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The Canonical Gospels are the four accounts of the life of Jesus central to the Christian Canon. All other gospels are referred to as non-canonical. In the days of the Early Church (before 325) there were a number of accounts of the life of Jesus Christ in circulation, but only four accounts were considered reliable enough to be accepted as part of the Canon of the New Testament.^[1]

Contents 1 Canonical Gospels 2 Primary Gospels 2.1 Hebrew Gospel tradition 2.2 Petrine Gospel tradition 3 Secondary Gospels 3.1 Gospel of Luke / Acts 3.2 Gospel of Truth 3.3 The Gospel of Thomas 3.4 The Gospel of Peter 3.5 Gospel of Matthias 3.6 Gospel of Matthew 3.7 Gospel of John 3.8 Gospels outside the Church catalogs 3.8.1 Q source 3.8.2 Signs Gospel 3.8.3 Gospel of the Egyptians 3.8.4 Gospel of the Apostles 3.8.5 The Gospel of the Ebionites 3.8.6 Gospel of the Nazarenes 3.9 Summary 4 Jewish Christian Canon 4.1 Persecution 4.2 Death of James the Just 4.3 Jewish Christian Scriptures 5 Marcionite canon 6 Gnosticism and the New Testament Canon 7 Montanism 8 Muratorian Canon 9 The Alogi 10 The emergence of the Orthodox Canon of Gospels 11 Comparison Chart of the Major Gospels 12 References 13 Further reading

[edit] Canonical Gospels

[edit] Primary Gospels

The Primary Gospels are generally considered to be the earliest gospels to be written. They are believed to be the sources or basis for later gospels and are sometimes referred to as proto-gospels. The Church Fathers maintained that they were eye witness accounts. ^[2][3][4]

[edit] Hebrew Gospel tradition

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Originally, Jewish/Christian scholarship had been oral. Jesus (for example his Expounding of the Law) and other rabbis expounded and debated the law (the written law expressed in the Hebrew Bible) and discussed the Tanakh without the benefit of additional written works (other than the Biblical books themselves), though some may have made private notes (megillot setarim).

This situation changed drastically, however, mainly as the result of the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 and the consequent upheaval of Jewish/Christian social and legal norms. Jewish Christians were required to face a new reality— without a Temple (to serve as the center of teaching and study), the old system of oral scholarship could not be maintained. It is during this period that rabbinic discourse began to be recorded in writing.^[5][6]

The Church Fathers recognized this and said that the first gospels were born out of necessity.^[7] Matthew, a Galilean Jew and follower of the rabbi Jesus is said to have written the first gospel.^[8] It was composed in Hebrew and meant for Hebrew Christians.^[9][10]

As a disciple, Matthew followed Jesus, and would have been an eye witness to the rabbinical midrashic discourse of the "Rabbi from Nazareth". Matthew may have even participated in the development of the Torah Shebeal Peh as the Talmud mentions him as a follower of Jesus the Nazarene.^[11][12][13] Matthew reduced this Logia into a written form in what would become known as the first Gospel.^[14][15][16]

Because of the writings of the Church Fathers we know a great deal about Matthew's gospel. It was composed in Hebrew near Jerusalem for Hebrew Christians and it was translated into Greek, but the Greek translation was lost. The Hebrew original was kept at the Library of Caesarea. The Nazarene Community transcribed a copy for Jerome which he used in his work.^[17][18][19]

Matthew's Gospel was called the Gospel according to the Hebrews ^[20][21] or sometimes the Gospel of the Apostles ^{[22][23][24][25][26]} and it was once believed that it was the original to the Greek Matthew found in the Bible, although this is currently disputed ^[27] by modern Biblical Scholars.

