The Relationship of the Gospels.

Of the four Gospels, the content of the first three, those of Matthew, Mark and Luke,

conform closely to each other in format and content. In this respect, the fourth Gospel, that of

John, remains unique, significantly distinguishing itself from the first three. For this reason, it

is customary to refer to the first three Gospels as synoptic, stemming from the Greek word

syn-opticos meaning, viewed with the same eye, concordant. But while the first three Gospels

are similar in format and content, each still remains unique.

The synoptic Gospels narrate almost exclusively the deeds of the Lord Jesus Christ in

Galilee, while that of St. John speaks of our Lord’s activities in Judea. The synoptics relate

mainly the miracles, parables and events of our Lord’s life, while St. John’s Gospel discusses

the deeper meaning of our Lord’s life and cites only His most elevated discourses.

The Gospels, for all their variations, do not contain inherent contradictions. In reading

attentively, one easily finds clear signs of agreement between the synoptics and St. John.

Although St. John narrates very little about the Lord’s ministry in Galilee, he is undoubtedly

aware of His repeated, lengthy sojourns there. The synoptics relate nothing concerning the

early activity of the Lord in Judea and in Jerusalem itself, although hints of these activities

frequently occur. Therefore, according to their observations, the Lord had friends in Jerusalem

as well as disciples and followers, such as the owner of the rooming house where the

Last Supper took place, and also Joseph of Arimathea. Especially important in this respect

are the words quoted in the synoptics, “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often did I wish to

gather your children.” This expression clearly suggests multiple visits of the Lord to that

city.

The fundamental difference between the synoptics and St. John lies in their documentation

of the Lord’s speeches. In the synoptics, these speeches are simple and easy to understand,

while St. John’s are deep, mysterious and often difficult to understand, as if they were

not intended for the multitude but for a more select circle of listeners. This is very true. The

synoptics present the Lord’s speeches as directed to the simple, ignorant people of Galilee.

St. John in general, conveys mainly the Lord’s speeches as directed to the learned Scribes and

the Pharisees, people who were well acquainted with the Law of Moses, and who more or

less stood among the upper echelons of that Jewish society. Besides, as we shall see later, the

Gospel of St. John had a special goal, perhaps to more fully and deeply reveal the Divinity of

Jesus Christ. This theme, of course, is much more difficult to comprehend than the easily

understood parables of the synoptics. Even here though, there is no big divergence between

the synoptics and St. John. If the synoptics bring out the more human aspect of Christ and St.

John predominantly His Divine nature, it does not mean that the synoptics lack the Divine

side, or that St. John fails to show the human side. In the synoptics, the Son of Man is also

the Son of God, to whom was given all power in heaven and on earth. Equally, the Son of

God, according to St. John, is also a true man, Who accepts an invitation to a wedding feast,

speaks as a friend with Martha and Mary and weeps at the grave of His friend Lazarus.

Thus, the synoptics and St. John mutually enhance and complement each other, and

only in their unity do they reveal Christ’s personality as a perfect God and a perfect Man.

The Orthodox teaching has always maintained that while the Holy Scriptures were a

result of Divine inspiration given to the writers, imparting to them thoughts and words, the

Holy Spirit did not restrain their individual intellects or suppressed their personal attributes.

The descent of the Holy Spirit did not stifle the human spirit, but rather cleansed and elevated

it above its ordinary limits. Therefore, while representing in themselves a single unity in

interpretation of God’s truth, the gospels differ from each other in the personal characteristics

of each evangelist, distinguishing themselves in structure, style and form of expression. They

also differ as a result of the circumstances and conditions under which they were written, as

well as in the objectives which each evangelist set for himself.

That is why, for a better explanation and understanding of the gospels, it is essential

for us to more closely familiarize ourselves with the personality, character and life of each of

the four evangelists and the circumstances during which each gospel was written.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew.

The Evangelist Matthew, who also bore the name Levi, was one of the twelve apostles

of Christ. Until his calling, he was a publican or Roman tax collector, and as such was

disliked by his compatriots, the Jews. The Jews scorned and hated the publicans because they

served the infidel rulers of their people and created hardships by levying taxes, frequently

overcharging in the process.

St. Matthew narrates about his calling in the 9th chapter of his Gospel, referring to

himself as “Matthew,” while Mark and Luke call him “Levi.” It was customary for the Jews

to have several names.

