Why the synoptic gospels were committed to writing

Question 1

Oral tradition:

Answer 1

• Stories about the patriarchs being passed on by word of mouth from one generation to another till the point where this living tradition developed into a written tradition.
• As time went on, there was a need to make the oral tradition more fixed, and he writing of the synoptic gospels was the next step.

Question 2

Eyewitnesses

Answer 2

Eyewitnesses, a key part of the oral tradition, who had the most accurate accounts of Jesus life, began to die.
- The evidence of eyewitnesses was especially important, and the information they held needed to be preserved before it was lost, so this is one reason why the synoptic gospels were committed to writing.

Question 3

Persecution

Answer 3

During the oral period, many Christians were being persecuted under Roman occupation. Therefore there was a need for synoptic gospels to be committed to writing to give people ope and faith in times of trouble and despair, giving them something to cling onto.

Question 4

Growth of Church + Christianity

Answer 4

• The Church was growing and Christianity was spreading, as many people were converting from other religions.
• This brought different practices and interpretations.
• This meant Christianity now faced THREAT OF HERESY - so urgent need for a written gospel to show that false beliefs were in fact wrong.

Question 5

Liturgical material

Answer 5

Many were demanding written liturgical material l so they could practice worshiping, helping in the growth f Christianity.

Question 6

Delay of Parousia.

Answer 6

For example, Mark’s gospel is written in the view that the parousia was imminent, whereas Matthew places less emphasis on the immediate second coming but ensures his readers would be prepared for Jesus’ return.