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Harmony of the Gospels

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by rlvaughn, Jul 22, 2021.

  1. rlvaughn

    rlvaughn Well-Known Member
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    Jeff Riddle, pastor of Christ Reformed Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia, has begun a series on De Consensu Evangelistarum, or, Harmony of the Evangelists, by Augustine of Hippo. You can listen or read the transcripts. Looks like they may be in about 15 minute installments, based on the first two. The introduction is here:
    http://www.jeffriddle.net/2021/07/introduction-augustine-harmony-of.html
     
    #1 rlvaughn, Jul 22, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2021
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  2. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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    Based only on the linked intro, it appears the effort is long on sophistry and short on study.
     
  3. rlvaughn

    rlvaughn Well-Known Member
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    Quote from Riddle’s second post.
    Augustine’s introduction stresses the apostolic authority of the canonical Gospels. The canonical Gospels are consistent with the regula fidei [i.e. rule of faith, rlv]. With respect to their chronological order, he puts forward what will become knowns as the “Augustinian Hypothesis” that the Gospels were written in their canonical order: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He sees a close connection between Matthew and Mark which present the Lord Jesus as King, alongside Luke, who present him as a Priest. We might note that he is seemingly among the first to group the first three Gospels (the so-called Synoptic Gospels) as distinct from John.​
     
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  4. Humble Disciple

    Humble Disciple Active Member

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    Even if we were to concede that Mark was the original Gospel and that Luke and John supplemented it with material from oral tradition, that would say nothing about their reliability.

    Jesus was from an oral culture, and oral tradition from rabbi to disciple was passed down in a more dependable way than a game of telephone.

     
  5. 37818

    37818 Well-Known Member

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    Matthew was written first. Not Mark, and I believe the epilogue is Mark's.
     
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  6. Humble Disciple

    Humble Disciple Active Member

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    What I meant was the Mark was written first, and then Matthew and Luke supplemented it with oral tradition. This might not be true, but it's the dominant position, and it has no bearing on whether or not the Gospels are reliable. Jesus was from an oral culture, and disciples memorized and faithfully passed down the teachings of their rabbis.

     
  7. 37818

    37818 Well-Known Member

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    That is the more common view. I am convinced Matthew wrote his account first.
     
  8. Humble Disciple

    Humble Disciple Active Member

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    That might be true, but I don't think it has any bearing on whether the Gospels are reliable.
     
  9. 37818

    37818 Well-Known Member

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    The idea of the priority of Mark comes in part do to a denial of the reliablity of Matthew's account.
     
  10. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    In hebrew. Aramiac, or Greek originally?
     
  11. Conan

    Conan Well-Known Member

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    I thought it was because Mark's account was supposed to be more primitive?
     
  12. 37818

    37818 Well-Known Member

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    Matthew was an Apostle and an eye wjtness of Jesus teachings to His disciples who would become His Apostles. Mark is believed to have written based on the witness from Peter's eye witness. So if anything Mark used Matthew too.
     
  13. Conan

    Conan Well-Known Member

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    I think people go by comparing pericope sections of the Gospels to go by their conclusions of who wrote first. Just because Matthew was an Apostle does not mean that he had to write first. I think evidences inside the Gospels might be the deciding factors.
     
  14. 37818

    37818 Well-Known Member

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    There are indeed other factors. Only Matthew uses "heaven" interchangeable with "God" in regards to the kingdom. Of couse as I had mentioned Matthew was one of the Apostles. Matthew includes more teachings from Jesus to His disciples. Matthew's audience was primarily Jewish. The first Christians were Jewish. Also in an instance Matthew's account tells of two individuals being healed instead of just one as the retelling by Mark and Luke gives only one of the individuals. Matthew 8:28 - Mark 5:2, Luke 8:27 (The singular pronoun cannot be misinterperted where the plural pronoun can have meaning beyond those being addressed. As in Matthew 3:11 and Matthew 24:33-34.) In any case Matthew's account given in Matthew 8:28 would be the original. So the retelling from Matthew to Mark and Luke is more likely and makes more sense than the other way around.
     
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