Moved deeply by the Lord’s mercy in not loathing him, in spite of the scorn from the

Jews and especially from their leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew wholeheartedly

accepted Christ’s teachings. He profoundly understood the superiority of Christ’s message

over the paltry opinions and traditions of the Pharisees. They only looked righteous, but were

selfish, cruel and despised simple people. That is why Matthew presents in such detail the

accusatory speech of the Lord against the scribes, Pharisees and other hypocrites (see the

23rd chapter of his Gospel). One must assume that for the same reason Matthew took so

close to his heart the issue of salvation of his own people saturated with false teachings of

scribes. That is also why he wrote his Gospel preeminently for the Jews. There is a basis for

assuming that originally he wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, and then some time later had it

translated into Greek for the rest of the Church.

In writing his Gospel, St. Matthew’s main objective was to prove to the Jews that

Jesus Christ is precisely that Messiah Whom the Old Testament prophets had predicted, and

that the Old Testament Scriptures become clear and assume their wholeness only in the light

of Christ’s teaching. That is why he begins his Gospel with Christ’s genealogy, showing the

Jews His descent from David and Abraham. He makes a considerable number of references

to the Old Testament (over 100) in order to prove Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Testament

prophecies. The designation of this first Gospel as “for the Jews” can be seen also in the fact

that St. Matthew, unlike the other Evangelists, mentions Jewish customs without explaining

their reason and meaning. Similarly, he includes several Aramaic words used in Palestine,

without explaining their meaning.

In his Gospel, Matthew gave special emphasis to our Lord’s kingly relations and

activities. His favorite term for designating the rule of the Messiah was the phrase Kingdom

of Heaven. Matthew showed that the Messiah inaugurated His kingdom with all authority in

Heaven and on earth being given to Him (ch. 28:18). For the present age, to be sure, that

Kingdom must be seen in the loyal submission of His people to Him and their obedience to

His rule. The Messiah’s kingdom is no less real because it is spiritual. Moreover Matthew

assured that the King will return in the regeneration and sit on the throne of His glory while

“you [Apostles] who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve

tribes of Israel” (ch. 19:28).

He also warned his readers that the benefits of the Kingdom would extend beyond the

limits of the Jewish race. Disciples are to be made during the present age from among all the

nations (ch. 28:19), while the Kingdom grows as a mustard tree grows from a tiny seed (ch.

13:31). In the age to come all the nations will be gathered before the King and the faithful

ones invited to inherit the Kingdom (ch. 25:32-34). In this Kingdom people will come from

the east and the west and the north and the south and sit down with the patriarchs while the

unfaithful sons of the Kingdom (the unbelieving Jews) will be cast out (ch. 8:11-12). Matthew

certainly had in mind also to impress upon his Jewish brethren that the mission of the

King was to save the people of the Kingdom from their sins — therefore the King’s name

was Jesus which means “savior” (ch. 1:21). In order to save His people, the King gave His

life as a ransom (ch. 20:28); His blood was poured out for the remission of sins (ch. 26:28).

His power to deliver His subjects from their enemy (the Devil) was demonstrated first by

vanquishing him in all his temptations (ch. 4:1-11) and second by coming victoriously alive

from the dead (ch. 28).

After preaching in Palestine for a long time, St. Matthew traveled to other nations to

spread the Gospel, and ended his life with a martyr’s death in Ethiopia.

The Gospel According to St. Mark.

The Evangelist Mark also bore the name “John.” He too was a Jew by birth, but did not

belong to the Twelve. For this reason, he could not have been a constant listener and travel

companion to Christ as St. Matthew had been.

He wrote his Gospel based on conversations with St. Peter and under his guidance. In

all probability, he was an eyewitness only to the last days of the Lord’s earthly life. Only the

Gospel of Mark mentions a youth who, throwing a cloak over his own naked body, followed

the Lord when He was taken prisoner in the garden of Gethsemane, but left his cloak and fled

naked when the guards grabbed him (Mark 14:51-52). Ancient tradition perceives this youth

as St. Mark himself, the author of the second Gospel. His mother, Mary, is mentioned in the

book of Acts as one of the women most devoted to Christ. In her home in Jerusalem the

faithful gathered for prayer. It is very likely that the upper room where Jesus ate the last

Passover with His disciples and instituted the Eucharist (Holy Communion) was in Mark’s

home.

Mark later traveled with St. Paul on his first missionary journey; the other traveling

companion was Barnabas, a maternal uncle to Mark. Mark was with the Apostle Paul in

Rome when he wrote the epistle to the Colossians.