Matthew's Gospel according to the Hebrews was widely circulated among early Hebrew Christians.^[28][29] These groups included the Nazarenes, Ebionites etc. It was generally believed that they added their own oral traditions or midrash to the "Hebrew Gospel" giving rise to what are now known as the Jewish Gospels.^[30] Almost all critics are agreed, that the Gospel according to Nazarenes, the Gospel according to Ebionites, etc. are just modified editions of Matthew's Gospel according to the Hebrews but were essentially the same gospel and are important to understanding the gospel tradition of early Christianity.^[31][32] From Egypt, to as far away as India,^[33] in various editions,^[34] the Gospel according to the Hebrews ^{[35][36][37][38][39][40]} remained one of the most important primary Christian writings ^{[41][42][43][44][45]} until Jewish Christianity was displaced by the State church of the Roman Empire.

^{[38] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51]}

[edit] Petrine Gospel tradition

Peter was one of the Twelve disciples. According to New Testament accounts, he had been a fisherman was assigned a leadership role by Jesus and witnessed the Transfiguration and the Resurrection.^[52] He became one of Twelve Apostles.

As a Jew , he worshiped at the Temple, revered written Law called Torah Shebiktav and the oral tradition called Torah Shebeal Peh.^{[53] [54]} This oral tradition interpreted the written law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.^{[53] [54]}

It was in this cultural context or Sitz im Leben that Peter, like Matthew, would have witnessed and participated in the development of the Christian Oral Tradition as Jesus developed his "Gospel" or "Midrash" to interpret the written Law given to Moses by God.^[55][56]

After the destruction of Jerusalm in 70 AD, Peter worked to establish the church of Antioch. He also preached to scattered communities of believers (Jews and Hebrew Christians), in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor and Bithynia.

It is believed that Peter eventually went to Rome. In the second year of Claudius, he removed Simon Magus, and held the Sacerdotal chair.^{[52][57][58][59]} Peter, whose native language was Aramaic, employed a scribe named Mark as his interpreter. As such, Mark was intimately acquainted with the Hebrew Midrashic teachings that would come to be called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. According to Jerome,^[60] Mark set down these teachings of Peter in written form.

Unlike the Gospel according to Hebrews it was composed in Koine Greek. Peter is said to have reviewed this work and given it his blessing, elevating the Gospel of Mark to the level of an eyewitness account. Modern Biblical scholarship is in agreement, that it was the first of the Canonical Gospels to be composed.^{[61][62][63][64]} The Gospel of Mark was widely circulated and most modern scholars agree that it was a primary source used in the writing of later gospels.^[65]

[edit] Secondary Gospels

The Secondary Gospels are those gospels that were written by persons who were not eyewitnesses to Jesus and were based upon earlier works. Although there is still much debate about the primary gospels, that is not the case regarding these later gospels.

[edit] Gospel of Luke / Acts

According to the preface, the purpose of Luke was to write a historical account, based upon earlier primary source gospels. Most scholars understand Luke's works to be in the tradition of Greek historiography.^[66][67] The preface draws on historical investigation and identifies the work as belonging to the genre of history. Like the other great historians of his time, he clearly defines what he is doing, stating that the reader can rely on the "certainty" of the facts given.

Luke explains that there are many accounts in circulation at the time of his writing. He further explains that these are eye-witness testimonies. He has carefully investigated "everything from the beginning" and is editing the historical material into one comprehensive, orderly and accurate account from the birth of Jesus to his own time. Scholars note that half way though Acts, Luke shifts from being a historical redactor to giving an eyewitness account. From this, scholars are able to deduce that Luke was a companion of Paul, writing close to the end of Paul's ministry^{[68] [69][70][71][72][73][74]} The author portrays Christianity as divine, respectable, law-abiding, and international.

Most modern critical scholarship confirms the authenticity of Luke's preface. Scholars believe that Luke used the Gospel of Mark for his chronology and a hypothetical sayings source, Q document, for many of Jesus' teachings. Scholars have put forward the possibility that the Gospel of Luke may also have been based on the Gospel according to the Hebrews.^{[75][76][77][78][79]}

The Gospel of Luke rapidly became one of the most popular gospels of the early Church.^[80][81]

[edit] Gospel of Truth

The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices ("NHC"). It exists in two Coptic translations, a Subachmimic rendition surviving almost in full in the first codex (the "Jung Codex") and a Sahidic in fragments in the twelfth. It was probably written in Greek between 140 and 180 by Valentinian Gnostics (or, as some posit, by Valentinus himself).

