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Originally Posted by Arjuna Durden
Another easy question: Which is your favorite Gospel?
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on the contrary Arjuna Durden, i don't find this an easy question.
Generally, "the Gospels" are defined as the first four books of the New Testament. A rather vague definition.
These writings are not the exact historical records of the life of Jesus. They cannot be read looking for a factual interpretation of time and place. The Gospels are meant to convey the theological message of the historical fact of Jesus' life.
Another point to consider when reading the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke is to understand whom they were written for. One must understand the intended audience of the works in order to fully understand the writer's different purposes.
Mark is believed to have been written around 70 A.D. by a western Roman Christian and associate of Peter. Mark was written in the western boundaries of Rome for mostly Roman Christians.
Matthew was written a little later between 80-90 A.D. for the Diaspora Jewish Christians, a more worldly audience than Mark's. Matthew tried to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of Jewish Scripture.
Luke is thought to have been written around 90 A.D. by a Gentile Christian. Luke was written for Gentiles in a time when Christianity had become a religion in itself and was no longer considered a sect of Judaism. Luke tries to show Jesus' relevance for all people.
These different evangelists, all writing for different audiences at different times and under different circumstances, bring us to what became known as The Synoptic Problem.
The first three Gospels from the New Testament, Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels (from Greek synoptikos - seen together). This is because when they are put side by side for comparison and seen together, it becomes immediately clear that all three share extensive parallels in structure, content and words. Furthermore, many of the stories can actually be placed side by side and aligned, word for word.
In view of the above differences, i tend to agree with Perun, and prefer the Old Testament, particularly the psalms.