How the Bible Came to Us The three synoptic Gospels, in some sections, bear a striking resemblance to each other, with an almost word-for-word correspondence. In other sections, there is an independence in regard to both content and form, leading to charges of apparent contradiction. The explanation for this curious mixture of similarity and diversity, according to many renowned critics, lies in partial copying, combined with an almost freelance creativity on the part of those who produced the documents. This standard explanation, regurgitated almost mindlessly in "academic" circles, leaves much to be desired. Moreover, it implies that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were less than honorable in their handling of information. A much better explanation can be deduced from a careful reading of the New Testament itself. From the earliest days of the church, disciples continued steadfastly in "the apostles’ teaching" (Acts 2:42). Under the apostles’ tutelage, a careful distinction was maintained between "cleverly devised tales" and authentic remembrances verified by eyewitness testimony (2 Pet. 1:16; Acts 5:32; I Jn. 1:1-3). Part of the "ministry of the word" for the apostles was the permanent record of the life of Christ which they have faithfully recorded for all posterity. It is precisely these documented remembrances that Luke has in mind when he says that "eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us" (Lk. 1:2). There were, perhaps, four stages in the transmission of the life of Christ. 1. In their early "ministry of the Word," apostles grouped together, in more or less fixed form, remembrances of what Jesus did and taught. Retrospective hindsight (John 2:22; 12:16), combined with help from the Holy Spirit on their powers of remembrance (John 14:26), brought clarity and systematic presentation to the collective memory of the apostles. This is reflected, to some degree, in the earliest sermons recorded in Acts (cf. 10:36-40) and in scattered allusions in the epistles (cf. 2 Pet. 1:17-18). Notwithstanding slight variations of individual perspective and diversity of personal recollection, the stories and teachings of Christ must have taken on something of a fixed form in the earliest apostolic teaching. 2. Aramaic terms were recast in the Greek language — including established equivalents for words hard to translate. This helps to explain the striking resemblances in points of detail in the various Gospels — including word-for-word correspondence in Greek translation of difficult Aramaic phrases. It also allows for a degree of flexibility and elasticity with regard to incidental points of apparent disagreement, as one would expect with multiple eyewitnesses. 3. Many undertook to "compile an account," or collection, however incomplete, of the sayings and/or deeds of Jesus (Lk. 1:1). It is reasonable to assume, in light of Luke’s prologue, that various collections of narratives were put to writing at a very early period, under the superintendence of the apostles. The Gospels as we now have them were probably not produced, in their present form, until at least three decades had elapsed after the resurrection of Christ. One can imagine, however, the intense hunger among the earliest saints for written collections of anecdotes, parables, and events from the life of their Savior. Even in the epistle of I Corinthians, Paul alludes to the post-resurrection appearances (I Cor. 15),the institution of the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11), and to Jesus’ personal teaching on divorce (I Cor. 7:10-11). Such scattered allusions, however fragmentary, must have been cherished among early Christians. Whatever incomplete narratives may have existed, none were adequate to the greatness of their subject. Luke sensed this void, and the need for a more comprehensive account (Lk. 1:1-4). 4. The Gospels as we know them were drawn up. As Eta Linnemann has strongly argued, it is not necessary to suppose that Matthew or Luke copied from Mark (Is There A Synoptic Problem? Baker: 1992). In fact, the foregoing considerations are supportive of the independence of the three synoptic Gospels, completely free of any suspicions of literary dishonesty. The apostles and other "ministers of the Word" drew from a carefully established body of facts — enhanced by personal reminiscence, the testimony of other eyewitnesses, and the infallible guidance of the Spirit — concerning "all that Jesus began to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). They were repositories of a sacred trust, and they have faithfully deposited to us an incalculable treasure. The purpose of these efforts, as Luke says, is "that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught" (Lk. 1:4). John says it this way: "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (Jn. 20:30-31). |