It was known to Irenaeus of Lyons, who objected to its Gnostic content and declared it heresy. Irenaeus declares it one of the works of the disciples of "Valentinius", and the similarity of the work to others thought to be by Valentinus and his followers has made many scholars agree with Irenaeus on this point.

The text is written with strong poetic skill (notable even in translation), and includes a heavily cyclical presentation of themes. It is not a "gospel" in the sense of an account of the works of Jesus of Nazareth, but is better understood as a homily. The text is generally considered by scholars one of the best written texts in the whole Nag Hammadi collection, considering its worth highly as both a great literary work and a gnostic exegesis on several gospels, canonical and otherwise.

The text describes a theory of the rise of Error in personified (female) form. The ignorance and yearning to see the Father bred fear, which coalesced into a fog by which Error gained power.

It then describes Jesus as having been sent down by God to remove the ignorance. Jesus was a teacher, confounding the other scribes and teachers, and asserted they were foolish since they tried to understand the world by analysing the law. But Error grew angry at this, and nailed Jesus to a tree. It also proceeds to describe how it is knowledge that grants salvation, which constitutes eternal rest, describing ignorance as a nightmare.^{[82] [83] [84]}

[edit] The Gospel of Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945. It is part of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library.^[85]

The Coptic language text, is composed of 114 quotations attributed to Jesus.^[86] Almost half of these quotations resemble teachings found in the Canonical Gospels, while other sayings are similar to those in the Gospel according to the Hebrews. The rest were previously unknown.^[87]

The introduction states: These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down. Didymus (Greek) and Thomas (Aramaic) both mean "twin". Most scholars suspect that this reference to the Apostle Thomas is false, and that therefore the true author is unknown.^[88]

The Early Church believed it to be a false gospel. Eusebius, for example, included it among a group of books that he believed to be not only spurious, but "the fictions of heretics" that should be thrown out as absurd and impious.^[89][90]

[edit] The Gospel of Peter

The Gospel of Peter was the first of the non canonical gospels to be rediscovered, preserved in the dry sands of Egypt.^[91] A major focus of this gospel is the passion narrative, which is notable for ascribing responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus to Herod Antipas rather than to Pontius Pilate. The Gospel of Peter explicitly claims to be the work of the apostle Peter. However, scholars generally agree that Gospel of Peter is pseudepigraphical (bearing the name of an author who did not actually compose the text).^[92] Also, the Church Fathers confirm this to be the case.

Ron Cameron and others have speculated the Gospel of Peter was written independently of the Synoptic Gospels using an early proto gospel. A consequence of this is the potential existence of a source text that formed the basis of the passion narratives in Matthew, Luke, and Mark, as well as in Peter.

Origen makes mention of the Gospel of Peter as agreeing with the tradition of the Hebrews. The relationship to the Gospel according to the Hebrews becomes more clear when Theodoret states that the Nazarenes made use of the Gospel of Peter, for we know by the testimony of the Fathers generally that the Nazarene Gospel was that commonly called the Gospel according to the Hebrews. The same Gospel was in use amongst the Ebionites, and in fact, as almost all critics are agreed, the Gospel according to the Hebrews, under various names, such as the Gospel according to Peter, according to the Apostles, the Nazarenes, Ebionites, Egyptians, etc., with modifications certainly, but substantially the same work, was circulated very widely throughout the early Church.^[32]

[edit] Gospel of Matthias

The Gospel of Matthias is a lost text from the New Testament apocrypha. It claims to be written by Matthias. However, the Early Church Fathers attributed it to heretical writings in the 2nd century. Little is known of this work.^[93]

[edit] Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew, is one of the four Canonical gospels and is the first book of the New Testament. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from his genealogy to his Great Commission.^[94][95] The Gospel of Matthew is aligned with 1st-century Second Temple Judaism, and has been linked to the Jewish-Christian Gospels. It stresses how Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecies.^[96][96] Matthew also emphasizes obedience to and preservation of biblical law.^[97][98] Most scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew was composed in the latter part of the 1st century by a Jewish Christian.^[99]

