The name GOSPEL is applied to the 4 inspired histories which contain the good tidings of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word Gospel is the old English translation of the Greek ‘Evangelion’.Though 4 in number, the inspired histories constitute one Gospel as presented to the minds of 4 different writers.The first 3 give a general view of our Lord’s life and teachings and so are called “Synoptical”; the 4th is supplimentaryand doctrinal. The 4 Gospels have often been supposed to have been prefigured by the 4 "Cherubims seen by Ezekiel in his vision, (chap 1). St. Mathew as a MAN, St. Mark as a LION, St. Luke as an OX, St. John as an EAGLE
The 1st; his kingly aspect, the 2nd, the power and fullness of His living energy, the 3rd His priestly and Mediatorial character and the 4th His divinity.
All the books of the New Testament. were written in the early Church. Neither our Lord, nor anybody during His lifetime did write anything about Him. It was after Pentecost all the books took shape and were closely connected with the life of tiie early Church. We see in them what the early Christians saw in and heard from our Lord Who arranged the New Testament. in the present form deserves our study. The shining fact we see is that it was the CHURCH which authoritatively decided what books are canonical and what, not. The testimony of Eusebius throws light on the matter. “The persecution of Diocletean in A D 303 brought to the front the question of the sacred literature of the Church.The persecutors demanded that the scriptures should be given up, which the Christians refused. Hence the question became urgrnt-what books were Apostolic? The answer lies in our New Testament. Eusebius who wrote his Ecclesiastical history early in the 4th cent discusses the question of the Canon.
He divides what claimed to be sacred writings into 3 classes. 1) Those universally accepted 2)Disputed books. 3) Spurious writings, usually composed by heretics.
The language of Eusebius illustrates the great care and caution exercised in the admittance of books into the Canon. At length a decree was issued respecting the contents of the sacred books at the Council of Carthage inA D 397 and the books of the New Testament as we now have them were settled by the authority of the Christian Church.”
The Books of the New Testament
This is a list of the 27 books of the New Testament, ordered canonically according to most Christian traditions.
Gospel According to Matthew
Gospel According to Mark
Gospel According to Luke
Gospel According to John
Acts of the Apostles
Letter of Paul to the Romans
Letters of Paul to the Corinthians
I Corinthians
II Corinthians
Letter of Paul to the Galatians
Letter of Paul to the Ephesians
Letter of Paul to the Philippians
Letter of Paul to the Colossians
Letters of Paul to the Thessalonians
I Thessalonians
II Thessalonians
Letters of Paul to Timothy
I Timothy
II Timothy
Letter of Paul to Titus
Letter of Paul to Philemon
Letter to the Hebrews
Letter of James
Letters of Peter
I Peter
II Peter
Letters of John
I John
II John
III John
Letter of Jude
Revelation
1. St. MATHEW
He was the son of Alphaues and a Hebrew. Before his conversion he was named Levi and had been a publican - a collector of tolls and customs imposed on persons and goods crossing the Lake of Gennasareth at Capernaum. He wrote his Gospel mainly for his countrymen.Papias in the first half of the 2nd cent, says that he wrote it in ARAMAIC-SYRIAC, the spoken language of our Lord, His Mother and Apostles- and the same statement is found in other Fathers. Writing for the Jews, his object is to portray our LORD as the fulfiller of the Old Testament promises, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham and therefore the Promised Seed, in whom all nations should be blessed . The time and place of writing are uncertain. It is probable that it was written in Palestine between AD 50 and 60.There are others who say A D 70. One of the special characteristics is its constant citations from the Old Testament which amount to no less than 65. This is significant of the writer’s purpose.
2. St. MARK
Marcus was the Latin surname.His Hebrew name was John. He was the son of Mary, whose house at Jerusalem became the refuge and earliest churchof the Christian community (Act. 12; 12) He was the nephew or cousin of Barnabas and the attendant of Paul and Barnabas on their first mission. (13:5) We have traces of him in 1Peter 5; 13 and he is the reputed founder of the Alexandrian Church. Some of the early Fathers speak of St.Mark as the interpreter of St. Peter and it is probable that St. Peter in some way superintended the composition of the Gospel which was written primarily for gentiles. It is said that St.Mark was brought to the Church by St. Peter and v mm became his disciple.St. Mark was sent to Alexandria by St. Peter as Episcopa. St.Mark had a martyr’s end there in A. D. 68 after he had consecrated Anianos as his successor. The Gospel was written at Rome in 65-66 AD before the Martyrdom of St. Peter. St. John Chrysostom has stated that the Gospel was written in Egypt.
3. St. LUKE
He was a gentile and a native of Antioch.He was a physician (Col ;4;14) and a close companion of St.Paul. Tradition asserts that he wrote his gospel under the influence of St. Paul in AD 58-60. He tested tradition with documentary records, (1 ;5; 2;2, 3;1) by comparing the oral testimony of living witnesses (l, 2, 3.) and only when he had a ‘‘perfect understanding of all things from the very first” ventured to compile a Life of Christ.
The Evangelist presents to us our LORD as the Redeemer of the entire human race. His Gospel is the Gospel of Infancy. To him we are indebted for the account of the birth and childhood of Jesus and his forerunner, and of the Blessed Virgin. (2) It is the GOSPEL FOR THE GENTILES and (3) it is the Gospel FOR THE OUTCAST and the despised. (15;3-32, 23;34; 43)St. Luke was a skilled painter too.Tradition says that the picture of St. Mary in the Monastery of St. Mark at Jerusalem had been painted by him. He died a Martyr in Nero's persecution.Church Fathers say that St.Mark and St Luke are among the 72 Evangelists. Majority of scholars date the Gospel between 58 and 63.AD
4. St. JOHN
Son of Zebadee and Salome and the brother of James, was the youngest of our Lord’s disciples and specially known as ‘‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’’
Admitted with his brother and St. Peter to a closer relationship with Christ than the other Apostles. (Mar. 14;33), he became the constant follower to our Lord. With Him he stayed till His death and received from Him the sacred charge of His mother. After the Ascension, he remained for some time at Jerusalem and .worked in close union with St. Peter.We find him again incharge of the Church at Ephesus.Thence he was banished to Patmos but returned and taught at Ephesus till extreme old age, dying in A.D. 98 or even later. Tradition is unanimous in that he composed his Gospel at Ephesus towards the close of the 1st cent - The object, he tells “These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and believing, ye may have life in His Name”.
While the Synoptists give us mainly the external acts of the son of Man, St John gives us glimpses of His inner life. His subject is the eternal Word made flesh (I) as pre-existant (2) As Incarnate (3) As revealing the Father (4)As connecting humanity with divinity through Incarnation.He narrates only one miracle (the feeding of the 5000, but gives us 4 others not mentioned elsewhere—the change of water into wine, the healing of the paralytic man, the cure of one, born blind and the raising of Lazarus.
5. The Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles is described as a “second treatise” by St. Luke-It is a continuation of the life of our Lord. The composition by St. Luke is calculated about 63 A. D. It is the earliest sketch of the spread of the Christian Church. It tells of the 1st Apostolic miracle the 1st Apostolic sermon, the 1st rise of ecclesiastical organisation, the 1st persecution, the1st martyr, the 1st Gentile convert, the 1st European Church”.
The Epistles of St. Paul are divided into 4 classes:
1. Eschatological (1&2 Thess)
2. Anti-judaic(1 & 2 Cor. Gal.& Rom)
3. Personal and Christological (Phil. Col, Philemon &Eph. (Heb)
4. Pastoral - (I & 2 Thim,Titus )