the gospels

Question 1

what years were the gospels written around?

Answer 1

50 - 125 CE

Question 2

what religion were many believers still a part of?

Answer 2

they were mainly Jewish and still worshipped in Synagogues

Question 3

who wrote the gospels, where did they come from?

Answer 3

They were written by people known as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they were various authors

Question 4

what did each of the authors have?

Answer 4

various interpretations

Question 5

what were many audiences at that time looking back to?

Answer 5

the old religion, and the old traditions

Question 6

what do the gospels show us?

Answer 6

questions and problems the church faced

Question 7

what do the gospels illustrate at that time?

Answer 7

they illustrate the churches understanding

Question 8

when was the earliest gospel supposedly written?

Answer 8

30 - 40 years after the death of Jesus

Question 9

what do many believe to be the first gospel?

Answer 9

Mark

Question 10

what do the gospels tell the foundations of?

Answer 10

they tell the foundation stories of the church`

Question 11

were the stories written purely to tell the stories of Jesus?

Answer 11

no they were written to give meaning to his teachings

Question 12

who did the gospels come from?

Answer 12

people who believed Jesus was the Messiah

Question 13

are the gospels eye witness accounts?

Answer 13

no

Question 14

what does Luke tell his audiences?

Answer 14

that he did his research on the gospels and used a variety of sources

Question 15

what is the oral tradition?

Answer 15

eye witness accounts

Question 16

how did the church pass on its message?

Answer 16

orally

Question 17

what did many people do with the teachings and sayings of Jesus?

Answer 17

they collected and put these stories and sayings together

Question 18

what did the church preserve?

Answer 18

memories of Jesus

Question 19

what did many people put the stories into?

Answer 19

memorable forms

Question 20

are the gospels historical or theological accounts?

Answer 20

they are theological accounts

Question 21

why do they tell the stories of Jesus?

Answer 21

to tell stories to make theological points and for religious instruction

Question 22

what do the authors want to tell their audiences?

Answer 22

want to tell their audiences what the ministry of Jesus means rather than getting the facts historically correct

Question 23

what does gospel mean in Greek?

Answer 23

good news

Question 24

what were the main reasons the gospels were written?

Answer 24

1. church needed to refocus their original traditions and preserve them as Christ had not returned as expected
2. the first apostles and eye witnesses were dying
3. Christianity was spreading and people needed a way to teach about Jesus