Later, apparently, St. Mark became a fellow traveler and collaborator with St. Peter,

which is substantiated by the words of Apostle Peter himself in his first Epistle in which he

writes: “She who is in Babylon, elected together with you, greets you, and so does Mark my

son” (1 Peter 5:13). Most likely Babylon was used as another name for Rome). Prior to his

departure, St. Paul summons him again and writes to Timothy: “Take Mark with you, for I

need him to serve” (2 Tim. 4:11). According to ancient tradition St. Peter designated St.

Mark the first Bishop of the church in Alexandria where St. Mark ended his life as a martyr.

According to Papias, Bishop of Hieropolis, as well as that of St. Justin the Philosopher

and St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Mark wrote his Gospel based on discussions with St.

Peter. St. Justin refers to it directly as the “written recollections of Peter.” Clement of Alexandria

claims that the Gospel of St. Mark essentially represents a written version of St.

Peter’s sermons, which St. Mark documented at the request of Christians living in Rome. The

very context of St. Mark’s Gospel testifies to the fact that it was designated for gentiles who

converted to Christianity. It minimally references the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ to the

Old Testament and even fewer quotations are cited from the Old Testament Scriptures.

Additionally, we find Latin words, such as speculator and others. Even the Sermon on the

Mount, which serves as an explanation of the superiority of New Testament Law over the Old

Testament, is omitted.

Instead, St. Mark’s main objective is to present in his Gospel a strong and clear

narration of Christ’s miracles, emphasizing through them God’s heavenly greatness and

omnipotence. In his Gospel, Jesus is not “a descendant of David” as in that of Matthew, but

the Son of God, Lord and Master, Universal King.

The Gospel According to St. Luke.

The ancient historian, Eusebius of Caesarea, states that St. Luke came from Antioch,

and this gives rise to the assumption that St. Luke was a gentile or proselyte — a gentile

converted to Judaism. By vocation he was a physician, as seen in the Epistles of St. Paul to

the Colossians. Ancient tradition adds to this that St. Luke was also an artist. The contents of

his Gospel explaining in detail the Lord’s instructions to seventy disciples, lead us to conclude

that he was one of the seventy. His unusually dynamic narration of the Lord’s appearance

to two disciples on their way to Emmaus, where he refers only to Cleopas by name,

attest to his being one of the two disciples deemed worthy of the Lord’s appearance (Luke

24:13-33).

Also from the Acts of the Apostles, it is evident that with the second journey of the

Apostle Paul, St. Luke became his constant collaborator and an almost inseparable fellow

traveler. He was with Apostle Paul at the time of Paul’s first imprisonment during which the

Epistles to the Colossians and Philippians were written. He was also with him during the

second imprisonment when the second Epistle to Timothy was written, and which ended with

a martyr’s death. It is known that after the death of St. Paul, St. Luke preached and died a

martyr’s death in Achaia (Greece). During the mid-4th century his holy relics and those of St.

Andrew the Apostle were transferred to Constantinople.

As is evident from the preface of the third Gospel, St. Luke wrote it at the request of a

prominent man, the most excellent Theophilus, who lived in Antioch and for whom he then

wrote the Acts of the Apostles, a seeming continuation of the Gospel narratives (Luke 1:3

and Acts 1:1-2). Incidentally, he not only made use of eye witnesses’ accounts of the ministry

of Christ, but also of already existent writings relating to the Lord’s life and teachings. In his

own words, he thoroughly scrutinized and compared those writings. Therefore, his Gospel

distinguishes itself by its exceptional accuracy in designating times and places of events and

strict chronological succession.

The most excellent Theophilus, for whom the third Gospel was written, did not live in

Judea nor did he visit Jerusalem; otherwise it would not have been necessary for St. Luke to

make geographic clarifications, e.g., that mount Olivet is near Jerusalem, about a Sabbath’s

walk, etc. On the other hand, it seems that he was familiar with Syracuse, Phrygia, Puteoli in

Italy, the Appian Square and the Three Inns in Rome, all of which were mentioned in the

book of Acts and for which St. Luke gives no explanations. According to the assertion of

Clement of Alexandria (writing at the beginning of the 3rd century), Theophilus was a rich

and well-known resident of Antioch (Syria), who professed faith in Christ and whose house

served as a church for Antiochian Christians.

St. Luke’s Gospel clearly shows the influence of St. Paul with whom St. Luke collaborated

and traveled. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul tried most of all to disclose the

great truth, that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came to earth not only for the Jews but also for the

gentiles and is the Savior of all the world and all people.