Early Christian writings state that Matthew the Apostle wrote the Hebrew Gospel.^[100] Many scholars today believe that "canonical Matt was originally written in Greek by a non eyewitness whose name is unknown to us and who depended on sources like Mark and Q". However, other scholars disagree variously on these points. ^[51][101]

[edit] Gospel of John

Gospel of John is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details the story of Jesus from his Baptism to his Resurrection. The Gospel is anonymous, but in chapter 21, it is stated that it is derived from the testimony of the 'Disciple whom Jesus loved', identified with John the Apostle, one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles.^[102] The evangelist seems to be seeking to differentiate his community from other Jewish-related sects, such as Samaritans and followers of John the Baptist. ^[103]

According to the Church Fathers, John the Apostle, was the last of the Evangelists to compose a gospel. The Bishops of Asia requested he write such a gospel in response to Cerinthus, the Ebionites and other Hebrew groups which they deemed heretical.^[104][105]

The second reason given for this work, was that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, only gave a history for the one year, of and following the imprisonment of John the Baptist. Therefore, the Evangelist expanded on the Synoptic gospels of which he had read and approved.^[106][107]

[edit] Gospels outside the Church catalogs

This is a list of Gospels that were not included in the Catalogs of the early Church. It may be that they were lost, "secret" or simply neologisms. It is also possible that they were written after the Canon was formulated or were considered insignificant by both orthodox and unorthodox alike. In any event they were never considered for the Canon of the Church.

[edit] Q source

Q source (sometimes referred to as Q document, or simply Q) is a hypothetical gospel. It is not listed in any of the early Church catalogs. This ancient gospel supposedly contained the logia or quotations from Jesus.^[108] However, the existence of a highly treasured dominical document, being omitted from all the early Church catalogs and going unmentioned by all the fathers of the early Church, remains one of the great conundrums of modern Biblical scholarship.^[109]

One possible solution is that Q-source was not Christian. Paul had a list of quotations known as an evidence or testimony book, (see Sitz im Leben) that had been collected by the Sanhedrin for the purposes of persecuting the early Church. It would have been very accurate. After Paul's conversion, it may have found its way into later gospels, as Paul would not have discarded such a testimony book.^[110]

More likely, Q-source simply never existed. In any event it was not considered for the Canon. ^[109]

[edit] Signs Gospel

The Signs Gospel is a hypothetical gospel account of the life of Jesus Christ. Some scholars believe it to be a primary source document for the Gospel of John. This theory has its basis in source criticism. Since the epoch-making commentary of Rudolf Bultmann in 1941, the Hypothesis of a Semeia Source (miracle) has gained rather wide acceptance.^[111][112]

[edit] Gospel of the Egyptians

In this gospel, it seems that Salome, mentioned only by Mark in the New Testament, played a prominent place. The Gospel of the Egyptians is no longer extant but was mentioned by Hippolytus and Epiphanius. Most of our citations come from Clement of Alexandria, and there is also a reference in the Excerpts of Theodotus. The gospel was apparently used in Egypt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and may have been based on the Gospel of the Hebrews^{[32][113][114]}

[edit] Gospel of the Apostles

The Gospel of the Twelve also referred to as the Gospel of the Apostles, is a lost gospel preserved in fragments within the writings of the Church Fathers. This non-Canonical Gospel gives an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his Baptism to his Resurrection.

