The Gospels in the New Testament
Question One: The Gospel of Mark
Scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, who was Simon Peter’s companion. According to scholars, John Mark is the most viable choice as Mark’s author, as he is regularly referenced in Acts (Chilton, 2017). For instance, Acts 12:12 says, “When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.” (New International Version). Other parts of Acts also indicate that John Mark was the author of the Gospel of Mark. However, modern scholars have difficulty pinpointing John Mark as the true author of the Gospel of Mark as he does not mention his name in any scripture. John Mark does not mention his involvement in Jesus’ works and early Christian movements in the Gospel.
Furthermore, modern scholars do not have evidence of first-century writings, which increases the difficulty of referencing John Mark as the true author of the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark has several themes, such as Jesus’ persecution and martyrdom. Throughout the Gospel of Mark, early Christians appear to face persecution, a fact that escalates as manifested by the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. The events above show that the Gospel may have been written between 60 and 70 CE after the Jews had begun revolting against the Romans and were experiencing persecution for their beliefs (Chilton, 2017). Moreover, 2 Timothy 4:11 places John Mark in Rome while he was still alive, and during this era, early Christian Jews who revolted against Roman rules faced significant persecution.
Question Two: The Son of Man Concept
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is depicted as the Son of Man and assigned several roles in the fulfillment of the mentioned concept. Mark mentions Jesus as the Son of Man because he is a divine being with exceptional powers. In Mark, Jesus is the Son of Man because he has the power to raise the dead, heal terminal diseases, and perform unheard-of miracles. Mark presents Jesus as the only Son of Man because of his divinity, which remains unquestionable considering the miracles he performs. Further, Mark refers to Jesus as the Son of Man because of his humble nature, willing to suffer but staying loyal to his Father. For Mark, only an exceptional being could be facing the persecution Jesus did and not relent in spreading the Good News, justifying his being referenced as the Son of Man. Lastly, Mark names Jesus the Son of Man because he will come back to judge the inhabitants of the earth in the future.
The Son of Man concept in Mark is similar to that in Ezekiel, Daniel, and 1 Enoch, even though in different dimensions. For instance, in Ezekiel, the Son of Man is a prophet who lacks the immortality and divinity that Jesus had in Mark. Conversely, Daniel presents the Son of Man concept as a celestial being that is sent to rescue his followers thrown in the fire to die. Lastly, in 1 Enoch, Jesus is presented as the Son of Man who will come to judge the earth during end times. Therefore, Mark’s Son of Man concept is different from that presented in Ezekiel, Daniel, and 1 Enoch, as explained.
Question Three: Parables
Parables are the use of a story, imagined or real, to compare two scenarios and show their similarities. In the New Testament, Jesus is depicted as loving to use parables to teach the disciples essential concepts and to strengthen their faith. For instance, Jesus uses the parable of the mustard seed to explain the functioning of the kingdom of heaven and his vision of the spread of Christianity across the world. Jesus says that even though a mustard seed is small when planted, it germinates and grows to become a large tree that birds can shelter under (Mark 40:30-32, New International Version). As such, Jesus anticipates that even though at the time of his telling the parable, Christianity was a small movement like the mustard seed, in the end, it would grow and reach other parts of the world, like the tree.
Question Four: Author of Matthew’s Gospel
Modern scholars believe that Matthew was not written by any of the 12 twelve disciples for several reasons. Firstly, the book of Matthew appears to promote the observance of the Torah, yet the 12 disciples did not subscribe to these teachings to a greater extent. In Matthew, the author appears to have an intense need to emphasize that Jesus was an Israelite, hence the provision of his genealogy. If the 12 had written Matthew, they would have skipped the mentioned part as they were already aware of it and were more concerned about teaching discipleship concepts. Furthermore, Matthew describes the frequent conflicts that Jesus had with the Pharisees to show the sharp difference between Christianity and the Torah’s laws (Harris, 2015). The author is objective and observes the intensifying differences between Jesus’ teachings and those of the Pharisees. If the 12 had written Matthew, they would have given subjective accounts of Jesus’ regular conflicts with Roman laws.
