Posted on Jan 17, 2025 by Mike LeDuke
The Gospels
No one knows who wrote the gospels, or when they wrote them.
Some may immediately argue, stating that each of the gospels has its own author in its name: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Unfortunately, none of the gospel writers actually identify themselves in their works. Thus, while the Gospel of Matthew is called the Gospel of Matthew, the text itself does not explicitly identify it as such. All of these identifications come from Christian tradition. That doesn’t mean that they’re wrong, but it means that we can’t speak about gospel authorship without a little bit of uncertainty. Thus, while it’s true that no one knows for sure who wrote the gospels, it’s more accurate to say that, although no one knows with certainty who wrote the gospels, there are clear indications in the text and from early Christian writings that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are indeed the actual authors.
Whoever wrote the Gospel of Matthew seemed to have a connection to money. They used monetary words that none of the other gospels used (Matthew 17:24; 18:24). In the Lord’s prayer he references “debts” whereas the Gospel of Luke used “sins” (Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4). This does fit with Matthew as the historical figure Matthew was a tax collector. Regarding tradition, no one else has ever been suggested as the author. This identification firmly places this first gospel’s composition in the realm of the first century. Bringing together all of the references to the Temple and the encouragement within the gospel to worship at the Temple (Matthew 5:23,24; 23:16—22), along with Jesus’s prophecy of the Temple’s destruction (Matthew 24:1,2; which would have been nonsensical to write after the destruction of the Temple), it appears as though Matthew was written before the Romans burned the Temple down in 70 CE. Mark was likely written at a similar time.
But what about Luke and John? Many scholars believe that John was written significantly later than the other gospels. Personally, I think the Greek suggests that John was written around the same time as Matthew and Mark. Specifically, John 5:2 references “a pool,” in the present tense, stating that it “is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate.” This would not have been the case after 70 CE, as the Sheep Gate, being part of the Temple, was gone.
If, Matthew, Mark, and John were fairly early texts, then the introduction to Luke’s gospel makes further sense:
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us” (Luke 1:1,2 ESV).
There were numerous records, by eyewitnesses, of what Jesus had done. The traditions that ascribe these gospels to Matthew, Mark, and John all happen to ascribe them to those who were eyewitnesses. Luke, not an eyewitness, was adding to that account. If this is all the case, then the gospels were all written before the Romans destroyed the Temple, with Luke being written last, probably sometime in the 60s.
There’s still one book of the New Testament left, Revelation, and that’s what we’ll consider in our final post.
—Jason Hensley, PhD