Scholars such as Cassels, Theodoret and Parker consider it a different "edition" of Matthew's Gospel of the Hebrews (See Sitz im Leben).^[32][115] In regard to the "Memoirs of the Apostles," which are referred to some fifteen or twenty times by Justin, as the source of many of his quotations, critical scholarship contends that Justin meant the Gospel of the Hebrews, as the Gospel of the Hebrews was also known as The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles. This, was The Memoirs of the Apostles, referred to by Justin Martyr.^[116][117]

[edit] The Gospel of the Ebionites

The Ebionites were Jewish-Christians who rejected the Apostle Paul, condemning him as "an apostate from the law." (See also: Paul of Tarsus and Judaism) Irenaeus stated that this early Jewish-Christian community used the Matthew's gospel exclusively. Eusebius later wrote that they used only the Gospel according to the Hebrews. From this Edwards and Nicholson claim that there was only one Hebrew gospel. They also note that the title Gospel of the Ebionites, was never used by anyone in the early Church.^[118][119]

Epiphanius contended that the gospel the Ebionites used, was written by Matthew and called the Gospel of the Hebrews.^[120] Because Epiphanius said that it was "not wholly complete, but falsified and mutilated...",^[121] scholars such as Cassels, Theodoret and Parker consider it a different "edition" of Matthew's Hebrew Gospel to which the Ebionites added some of their oral tradition Midrash (See Sitz im Leben).^[32][115]

The Jesus Seminar has argued that this work should now be called by the neologism, the Gospel of the Ebionites. This hypothetical term is not mentioned in any catalogs of the Early Church.^[122] the real name is unknown but it could have been the Gospel of the Twelve.^[123][124]

[edit] Gospel of the Nazarenes

The Gospel of the Nazarenes is a hypothetical Jewish gospel which may be the same as the Gospel of the Hebrews. This Gospel was widely used by the Nazarene community of Roman period Palestine, and hence is commonly called the Gospel of the Nazarenes (or "Nazoreans") by modern biblical scholars.^[125] The title, Gospel of the Nazarenes is a neologism as it was not mentioned in the Catalogues of the Early Church, nor by any of the Church Fathers. Therefore it was never a contender the Canon^[126] Today, all that remains of its original text are notations, quotations, and commentaries from various Church Fathers including Hegesippus (c. 180 CE), Origen, Eusebius and Jerome.^[127]

[edit] Summary

This is a list of the main gospels that were in circulation in the Early Church and vying for a position for a position in the Christian Canon.

[edit] Jewish Christian Canon

Jewish Christians, also called Hebrew Christians, or Judaizers, were Early Christians who maintained Jewish religious practices, from the period of the inception of Christianity until approximately the 5th century.^[128] Alister McGrath, former Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, claims that the 1st century Jewish Christians were totally faithful religious Jews. They only differed from other contemporary Jews in their acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah.^[129] However as Christianity grew throughout the Gentile world, Christians were cut off from their Jewish roots.^{[130][131][132][133]} Jewish Christianity fell into decline, probably because of the Jewish-Roman wars (66-135) and the growing anti-Judaism perhaps best personified by Marcion in the 2nd century, and with more than a little help from the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, it faded quietly into the background. It was dominated by the Gentile-based Christianity which became the official religion of the Roman Empire and which took control of sites in the Holy Land such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Cenacle.^{[134][135][136]}

[edit] Persecution

The terms circumcised and uncircumcised, which occur frequently in the New Testament, are generally interpreted to mean Jews and Greeks respectively, who were predominant in the region at the time. The Jewish Christian sect (3,000 +) was in danger of being wiped out ^[137] as they were being persecuted unto the death by the Jewish High Priest and the Sanhedrin. Peter and John were imprisoned by a "Jewish leadership" ("the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees") who were "much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead".^[138] The Sadducees in particular rejected the Pharisaic doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Saint Stephen was tried by a Sanhedrin (Jewish Supreme Court) for blasphemy against Moses and God^[139] and was stoned to death, under the watch of Paul of Tarsus, before his conversion.

