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Summary of the Gospels

Learn about the unique structure, style, and content of the Gospel of St. John, including its theological focus, personal interviews, and emphasis on faith in Jesus Christ.

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Summary of the Gospels

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  1. Summary of the Gospels The Gospel of St. John Madonna University New Testament: The Four Gospels Rev. Dr. George H. Shalhoub, Instructor Religious Studies/Philosophy Department

  2. The Gospel of St. John Origin The Gospel of John is the most unusual and perhaps the most valuable member of the quartet of canonical Gospels. Although it deals with the same broad sequence of events to be found in the pages of the others, it is quite different in structure and in style. It contains no parables and only seven miracles, five of which are not recorded elsewhere. The discourses of Jesus in it are concerned chiefly with his person rather than with the ethical teaching of the kingdom. Personal interviews are multiplied, and Jesus’ relationship to individuals is stressed more than his general contact with the public. The Gospel is strongly theological, and it deals particularly with the nature of his person and with the meaning of faith in him. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 190), Origen (c.A.D. 220), Hippolytus (c.A.D. 225), Tertullian (c. A.D. 200), and the Muratorian Fragment (c. A.D. 170) agree in attributing the fourth Gospel to John the son of Zebedee.

  3. The Gospel of St. John Author The author was familiar with Jewish tradition. In 1:19-28 he referred to the Jewish expectation of a coming Messiah. He knew the Jewish feeling toward Samaritans (4:9) and their exclusive attitude in worship (4:20). He was acquainted with the Jewish feasts, which he explained carefully for the readers. He was familiar with the cities of Galilee (1:44; 2:1) and with the territory of Samaria (4:5-6, 21).

  4. The Gospel of St. John Author (cont.) Who was the author? Evidently he was with Jesus from the beginning of his career, for he mentions episodes that antedate the opening of the account of Jesus’ ministry in the Synoptics. He must have belonged to the group of disciples mentioned in the narrative, According to the final chapter, he is to be identified with the “beloved disciple” who was a close associate of Peter, and who had been very near to Jesus at the last supper (13:23), at the trial (18:15-16), and at the cross (19:26-27). Only one of Jesus’ most intimate associates would fit these circumstances. James was killed early in the history of the church (Acts 12:2). Peter, Thomas, and Philip are mentioned so frequently in the third person that none of them could have been the author. Although the author did not name himself, he took for granted that his readers knew who he was and that they would accept his authority in the matters of which he wrote. John the son of Zebedee is the best remaining possibility, and on the assumption of his authorship of the Gospel the following conclusions are founded.

  5. The Gospel of St. John Date and Place The date of the Fourth Gospel has been variously estimated from A.D. 40 to 140, or even later. The best solution seems to be that John was produced in Asia Minor, possibly in Ephesus, toward the close of the first century, when the church had achieved a measure of maturity, and when there was need for an advance in the teaching concerning the nature of faith.

  6. The Gospel of St. John Content The key to the content of the Gospel of John is the author’s own statement in John 20:30-31: “Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in his name.” Three words are prominent in this brief passage: Signs, Believe, Life.

  7. The Gospel of St. John Content (cont.) Seven Miracles TitlePassageArea of Power The Changing of Water into Wine 2:1-11 Quality The Healing of the Nobleman’s Son 4:46-54 Space The Healing of the Impotent Man 5:1-9 Time The Feeding of the Five Thousand 6:1-14 Quantity The Walking on the Water 6:16-21 Natural Law The Healing of the Blind Man 9:1-12 Misfortune The Raising of Lazarus 11:1-46 Death

  8. The Gospel of St. John Content (cont.) Emphasis: The Gospel of John has many special features that strengthen the presentation of its main theme. The claims of Jesus are set forth in seven major I AM’s: 1. The Bread of Life 6:35 2. The Light of the World 8:12; 9:5 3. The Door (of the sheepfold) 10:7 4. The Good Shepherd 10:11,14 5. The Resurrection and the Life 11:25 6. The Way, the Truth, and the Life 14:6 7. The True Vine 15:1

  9. The Gospel of St. John Content (cont.) Purpose: As already stated, the purpose of this Gospel is apologetic. All of the Gospels were designed to inculcate belief in those who read them or heard them read. This Gospel was planned for those who already had some philosophical predilections, as the Prologue shows, and who were looking for an answer to Philip’s demand: “Lord, show us the Father, and itsufficeth us” (14:8).

  10. The Gospel of St. John Content (cont.) Characters: One peculiarity of John’s Gospel is its development of character in sketches separated by intervals of text. Nicodemus (John 3:1-15; 7:50-52; 19:39), Philip (1:43-46; 6:5-7; 14:8-11), Thomas (11:16; 14:5-6; 20:24-29), Mary and Martha (11:1-40; 12:2-8), Mary the mother of Jesus (2:1-5; 19:26-27), and others are mentioned naturally and easily as they are recalled in connection with the main narratives, and yet when the separate allusions to them are combined, they make a complete snapshot portrait of the person concerned. To some extent this procedure is true in the other Gospels, but it is largely confined to a few prominent characters such as Peter of Judas, whereas the Fourth Gospel uses both prominent and obscure characters as examples of belief and of unbelief.

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