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The Christian gospels were written long after Jesus Christ's death based on the oral traditions, each gospel tells the story of his life and/or his teachings but also reflects very different ideas and concerns that are reflective of the perspectives and times of their different authors. The gospel tradition begins with Mark, a disciple of Peter, who wrote down the elements of the oral tradition of Jesus' life and teachings as a narrative. Both Matthew and Luke patterned their gospels after Mark's. Although the gospel of Mark weaves together the travels, miracles, mission, and teachings of Jesus, the primary focus is the service of his ministry and the events that lead up to his Messianic death. The effects on the community of the failed Jewish Revolt against Rome significantly influenced this gospel. Matthew wrote his gospel for a Jewish Christian community in conflict with the Pharisees, so he focused on presenting Jesus as a teacher who was even greater than Moses.
Beginning with
the genealogy of Jesus as a son of Abraham and a true man of Israel who came to
fulfill the law and the prophets, Matthew drew on many symbols from Jewish
tradition, for instance, delivering five sermons from a mountaintop about the
teachings of the law - similar to the five books of the Torah.
Luke, a companion of Paul, was a physician learned in science and literature who authored the gospel which bears his name, and, The Book of Acts which tracks the expansion of Christianity from the death of Jesus to the end of Paul's ministry. In Luke's gospel, Jesus was a powerful miracle worker, a serene teacher of ethical wisdom, and a proponent of compassionate forgiveness. This gospel was written for cultured Gentiles and shows how Christians can still believe in the Kingdom of God and be loyal subjects and good citizens of Rome. The Gospel of John, also known as the spiritual gospel, has the passion narrative, sermons, and miracle stories of the three Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, but some of the traditional sayings are paralleled only in the Gospel of Thomas. John's concern about Jesus' relationship with Jerusalem and its authorities is reflected in the Passover symbolism in his gospel, the repetitive "Lamb of God" theme. Different from the rest of the gospels, the Gospel of Thomas consists of 114 sayings of the living Jesus prefaced by "And Jesus said ...," but does not include a narrative of his life. Although the author uses the same teachings as those that appear in the others, Thomas interprets their meanings for a more diverse community. The sayings are more secretive and reminiscent of the aphorisms of India, the community where tradition tells us Thomas was sent. For example, "Jesus tells Thomas that they both received their being from the same source; that he comes as a spiritual guide, that he speaks of illusion and enlightenment, that self-knowledge is knowledge of God; and that the self and the divine are identical". There was also a Gospel of Mary the Apostle to the Apostles.
Jesus Christ began his Sermon of
the Mount with eight sacred blessings for Christians called the Beatitudes that
were meant to offset prior curses. These poetic parallelisms of
Christianity are: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven; Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land; Blessed are they
who mourn: for they shall be comforted; Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after justice: for they shall have their fill; Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy; Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God;
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God;
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven".
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