[edit] Death of James the Just

A blow to this persecuted early Jewish Christian sect was the death of their second leader (their first leader, Jesus, having been crucified c.30). According to Josephus, "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" met his death after the death of the procurator Porcius Festus, yet before Lucceius Albinus took office ^[140] — which has thus been dated to 62. The High Priest Ananus ben Ananus took advantage of this lack of imperial oversight to assemble a Sanhedrin who condemned James "on the charge of breaking the law," then had him executed by stoning. Josephus reports that Ananus' act was widely viewed as little more than judicial murder, and offended a number of "those who were considered the most fair-minded people in the City".^[141]

Three events would greatly affect the fortunes of early Jewish Christianity. The first was the Conversion of Paul (and the possible conversion of his teacher Gamaliel), the second was the Council of Jerusalem, and the third was the Destruction of the Second Temple, which is seen as the most significant event of the Jewish–Roman wars by proponents of Supersessionism. According to the Church History of Eusebius,^[142] the line of Jewish Christian bishops of Jerusalem ended after the Bar Kokhba revolt. After that, the Jerusalem bishops were Gentiles.

[edit] Jewish Christian Scriptures

These Jewish Christians were known by several names including the Nazarenes, Ebionites etc. They created one of the earliest canons of Scripture. It consisted of the Old Testament, Matthew's Gospel of the Hebrews, but not the writings of the Apostle Paul, maintaining that he was an apostate from the Law.^{[143][144][145][146]}

[edit] Marcionite canon

On the other extreme was Marcion who repudiated the Gospel of the Hebrews and the entire Old Testament. He was a bishop of Asia Minor who went to Rome and was later excommunicated for his views. Marcion rejected the theology of the Old Testament entirely and regarded the God depicted there, as an inferior being. He claimed that the theology of the Old Testament was incompatible with the teaching of Jesus. Marcion believed that Jesus had come to liberate mankind from the authority of the "God of the Old Testament" and to reveal the superior God of goodness and mercy whom he called the "Father". Paul and Luke were the only Christian authors to find favour with Marcion.

Marcion created a canon, a definite group of books which he regarded as fully authoritative, displacing all others. These comprised ten of the Pauline epistles (without the Pastorals and Hebrews) and Luke's Gospel. It is uncertain whether he edited these books, purging them of what did not accord with his views, or that his versions represented an earlier textual tradition.^{[147][148][149][150]}

Marcion's gospel, called simply the Gospel of the Lord, differed from the Gospel of Luke by lacking any passages that connected Jesus with the Old Testament. He believed that the god of the Jews, Yahweh, who gave them the Jewish Scriptures, was an entirely different god than the Supreme God who sent Jesus and inspired the New Testament. Marcion's role in the formation and development of Christianity is pivotal he was the first collector of the Pauline Epistles. Marcion termed this collection the Apostolikon.

In addition to his Gospel and Apostolikon, he wrote a text called the Antithesis which contrasted the New Testament view of God and morality with the Old Testament view of God and morality, see also Expounding of the Law#Antithesis of the Law.

Marcion's canon and theology were rejected as heretical by the early Church; however, he forced other Christians to consider which texts were canonical and why.^{[151][152][153]}

[edit] Gnosticism and the New Testament Canon

Gnosticism represented a moderation of the anti-Judaism of the earlier Hellenized teachers; the demiurge, widely regarded to be a mythological depiction of the Old Testament God of the Hebrews, is depicted as more ignorant than Evil. The word 'Gnosticism' is a modern construction and is based on an ancient root; it comes from the Greek word most often translated as 'knowledge', gnosis (γνώσις). However, gnosis itself refers to a very specialized form of knowledge, deriving both from the exact meaning of the original Greek term and its usage in Platonist philosophy (see Plato's gnostikoi’ and gnostike episteme from Politicus (or Statesmen) 258e-267a). Gnosis also has a hermetic understanding.

Classical Gnosticism and The School of Thomas antedated and influenced the development of Valentinus, who was to found his own school of Gnosticism in both Alexandria and Rome, whom Layton called 'the great [Gnostic] reformer' and 'the focal point' of Gnostic development.^{[154] [155]} Valentinus said that Theudas imparted to him the secret wisdom that Paul had taught privately to his inner circle, which Paul publicly referred to in connection with his visionary encounter with the risen Christ (Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Acts 9:9-10), when he received the secret teaching from him. ^[156]

Valentinus used a gospel known as the Gospel of Truth. Irenaeus in his Adversus Haereses described several different schools of 2nd-century gnosticism. The Nag Hammadi library offers an intriguing source of texts whose intended exclusion as much drove the formation of the orthodox Canon as did the desire to include certain other texts, now well-known.

