Matthew = for the Jews
Mark = personal info about Jesus
Luke = for the Gentiles
John = Jesus' deity
Upvote
0
-
Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
-
CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Why Four Gospels?
- Thread starter Standing Up
- Start date
Mark = personal info about Jesus
Luke = for the Gentiles
John = Jesus' deity
M
Memento Mori
Guest
Jared
I would love to hear you defend this section of St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies.
Defend it from what? An analogy can be demonstrated to be helpful or unhelpful, apt or incoherent, relevant or irrelevant. Is this what you're asking me to do - to show that it's helpful or apt or relevant? The only thing I can really defend it from is an attempt to make more of it than it is.
My original comment was just meant as a friendly gesture, really. I didn't know we were going to end up debating St. Irenaeus' use of language.
Upvote
0
It doesn't matter how many there are, someone would want to know why there weren't more or fewer.
Upvote
0
OpenDoor
Faith + Hope + Love
On a more serious note, it is important to remember the context of St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies. Against Heresies was written is a detailed rebuttal on Gnosticism, which was then a serious threat to Christianity. As such St. Irenaeus work was meant to be a "nail in the coffin". So when the Gnostics debated that there are more then four gospels. This was suppose to be the argument that refutes them. As such it might have been better for Irenaeus to admit sometimes thing are that way just because they are.
my 2 cents
my 2 cents
Upvote
0
MKJ
Contributor
I've heard some moderns hypothesize that the four Gospels appeal or are more easily understood by various personality types - a sort of psychological rational. Which seems to be the case, though I don't know that it is the reason to have four.
Really, all we can say is that is the number it took for God to say what he wanted to say in the way he wanted to say it. Anything more is speculation. I don't think there is anything wrong with speculating, so long as we are clear that it is nothing more.
Really, all we can say is that is the number it took for God to say what he wanted to say in the way he wanted to say it. Anything more is speculation. I don't think there is anything wrong with speculating, so long as we are clear that it is nothing more.
Upvote
0
Because the Catholic Church decided to keep only four gospels and throw the rest out. Not all of them were bad. The gospel of Thomas was very similar to the 3 synoptic ones, except it only had a collection of Jesus' sayings, no more.
Upvote
0
Ortho_Cat
Orthodox Christian
there are some good teachings in Thomas, some not so good. Much of the sayings of Jesus correspond to those found in the gospels. There is one particular teaching that I find interesting in Thomas:
I am the Light that is above them all.
I am the All.
The All comes forth from me,
and the All reaches towards me.
Cleave the wood, I am there;
lift up the stone,
and you shall find me there.
This emphasizes that Christ is the eternal Word which holds together all creation. While being all around around us, He is still above all. IMO, this teaching clearly illustrates the concept of 'panentheism' in relation to Christianity.
Upvote
0
Walter Kovacs
Justice is coming, no matter what we do.
- Jan 22, 2011
- 1,922
- 91
- Faith
- Christian Seeker
- Marital Status
- In Relationship
Upvote
0
In what sense completeness? Where do you get that notion?
The Gospels could not possibly be either more or less in number than they are. Since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the Church is spread over all the earth, and the pillar and foundation of the Church is the gospel, and the Spirit of life, it fittingly has four pillars, everywhere breathing out incorruption and revivifying men. From this it is clear that the Word, the artificer of all things, being manifested to men gave us the gospel, fourfold in form but held together by one Spirit. As David said, when asking for his coming, 'O sitter upon the cherubim, show yourself '. For the cherubim have four faces, and their faces are images of the activity of the Son of God. For the first living creature, it says, was like a lion, signifying his active and princely and royal character; the second was like an ox, showing his sacrificial and priestly order; the third had the face of a man, indicating very clearly his coming in human guise; and the fourth was like a flying eagle, making plain the giving of the Spirit who broods over the Church. Now the Gospels, in which Christ is enthroned, are like these.
St. Irenaeus
Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies)
Apparently for its time this was a very good argument
Is it a bad argument?
Upvote
0
You're not aware of the 4 living creatures as a scripturally possible connection? Or just automatically reject it?
To what tradition do you refer?
Upvote
0
Everything (supposedly) Gnostic was rejected from that period. Whether Jesus said it or not. :/
Upvote
0
Four different Gospels were written for the different languages of people who wern't there to witness what Paul wrote was for the Gentiles what Matthew wrote was for the Jews What Mark wrote was for Latin What Luke wrote was for the Greek and John was to prove that Jesus was the Son of God to the Hebrews who still followed the old testament lawI like it. It sure beats "because that's the way it is."
Upvote
0
Similar threads
