ref> He is the friend of sinners and outcasts, and came to seek and save the lost.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits" /> This gospel includes well-known parables, such as the [[Good Samaritan]] and the [[Prodigal Son]].<ref name="May Metzger Luke" />

The [[prologue to the Gospel of John]] identifies Jesus as an incarnation of the divine Word ([[Logos (Christianity)|Logos]]).<ref name="MayMetzgerJohn">May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977. "John" pp. 1286–1318.</ref> As the Word, Jesus was eternally present with God, active in all creation, and the source of humanity's moral and spiritual nature.<ref name="MayMetzgerJohn" /> Jesus is not only greater than any past human prophet but greater than any prophet could be. He not only speaks God's Word; he is God's Word.{{sfn|Harris|1985|pp=302–310}} In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals his divine role publicly. Here he is the [[Bread of Life]], the [[Light of the World]], the [[True Vine]], and more.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits" />

The authors of the New Testament generally showed little interest in an absolute [[chronology of Jesus]] or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age.{{sfn|Rahner|2004|pp=730–731}} As stated in [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#21:25|John 21:25]], the Gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events of Jesus's life.<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Collins |first=Gerald |title=Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-955787-5 |pages=1–3}}</ref> The accounts were primarily written as theological documents in the context of [[early Christianity]], with timelines as a secondary consideration.<ref name="Wiarda75">{{cite book |title=Interpreting Gospel Narratives: Scenes, People, and Theology |first=Timothy |last=Wiarda |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8054-4843-6 |pages=75–78 |publisher=B&H}}</ref> The Gospels devote about one third of their text to the last week of Jesus's life in [[Jerusalem]], referred to as [[Passion (Christianity)|the Passion]].<ref name="Turner613">{{cite book |title=Matthew |first=David L. |last=Turner |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8010-2684-3 |page=613 |publisher=Baker}}</ref> They do not provide enough details to satisfy the demands of modern historians regarding exact dates, but it is possible to draw from them a general picture of Jesus's life story.{{sfn|Sanders|1993|p=3}}{{sfn|Rahner|2004|pp=730–731}}<ref name="Wiarda75" />