[edit] Montanism

Montanism was an early Christian movement of the early 2nd century, named after its founder Montanus. It originated at Hierapolis where Papias was bishop and flourished throughout the region of Phrygia, leading to the movement being referred to as Cataphrygian (meaning it was "from Phrygia") or simply as "Phrygians". It spread rapidly to other regions in the Roman Empire at a time before Christianity was generally tolerated or legal. Although orthodox Nicene Christianity prevailed against Montanism within a few generations, labeling it a heresy, the sect persisted in some isolated places into the 8th century. Some people have drawn parallels between Montanism and modern Pentecostalism (which some call Neo-Montanism).^[157]

Montanus claimed to have received a series of direct revelations from the Holy Spirit. In some of his prophecies Montanus spoke in the first person as if the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. He was accompanied by two women, Prisca, sometimes called Priscilla, and Maximilla, who likewise claimed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As they went, "the Three" as they were called, spoke in ecstatic visions and urged their followers to fast and pray, so that they might share these personal revelations.

The movement was inspired by Montanus' reading of the Gospel of John— "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth" (NIV), as well as some apocrypha such as 4 Esdras.^{[158][159][160][161]}

[edit] Muratorian Canon

The so-called Muratorian Canon^[162] is the earliest known example of a canon list of mostly New Testament books.^[163] A bad Latin translation is all that survives, damaged and incomplete. The Greek original is usually dated in the late 2nd century.^{[164][165][166]}

There is evidence that, perhaps as early as 200, there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the 27-book NT, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them.^[167] Also in the early 200's it is claimed Origen (c. 185-c. 254) was using the same 27 books as in the Catholic NT canon, though there were still lingering disputes over Hebrews, James, II Peter, II and III John, and Revelation.^{[168][169][170]}

Indeed, Irenaeus ridiculed those who think they are wiser than the Apostles because the "Apostles were still under Jewish influence". This was crucial to refuting Marcion's anti-Judaism, as Acts gives honor to James, Peter, John and Paul alike. At the time, Jewish Christians tended to honor James (a prominent Christian in Jerusalem described in the New Testament as an "apostle" and "pillar",^[171] and as the first Bishop of Jerusalem).^[172]

[edit] The Alogi

There were those who rejected the Gospel of John (and possibly also Revelation and the Epistles of John) as either not apostolic or as written by the Gnostic Cerinthus or as not compatible with the Synoptic Gospels. Epiphanius of Salamis called these people the Alogi, because they rejected the Logos doctrine of John and because he claimed they were illogical. There may have also been a dispute over the doctrine of the Paraclete.^[173][174] Gaius or Caius, presbyter of Rome, was apparently associated with this movement.^[175]

[edit] The emergence of the Orthodox Canon of Gospels

One can not overstate the battle that took place over the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. By the time of Eusebius, all the gospels were excluded from the canon with five exceptions. Matthew Mark Luke and John were almost universally accepted. The Gospel of the Hebrews was still a matter of ongoing debate.

Jerome was a supporter of the Hebrew Gospel as he thought it was the Authentic Gospel of Matthew. Also, it was still widely used among Jewish Christians. Jerome actually translated it into Latin and Greek.

However, anti Jewish feeling made it an unlikely candidate for the Canon of Christian Scripture. It was the gospel of the Judaizers and it undermined the Virgin Birth by saying that Jesus was begotten of God at his baptism. The majority view of the Gentile Church was summed up by Cyril of Jerusalem who wrote, “The doctrine of Judaism cannot be joined to the doctrine of Christ. What connection can there be between the agreement of the Gospel of the Hebrews and the agreement of the Holy Gospels?” ^[176]

The battle of the canon was cut short by Constantine the Great, not by threats of force or intimidation but by an extraordinary offer. Books were very very expensive to produce and he agreed to publish fifty bibles. Nobody wanted to delay such a great undertaking with more bickering over the Canon. The Church leaders quickly fell into line. With the help of Eusebius ^[177] and Athanasius volumes containing the Holy Gospels, were set and published.^[178][179] The Canonical Gospels would remain forever: Matthew, Mark Luke and John.

