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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.
21 January 2012 3
21 January 2012 4
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
21 January 2012 5
21 January 2012 6
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.
21 January 2012 7
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
21 January 2012 8
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
21 January 2012 9
Content and form
4 determinants
• Available material
• Issues in community where written
• Structure to manage the material
• Evangelist’s perspective
21 January 2012 10
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
21 January 2012 11
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
21 January 2012 12
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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