Gospels not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John?
Posted on: March 29, 2008 - 12:17pm
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Gospels not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John?
I read that the oldest copies of these books do not have authorship attached. Anyone know where documentation of this statement can be found for reference purposes? thanks.
"Those who have stepped into the arena shall forever cherish a feeling the protected will never know."
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Based on dating alone it seems unlikely that they would have written the Gospels themselves. The authors are not exactly known but it is safe to say that it is unlikely that the names on the gospels are the authors but perhaps just the first story tellers.
Here is a timeline of the gospels that, alone, should bring authenticity of the names being the authors into question. There is essentially endless content on the discussion though and wouldn't be hard to find a ton of resources from varied points of view on the subject even with a simple google. I don't have a specific one in mind. Rook has written some pieces on it as well so it's worth looking through his blogs.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/timeline.html
Several sources with information that may help you:
1) http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/ has much info on various writings including the gospels.
2) Who Wrote the Gospels by Randell McCraw Helms
3) Who Wrote the New Testament: The Making of the Christian Myth by Burton L. Mack
4) Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman
There obviously are no originals of these Gospels, all of the existing books are copies from around the 4th century, such as Codex Sinaiticus. Clearly no one signed their names to the 1st documents and they were later attributed to those whose name they now bear.
Hope that helps.
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Thanks for bringing up this topic, it's perfect timing. I'm actually in a debate with someone about the historicity of the bible over at unbelief.org. The person is concentrating on talk of the gospels of Luke and very obviously has a preference for apologist historians. Despite that he does have more knowledge than me on the subject so I was after a quick brushing up.
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But here is a quote that is close to what I am looking for:"The superscription "According to Mark", on the other hand, was added in the second century." - Interpretation A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching Mark by Lamar Williamson, jr pg. 28
Nothing in the text names the author; the title "according to Matthew" was not part of the first edition. The author nowhere claims to have been an eyewitness to the events that he describes.- The Gospel of Matthew by Daniel J. Harrington (I lost the page number for this one but sense we don't have a copy of the "first edition" I don't think I would use this one in a debate. Wish he would refer to a particular witness.)
I'll keep looking though
"Those who have stepped into the arena shall forever cherish a feeling the protected will never know."
Here is EXACTLY what we are looking for. Respectable quote with references.
”The first four historical books of the New Testament are supplied with titles which, however ancient, do not go back to the respective authors of those sacred writings. The Canon of Muratori, Clement of Alexandria, and St. Irenaeus bear distinct witness to the existence of those headings in the latter part of the second second century of our era.”- The Catholic Encyclopedia (Volume Six Fathers-Gregory): An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church pg.655-656
"Those who have stepped into the arena shall forever cherish a feeling the protected will never know."