The Gospels, the Evangelists and their symbols

back to Gospels

John, a book for adolescents (and for everybody)

The Gospel of John presents aspects that seem in contrast among them.

The report of the events is vivacious and spontaneous, but it is well built. It seems really the composition of a boy fresh of school, touched up under the guide of a good teacher. On a side, in fact, a observing way really of a teen-ager is noticed but the whole show an adult's view. The narration is rich of details, but it brings only some episodes and, also being composed of fragments, are very unitary.

But there is more: Jesus' discourses, written with simple words, reveal a so superhuman wisdom that, neither a boy, neither an adult can have been authors of it. The unique possibility is that Jesus himself has directly dictated those words in the language in which they are written: the Greek. Him only, with his words, he could expose with a language proper for the boys subjects so complicated.

Also the geographical placing of the Gospel seems inexplicable. John has especially written facts happened in Jerusalem and at the same time he shows detachment from the Jews, but he also remembers that «salvation comes from the Jews» (John 4,22). He evidently addresses to people that live away from Jerusalem, that have not seen Jesus in Galilee, but they are attainable from the evangelist and they are in friendship with him.

It is thought that this Gospel had been written a lot of time after the facts, but the narration is composed of different parts, with moments of enthusiasm and difficult moments, as they happened, not in an order that has a particular meaning. And in the most decisive moments different figures intervene to testify:

the disciples of Jesus and Jesus himself to Nicodemos and to others (John 3,11), John Baptist that certifies with seal (3,27-36), the evangelist John that has seen the death of Jesus and an undetermined personage (but he is Luke, sustained by Theophilos) that confirm his testimony (19,35), John and Peter to the sepulchre (20,5-9), the writer that has picked up the testimonies written by John and other people that corroborate (21,24).

The data resulting from the Gospels, from the Apocalypse and they from the archaeology make hold that has been a scribe of Gamla (fortress city in north east of the Galilee Lake) to compose the Gospel of John, transcribing and organizing the testimonies of the apostle John of Zebedee, who in his turn picked up exactly the "lessons" of Jesus Christ. Almost all this job had effected before the Ascension of Jesus to the heaven. In the compose him, the scribe had present the inhabitants of his city, chiefly his school disciples.

In fact the Gospel of John is understood better if you imagine him as the testimony of an adolescent, addressed to adolescents. Rather, this is the adequate reason to explain the existence of a Gospel so made. His sublimity depends on the fact that he fixed for us the words dictate by Jesus himself in Greek language.

These data, and other drawn by the Apocalypse and by the archaeology, have made me conclude that to compose John's Gospel has been a scribe of Gamla (city-fortress to north east of the Lake of Galilee), transcribing and framing exactly the testimonies of the apostle John of Zebedee, still boy, that picked up the "lessons" of Jesus Christ. The scribe had been teacher of John and, for this, he finished up the writings of the boy and he picked up from him and from others every necessary information. This job almost all developed him before the Ascension of Jesus to the Heaven. In to compose it, the scribe had present the inhabitants of its city, above all its disciples in school.

In fact the Gospel of John is better understood if it is imagined as the testimony of a teen-ager, addressed to teen-agers. Rather, this is the enough reason to explain the existence of a Gospel with such characteristics.

TOP

Luke, an official document

Let's now approach the Gospel of John to that of Luke.

Both furnish some references that help us to combine together the different moments, up to get an unique report, very more precise and rich. This way we discover that they have been written following the order in which the facts are happened. The historical reading of the facts, allowed by these two Gospel, means to pay attention to the gift that God has done to the men sending his Son Jesus Christ. Just having welcomed the Son of God, many are engaged to live all of their life according to his words, his signs and his example.

And the other two Gospel, one of an apostle and the other so orderly and flowing? Which is their historical value?

The evangelist Luke conduct us in the discovery.

At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke there are few lines that expose the method followed by him. They are rather difficult to be translated from the original Greek but, at the end, they furnish us very important indications:

Luke used a report already written, work of «oculars witness and official appointees», that attended «since the beginning» to «the relation (of the facts)» and he transcribed him «in order», «after having acquired every thing from the beginning (to end). Who could have written since the beginning of the facts? They can have been Matthew and his assistants, collectors of the taxes, which had accustomed to annotate all their money movement. They began to write as soon as Jesus settled to Capharnaum, immediately understanding the importance of his words and work.

TOP

    
Matthew recomposed for the Jewish school his first book, which is the «relation of the events»,

Now, while Luke copied the initial relation of Matthew, «many» had «begun to recompose» that same relation to produce the Gospel according Matthew that has arrived to us.

In fact this Gospel presents himself just like a rearrangement of the Jesus' teachings, performed by «many». Matthew was present and directed the work.

Bizarre is the fact that the Gospel of Matthew tries to change as much as possible what we read in the Gospel of Luke; but there is a simple explanation. Matthew had already published his «relation» of the events and, for be able to publish a new book, he must do him appear completely different.

What importance did he have such book? He had appointed to the reading in synagogue and to the Jewish school in the Roman Empire. That's why it was the first to being diffused in the Christian Churches.

TOP

Mark, the orderly synthesis of the others three Gospels and the testimony of Peter

The Gospel of Mark, in turn, results be a synthesis well orderly of various fonts. But, after what we have told, the fonts can be simply the other three Gospels and the testimonies of the apostle Peter.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are said synoptic, because "they see together" the events, they are similar and they can be compared the one with the other.

TOP