Moreover, in Matthew, the author identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy, as foretold by Old Testament prophets. Matthew’s author appears to be knowledgeable in old prophecies and interweaves them expertly in his content, an aspect that the 12 did not prioritize. Lastly, Matthew does not identify the real author of the book, as Luke does. Therefore, considering the objective observation of the sharp differences between Jesus’ teachings and the Torah that Matthew’s author writes on, it is impossible that the 12 disciples wrote the book.
Matthew is intense and in-depth, considering it has content that Luke and Mark lack. For instance, it is Matthew’s author that gives important teachings, such as the Beatitudes. Modern scholars consider that Luke and Mark referred to Matthew when writing their accounts of the birth, works, and death of Jesus. According to the content in Matthew, it is likely it was written in Syria, which had a significant concentration of Jews and Jewish Christians at the time of its manifestation (Harris, 2015). Modern scholars also believe that Matthew was written a decade after the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem when Jewish leaders and early Christians regularly conflicted.
Question Five: Luke’s Major Themes and Concerns
The Gospel of Luke prioritizes Jesus’ teachings on discipleship and his works on earth significantly. Modern scholars assert that Luke has the longest account of Jesus’ travels and works while on earth. As such, Luke appears to concentrate on the teachings that Jesus used to strengthen his disciples and followers as a way to promote discipleship (Attridge, n.d.). Of the three Gospels in the New Testament, it is Luke that has the most parables, which Jesus frequently used to teach his disciples. Additionally, it is Luke that presents Jesus as an ethical considerer, teaching his disciples to obey Roman laws, such as giving of taxes, essentiality for empathy, and confidence in spreading the Gospel.
Luke also explains in detail the true calling of Jesus, to “…proclaim Good News to the poor…proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind…” (Luke 4:18, New International Version). Throughout the book, Luke explains extensively how Jesus, as the Messiah, fulfills his mission on earth. Luke also has the persecution and martyrdom of Jesus as part of its primary themes. The author extensively explains how Jesus was betrayed, arrested, persecuted, and crucified. Luke appears to have political concerns, as manifested in his extensive recount of Jesus’ treatment by Pilate, Roman soldiers, and Herod. Lastly, Luke appears to be concerned about the observation of Jesus’ teachings by the early church.
Question Six: Evidence for And Against the Tradition That Luke Wrote the Gospel Bearing His Name
Modern scholars say that Luke is said to have been Paul’s companion. The in-depth, knowledgeable accounts of the works of Jesus and his death indicate that Luke was well-learned and an expert in Hellenistic scientific and literary culture. Furthermore, Luke is said to have been well-versed in the Septuagint, scripture, and historiographical accounts, as manifested by the in-depth content he provides (Harris, 2015). According to the detailed description of the movements and works of Jesus contained in Luke, modern scholars see the author as a significant contributor to the strengthening of discipleship amongst the early church members. Luke must have been a significant friend to Paul, who also emphasized the need for Christians to observe Jesus’ teachings. However, modern scholars cannot ascertain if Luke was Paul’s companion, as they do not have access to first-century works.
References
Attridge, H. W. (n.d.). The Gospel of Luke. Frontline. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/luke.html
Chilton, B. (2017). Who wrote the Gospel of Mark? Cross-Examined.org. https://crossexamined.org/wrote-gospel-mark/
Harris, S. L. (2015). The New Testament: A student’s introduction (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
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Question 
The Gospels in the New Testament
Discuss the following in an essay format.
According to tradition, who wrote the Gospel of Mark? Why are modern scholars unable to verify that tradition? What themes in the Gospel suggest that it was composed after the Jewish Revolt against Rome had already begun?
Describe the three different categories Mark assigns to the concept of the Son of Man. How is this concept related to earlier Jewish writings, such as the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Enoch?
Define parable and discuss Jesus’ use of this literary form to describe his vision of God’s kingdom.
Why do scholars believe that it is unlikely that one of the Twelve wrote Matthew’s Gospel? From the content of the Gospel, what can we infer about its author and the time and place of its composition?
Describe some of Luke’s major themes and concerns.
Evaluate the evidence for and against the tradition that Luke, Paul’s travelling companion, wrote the Gospel bearing his name.