Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Prester John · 10-26-2004, 07:47 AM

Having been encouraged to do a little reading around by the posts in this forum it has become apparent that there are a relatively large number of Gospels. Why are only the four in the accepted New Testament, why those four, not a different four. Why four, not one or six ? Who chose them. Are the other Gospels regarded as the word of God as well ?

Thanking you

PJ

PS I'd be interested in good web links if you have them

chapka · 10-26-2004, 07:50 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon

Killer Mike · 10-26-2004, 10:20 AM

BY the end of the 2nd Century AD there were dozens of Gospels that had been written. But the early Church decided there should only be four. This is because they argued there were four corners of the earth, so the correct number must be four. Other criteria such as the Gospel must discuss the life of Jesus were also used in deciding which four were to be considered "authentic" and those not. One Gospel the "Gospel of St. Thomas" describes a Jesus that did not exist in human form, only spiritually. This was the Gospel of a group known as the "Gnostic Christians". They believed that Jesus never existed, but only existed spiritually. Other Gopsels describe Mary as a disciple of Jesus, not as the Virgin Mary as described in the New Testament. So there was a lot of diversity in Christian thought even at the earliest stages of Christian development.

I would recommend "History and Literature of Early Christianity" by Helmut Koester. It is probably the single best and most authorative textbook on the subject. Koester is professor emeritis of New Testament at Harvard University.

Rick Sumner · 10-26-2004, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killer Mike

But the early Church decided there should only be four. This is because they argued there were four corners of the earth, so the correct number must be four.

Do we know how representative of the "early church" Irenaeus was?

Quote:

One Gospel the "Gospel of St. Thomas" describes a Jesus that did not exist in human form, only spiritually.

No it doesn't.

Quote:

They believed that Jesus never existed, but only existed spiritually.

I think you're confusing Gnosticism with docetism (some Gnostics may have been docetic--though I still haven't come across any clear evidence of what exactly docetism entailed--clearly not all were--look at Melchizedek.)

Quote:

I would recommend "History and Literature of Early Christianity" by Helmut Koester. It is probably the single best and most authorative textbook on the subject. Koester is professor emeritis of New Testament at Harvard University.

I would recommend checking Peter Kirby's reccommended reading list (stickied at the top of the forum), and avoiding calling any one textbook "the single best and most authoritative" in so diverse a field.

Regards,
Rick Sumner

Amaleq13 · 10-27-2004, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killer Mike

Other Gopsels describe Mary as a disciple of Jesus, not as the Virgin Mary as described in the New Testament.

I think you're getting confused by the common name. The Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus and a different woman from the devoted fan/girlfriend/disciple named "Mary".

Kosh · 10-27-2004, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prester John

Having been encouraged to do a little reading around by the posts in this forum it has become apparent that there are a relatively large number of Gospels. Why are only the four in the accepted New Testament, why those four, not a different four. Why four, not one or six ? Who chose them. Are the other Gospels regarded as the word of God as well ?

Budget and schedule constraints.

Some things never change....

Chris Weimer · 10-27-2004, 08:36 PM

I think I've downloaded and printed out well over 50 different "books" that Peter Kirby has at http://www.earlychristianwritings.com - that is one of the best places to find such a grandiose collection.

Oh, and St. Thomas was just a late version of Q and consisted of the sayings of Jesus Christ. No representations, just words.

10-26-2004, 07:47 AM	#1
Prester John Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Wales Posts: 560	Gospels and the Bible Having been encouraged to do a little reading around by the posts in this forum it has become apparent that there are a relatively large number of Gospels. Why are only the four in the accepted New Testament, why those four, not a different four. Why four, not one or six ? Who chose them. Are the other Gospels regarded as the word of God as well ? Thanking you PJ PS I'd be interested in good web links if you have them

10-26-2004, 10:20 AM	#3
Killer Mike Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,033	This is why four were chosen. BY the end of the 2nd Century AD there were dozens of Gospels that had been written. But the early Church decided there should only be four. This is because they argued there were four corners of the earth, so the correct number must be four. Other criteria such as the Gospel must discuss the life of Jesus were also used in deciding which four were to be considered "authentic" and those not. One Gospel the "Gospel of St. Thomas" describes a Jesus that did not exist in human form, only spiritually. This was the Gospel of a group known as the "Gnostic Christians". They believed that Jesus never existed, but only existed spiritually. Other Gopsels describe Mary as a disciple of Jesus, not as the Virgin Mary as described in the New Testament. So there was a lot of diversity in Christian thought even at the earliest stages of Christian development. I would recommend "History and Literature of Early Christianity" by Helmut Koester. It is probably the single best and most authorative textbook on the subject. Koester is professor emeritis of New Testament at Harvard University.

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10-26-2004, 07:50 AM	#2
chapka Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 6,290	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon

10-27-2004, 08:36 PM	#7
Chris Weimer Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: none Posts: 9,879	I think I've downloaded and printed out well over 50 different "books" that Peter Kirby has at http://www.earlychristianwritings.com - that is one of the best places to find such a grandiose collection. Oh, and St. Thomas was just a late version of Q and consisted of the sayings of Jesus Christ. No representations, just words.

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