In conjunction with this fundamental idea, which is clearly conveyed throughout the

entire third Gospel, Jesus Christ’s genealogy is traced to the first ancestor of all mankind,

Adam, and to God Himself, in order to emphasize His significance for the entire human race

(Luke 3:23-38).

Certain passages, such as the mission of Elijah to the widow in the region of Sydon,

the curing of Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:26-27) from leprosy by the prophet Elisha, the

parable of the prodigal son, and that of the publican and the Pharisee are found in tight, inner

cohesion with particular development of the teaching of Apostle Paul regarding the salvation

not only of the Jews, but also of the gentiles, and of man’s acquittal before God not by means

of the law, but by God’s grace, given exclusively through boundless mercy and God’s love of

mankind. No one had so clearly portrayed God’s love for repentant sinners as did St. Luke,

placing in his Gospel a collection of parables and events on this subject. In addition to the

parables just mentioned, one also remembers the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the

good Samaritan, the repentance of the chief of the publicans, Zacchaeus, and other sections,

as well as the profound words that “happiness exists for God’s angels in the repentance of

one sinner” (Luke 15:7).

The time and place of the writing of St. Luke’s Gospel can be derived through deduction,

that it was written prior to the Acts of the Apostles, which seemingly provided a means

for the Gospel’s continuation (Acts 1:1). The book of Acts ends with a narrative of St. Paul’s

two year ministry in Rome (Acts 28:30). This took place approximately 63 years after the

birth of Christ. Consequently, the Gospel of St. Luke could not have been written later than

this, and presumably was written in Rome.

The Gospel According to St. John.

The Evangelist St. John the Theologian was a beloved disciple of Christ. He was the

son of a Galilean fisherman, Zebedee, and Salome. It appears that Zebedee was prosperous

since he had workers, and was also a rather prominent member of the Jewish community. His

son John was acquainted with the high priest. John’s mother, Salome, is mentioned with the

ranks of women who served the Lord with their material resources. She traveled with the

Lord to Galilee, followed Him to Jerusalem for the last Passover, and participated with the

other myrrh-bearing women in obtaining fragrant oils to embalm Christ’s body. Legend has it

that she was the daughter of Joseph the hoop maker.

St. John was at first a disciple of St. John the Forerunner. After hearing his testimony

to Christ as the Lamb of God who took upon Himself the sins of the world, he and Andrew

immediately followed Christ (John 1:37-40). St. John later became a steadfast disciple of

Christ when, following a miraculous catch of fish on the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Himself

summoned him and his brother James. Together with his brother James and Peter, John was

worthy of a special closeness to the Lord, finding himself with Him during the most important

and triumphant moments of His earthly life. As such, he merited being present at the

resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, seeing the Lord’s transfiguration on Mount Thabor,

listening to the discussion concerning the signs of the Lord’s second coming, and witnessing

His prayers at Gethsemane. At the Last Supper, he was so close to the Lord that, in his own

words, he rested on Jesus’ chest (John 13:23-25), and from this stemmed the name bosom

friend, later becoming a designation for someone close. Humbly, without calling himself by

name, he nevertheless refers to himself in his Gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

The Lord’s love for him became apparent when the Lord, while hanging on the cross, committed

His Most Blessed Mother to John’s care, saying: “Behold your Mother.”

Ardently loving Jesus Christ, John was full of indignation against those who were

hostile towards Him or distanced themselves from Him. That is why he prohibited those who

did not follow Christ from casting out demons in the name of Jesus Christ (Luke 9:49), and

asked the Lord for permission to cast fire on the inhabitants of a Samaritan village because

they did not accept Him when He journeyed through Samaria (Luke 9:54). For this, the Lord

named him and his brother James boanerges, which means “sons of thunder.” Feeling

Christ’s love for him but not yet having been enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, he

concurs with his mother when she asks on behalf of her sons for the closest place to the Lord

in His future Kingdom. In response they receive the prophecy of the forthcoming cup of

suffering (Matthew 20:20-23).

After Christ’s Ascension, we frequently see St. John with St. Peter. He together with

St. Peter and St. James are considered as pillars of the Church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9).

Following the destruction of Jerusalem, St. John resides and ministers in Ephesus, in Asia

Minor. During the reign of Emperor Domitian, he was exiled to the island of Patmos where

he wrote the Apocalypse or Revelation (Rev. 1:9-19). Returning to Ephesus from his exile,

St. John wrote his Gospel and died a natural death (the only Apostle to do so) at a very old

age in approximately 105 A.D., during the reign of Emperor Trajan.

