Christian Scriptures

Conflicts between the Gospel of John and
the remaining three (Synoptic) gospels

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Introduction:

Almost all of the biblical information about the earthly ministry of Jesus is contained in the four gospels Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. The word "Gospel" is a translation into English of the Greek word "euangelion" which means "good news." Many dozens of gospels were written in the first and second century CE; each was believed to be accurate by various groups within the early Christian movement and was extensively used by them. Four of them (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John) were eventually accepted by the early orthodox Christian movement as inspired by God. They were approved for inclusion in the official canon during the 4th century CE, and are found today in every Bible.

All of the original copies of the four gospels in the Christian Scriptures have been lost. We must rely upon hand-written copies which are an unknown number of hand-copied replications removed from the originals. The oldest known surviving part of a gospel dates from about 125 CE. It consists of about 50 lines from the Egerton gospel -- one of the 40 or so gospels that never made it into the official canon, and whose author is unknown. Another portion of an ancient manuscript, containing part of the Gospel of John, is also dated to about 125 CE. The remaining manuscripts date to the second half of the second century CE or later.

Differences between John and the Synoptic Gospels:

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often called the "synoptic" gospels. "Synoptic" is a Greek word meaning "having a common view." ₁ John differs significantly from the synoptic gospels in theme, content, time duration, order of events, and style. "Only ca. 8% of it is parallel to these other gospels, and even then, no such word-for-word parallelism occurs as we find among the synoptic gospels." ₂ The Gospel of John reflects a Christian tradition that is different from that of the other gospels. It was rejected as heretical by many individuals and groups within the early Christian movement. It was used extensively by the Gnostic Christians. But it was ultimately accepted into the official canon, over many objections. It is now the favorite gospel of many conservative Christians, and the gospel least referred to by many liberal Christians.

Some differences:

How the differences are resolved/explained:

References:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay.

1. B.H. Throckmorton, Jr., "Gospel Parallels: A Synopsis of the First Three Gospels," Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN, (1979).
2. F.V. Filson, "The Literary Relations among the Gospels," essay in C.M. Laymon: "The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible," Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, (1991)
3. Robert J. Miller, Ed., "The Complete Gospels", Polebridge Press, Sonoma CA, (1992), P. 249-300.
4. Rev. C.I. Schofield, "The Schofield Reference Bible," Oxford University Press, New York, NY
5. H.H. Halley, "Halley's Bible Handbook," Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, (1965)
6. H.L. Wilmington, "Wilmington's Bible Handbook," Tyndale, Wheaton, IL, (1997)
7. J.D. Douglas, Gen. Ed., "New Commentary on the Whole Bible," Tyndale, Wheaton, IL, (1990)
8. C.M. Laymon: "The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible," Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, (1991).
9. P.N. Benware, "Survey of the New Testament," Moody Press, Chicago, IL, (1990)
10. R. Shorto, "Gospel Truth," Riverhead Books, New York, NY, (1997)
11. D.M. Smith, "John." Essay in J.L. Mays, Ed., "Harper's Bible Commentary," Harper & Row, (1988), Page 1044.
12. R.W. Funk et al., "The Five Gospels: The search for the authentic words of Jesus,"MacMillan (1993), Page 10.

Copyright © 1996 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2008-MAR-31
Author: B.A. Robinson