Who Wrote the Gospels?

Summary

The script debates the authorship of the four Gospels, traditionally attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It challenges the modern scholarly consensus that the Gospels were originally anonymous, suggesting that they were likely written by the named individuals. The argument is supported by the lack of alternative authorship claims, unanimous attestation across early church writings, and the implausibility of later forgeries given the titles' historical and cultural context.

Takeaways

• ?\ud83c? The four Gospels in the New Testament are traditionally attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but some argue that they were originally anonymous and the names were added later for authority.
• ?\ud83c? There's a scholarly consensus that the Gospels were not written by the individuals they're named after, challenging the traditional view with historical-critical analysis.
• ?\ud83c? Ancient works, including the Gospels, were often internally anonymous, with authorship indicated externally through titles or other means, which was a standard practice.
• ?\ud83c? The lack of internal claims of authorship in the Gospels does not necessarily imply they circulated anonymously; they could have been identified by external titles or tags.
• ?\ud83c? Scholars like Simon Gathercole argue that the anonymity of ancient biographies was common and that the Gospels likely had titles attributing them to their respective authors from the outset.
• ?\ud83c? The early Church valued reliable sources, and it's improbable that they would have accepted anonymous biographies of Christ without knowing their origin from reliable sources like disciples or elders.
• ?\ud83c? There is unanimous agreement among early Church writings that the Gospels came from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with no dissenting voices suggesting other authors.
• ?\ud83c? The titles of the Gospels show remarkable consistency across manuscripts, suggesting that they were added early and not as a later addition, which supports the idea that the titles were original.
• ?\ud83c? The names attached to the Gospels are unlikely choices for forgers, considering the social status and roles of the individuals named, which further supports the traditional authorship.
• ?\ud83c? The evidence for the traditional authorship of the Gospels is stronger than for many other ancient works, with earlier and more consistent attestation, challenging the notion that the Gospels were originally anonymous.

Q & A

为什么有观点认为最初的福音书是匿名的？

一些学者认为，最初的福音书是匿名的，因为这些文献在其内部没有提及作者的名字，无论是在序言还是正文中。这种观点认为，这些名字是在二世纪时为了增加其权威性而后来添加的[^3^]。

传统上，哪四位作者被认为是四福音书的作者？

传统上，四福音书被认为是由耶稣的门徒马太和约翰以及他们的追随者马可和路加所写[^3^]。

为什么有人认为马可福音可能是彼得口述的？

根据早期教会传统，马可福音是由使徒彼得的追随者马可所写，他记录了彼得关于耶稣生活的教导。因此，有一种观点认为，马可能是彼得口述的[^3^]。

路加福音的序言提到了谁，这与福音书的匿名性有何关联？

路加福音的序言提到了提阿非罗，这表明路加福音是送给一个特定的人的。这很难想象路加福音在没有提阿非罗知道谁写的情况下就被送出，这支持了路加福音并非匿名的观点[^3^]。

早期教会父亲帕皮亚斯对于福音书作者身份有何看法？

早期教会父亲帕皮亚斯认为他不相信任何不能追溯到耶稣的门徒或已知长老的可靠来源的传统，这表明早期教会不太可能接受关于基督的匿名传记[^3^]。

为什么有学者认为福音书的标题在其最初写作时就存在？

一些学者认为，因为古代作品通常在其外部（如标题、目录或卷轴背面的标签）标识作者，所以福音书很可能在其最初写作时就带有归属于各自作者的标题[^3^]。

为什么说福音书的匿名性并不奇怪？

根据Simon Gathercole的说法，考虑到文化背景，我们应该预期福音书是内部匿名的，而且这种匿名性并不是福音书独有的特征。许多古代作品也是内部匿名的，如色诺芬、约瑟夫斯和普鲁塔克的作品[^3^]。

早期教会对于福音书作者的共识是什么？

早期教会的共识是，四福音书的作者是马太、马可、路加和约翰。这种共识来自不同的地区和不同的作者，他们一致认为这四部福音书是由这四位作者所写[^3^]。

为什么说将福音书归因为马太、马可、路加和约翰不太可能是后来的伪造者所为？

因为马太被认为是一个税吏，这是一个在犹太人中被鄙视的职业，而马可和路加只是门徒的追随者，并不是耶稣的直接门徒。选择这些人作为福音书的作者，对于后来的伪造者来说没有意义[^3^]。

为什么说福音书的作者身份对于理解其内容并不重要？

即使关于福音书作者身份的问题很复杂，但重要的是这些文献所包含的真理。无论是谁实际写下或编辑了这些信息，这些福音书都是受启示的作品[^3^]。