Tradition claims that St. John wrote his Gospel at the request of the Ephesian Christians.

They brought him the first three Gospels and asked him to review them and supplement

with the Lord’s speeches which he had heard. St. John verified the truth of all that was

written in the first three Gospels but found that it was necessary to supplement their narratives

and to especially expound and clarify the teachings regarding the Divinity of the Lord

Jesus Christ, so that with time people would not think of Him as just the Son of Man. This

was particularly necessary since by this time, heretics — Ebionites, Gnostics, and the heretic

Cerinthus — had emerged and denounced the Divinity of Christ. St. Irenaeus of Lyon wrote

about these circumstances around the middle of the 3rd century.

It is clear that the objective of the fourth Gospel was to supplement the narratives of

the other three Gospels. Distinct from the first three Gospels, it was named the Spiritual

Gospel.

The Gospel of St. John begins with the exposition of Jesus’ Divinity and further

contains an entire series of the most spiritually elevating speeches of the Lord, in which are

revealed His Divinity and the deepest mysteries of faith. For example, the conversation with

Nicodemus about the birth from above with water and Spirit and the mystery of salvation; the

discussion with the Samaritan woman regarding living water and of worship of God in spirit

and in truth; the discussion on bread descended from heaven and on the mystery of the

Eucharist; the discussion about the good shepherd, and especially touching the farewell

conversation with the disciples during the Last Supper, and its wonderful conclusion with the

so called High-priestly prayer of our Lord. Here we find a whole series of references by the

Lord Himself as the true Son of God. For unveiling these most profound truths and mysteries

of the Christian faith, St. John received the respected name of Theologian.

The primary purpose of John in writing the Gospel is stated in chapter 20:31: “These

are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing,

you may have life in His name.” This statement is partly in answer to the teachings of the

Gnostics, a heretical group of John’s time who posed as Christians, but who included in their

teachings some elements of Greek philosophy, some of the teachings of the Jewish philosopher

Philo, and elements of those pagan religions known as the mystery cults, as well as some

teachings based on the Old Testament. The Gnostics held generally that the God of the

universe was so high and holy that it was impossible for Him to create a material world or to

have any dealings with persons possessed of material bodies, that there were innumerable

intermediary beings or aeons (some superior spiritual beings, similar to angels), one of whom

created the world; and another called the Logos or Word of God, was the only channel

through whom God could reveal Himself to the world. Some of them said Jesus was the

Logos and therefore of an order of life somewhere between God and man. Obviously such

teaching would do great harm to true Christianity. John answered these and other wild claims

of that sect by affirming: that the Word (Logos) who reveals God is as eternal as God, that He

has fellowship with God, that indeed He is of the same essence as God. John affirmed also

that He was made flesh (that is took the nature of mankind including a material body) and

lived on the earth as Jesus the only begotten Son of God; that life was in Him; and that He

was the light which overcame the darkness (just as He overcame death in His resurrection)

and that salvation is to be had in consequence of faith in Him rather than by acquiring a

system of hidden knowledge. In setting out the purpose of his work, John declared: “These

things are written that people might have faith in Him as the anointed Savior and the true

Son of God and that in consequence of this faith they might have life through His name.”

Pure of heart, having devoted himself to the Lord, and loved by Him in return with a

special love, St. John penetrated deeply into the mystery of Christian love. No other Apostle

unveiled so profoundly and convincingly as he in his Gospel and three Epistles the Christian

teaching of the two fundamental commandments of God — of love for God and of love for

neighbor; that is why he is also referred to as the Apostle of Love.

Another unique quality of John’s Gospel is that, while the first three Evangelists

narrate the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ primarily in Galilee, St. John describes events

and preaching in Judea. Through this, one can determine the length of the Lord’s public

ministry and the duration of His earthly life. Preaching primarily in Galilee, the Lord journeyed

to Jerusalem for all major feast days. As evidenced in the Gospel of John, there were

three such trips to Jerusalem before Passover. Prior to the fourth Passover of His public

ministry, the Lord accepted His death on the Cross. It follows that the Lord’s public ministry

lasted nearly three and a half years, and that He lived on earth for thirty-three and a half years

(as He entered the public ministry on the thirtieth year of His birth, as attested by Luke 3:23).