[edit] Comparison Chart of the Major Gospels

^{[original research?]}

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The material in the Comparison Chart^[180] is from the Gospel Parallels by B. H. Throckmorton, The five Gospels by R. W. Funk, The Gospel According to the Hebrews, by E. B. Nicholson & The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition by J. R. Edwards.

Item	Matthew, Mark, Luke	John	Thomas	Gospel of the Hebrews
New Covenant	The central theme of the Gospels - Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself [181]	The central theme - Love is the New Commandment given by Jesus [182]	Secret knowledge, love your friends [183]	The central theme - Love one another [184]
Forgiveness	Very important - particularly in Matthew and Luke [185]	Assumed [186]	Not mentioned	Very important - Forgiveness is a central theme and this gospel goes into the greatest detail [187]
The Lord's Prayer	In Matthew & Luke but not Mark [188]	Not mentioned	Not mentioned	Important - “mahar” or "tomorrow" [189][190]
Love & the poor	Very Important - The rich young man [191]	Assumed [192]	Important [193]	Very important - The rich young man [194]
Jesus starts his ministry	Jesus meets John the Baptist and is baptized [195]	Jesus meets John the Baptist [196]	Only speaks of John the Baptist [197]	Jesus meets John the Baptist and is baptized. This gospel goes into the greatest detail [198]
Disciples-number	Twelve[199]	Twelve [200]	not mentioned [201]	Twelve [202]
Disciples-inner circle	Peter, Andrew, James & John [199]	Peter, Andrew, James & the Beloved Disciple [200]	Peter [201]	Peter, Andrew, James, & John [198]
Disciples-others	Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon the Zealot, Jude Thaddaeus, & Judas[200]	Philip, Nathanael, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon the Zealot, Jude Thaddaeus & Judas [200]	Matthew, Thomas, James the Just (Brother of Jesus) [203]	Matthew, James the Just (Brother of Jesus), Simon the Zealot, Thaddaeus, Judas [204]
Possible Authors	Unknown;[205] Mark the Evangelist & Luke the Evangelist	The Beloved Disciple [206]	Thomas [207]	Matthew the Evangelist [208]
Virgin birth account	In Matthew & Luke, but not Mark [209]	Not mentioned	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Jesus' baptism	Described [188]	Not Mentioned [188]	N/A	Described great detail [210]
Preaching style	Brief one-liners; parables[188]	Essay format, Midrash[188]	Sayings, parables [211]	Brief one-liners; parables [188]
Storytelling	Parables [212]	Figurative language & Metaphor [213]	Gnostic, hidden, parables [214]	Parables [215]
Jesus' theology	1st century liberal Judaism.[216]	Critical of Jewish Authorities [217]	Gnostic [188]	1st century Judaism [216]
Miracles	Many miracles	Seven Signs	N/A	Fewer but more credible miracles [218]
Duration of ministry	1 year [219]	3 years (Multiple Passovers)	N/A	1 year [219]
Location of ministry	Mainly Galilee	Mainly Judea, near Jerusalem	N/A	Mainly Galilee
Passover meal	Body & Blood = Bread and wine	Interrupts meal for foot washing	N/A	Hebrew Passover is celebrated but details are N/A Epiphanius [220]
Burial shroud	A single piece of cloth	Multiple pieces of cloth [221]	N/A	Given to the High Priest [222]
Resurrection	Mary and the Women are the first to learn Jesus has arisen [223]	John adds detailed account of Mary's experience of the Resurrection [224]	Not Applicable as Gospel of Thomas is a collection of the "sayings" of Jesus, not the events of his life	In the Gospel of the Hebrews is the unique account of Jesus appearing to his brother, James the Just.[225]

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Armstrong, Karen (2007) The Bible: A Biography. Books that Changes the World Series. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0871139693

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