The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life and teachings developed in three stages:
1. Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection which was witnessed by his followers.
2. An oral tradition where the apostles shared Jesus' words and deeds through preaching and teaching, gaining further understanding with the Holy Spirit's guidance.
3. The four written Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John where each evangelist selected from the oral traditions and their own accounts to tell the truthful story of Jesus in their own skilled style.
The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life and teachings developed in three stages:
1. Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection which was witnessed by his followers.
2. An oral tradition where the apostles shared Jesus' words and deeds through preaching and teaching, gaining further understanding with the Holy Spirit's guidance.
3. The four written Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John where each evangelist selected from the oral traditions and their own accounts to tell the truthful story of Jesus in their own skilled style.
The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life and teachings developed in three stages:
1. Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection which was witnessed by his followers.
2. An oral tradition where the apostles shared Jesus' words and deeds through preaching and teaching, gaining further understanding with the Holy Spirit's guidance.
3. The four written Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John where each evangelist selected from the oral traditions and their own accounts to tell the truthful story of Jesus in their own skilled style.
The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life and teachings developed in three stages:
1. Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection which was witnessed by his followers.
2. An oral tradition where the apostles shared Jesus' words and deeds through preaching and teaching, gaining further understanding with the Holy Spirit's guidance.
3. The four written Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John where each evangelist selected from the oral traditions and their own accounts to tell the truthful story of Jesus in their own skilled style.
2. The oral tradition 3. The written Gospels 1. The life and teaching of Jesus
Jesus taught, healed, and worked
miracles. He died on the cross and rose from the dead. His followers witnessed and remembered these things. 2. The oral tradition
After the ascension of Jesus, the apostles
handed on his deeds and words through preaching and teaching. They now had a better understanding of what he did and said. • They could look back on the whole story of Jesus’ life, from the beginning of his ministry to his ascension. • Also, they had the gift of the Holy Spirit, who came to them at Pentecost and enlightened their minds. 3. The written Gospels The gospels were written by the four evangelists.
From all the stories and memories about Jesus,
passed down by word of mouth or already written down, each evangelist selected what was suitable for his purpose. At times the evangelist would combine, summarize, or explain these traditions. The end result of this work was a written gospel. Each evangelist composed his gospel with skill and creativity, but always in such a way as to tell us the honest truth about Jesus. 4 SYMBOLS AND IMAGES OF THE GOSPELS St. Matthew is represented by a divine man the Gospel highlights Jesus’ entry into this world, first by presenting His family lineage “A family record of Jesus Christ, Son of David, son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1) — and His incarnation and birth: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about” (Mt 1:18). St. Irenaeus, “is the Gospel of His humanity; for which reason it is, too, that the character of a humble and meek man is kept up through the whole Gospel.” 4 SYMBOLS AND IMAGES OF THE GOSPELS St. Mark, represented by the winged lion, ‘I send my messenger before you to prepare your way: a herald’s voice in the desert, crying, “Make ready the way of the Lord, clear Him a straight path.’” “The voice in the desert crying” reminds one of a lion’s roar, and the prophetical spirit descending to earth reminds one of a “winged message.” The lion also signified royalty, an appropriate symbol for the Son of God. 4 SYMBOLS AND IMAGES OF THE GOSPELS The winged ox represents St. Luke. Oxen were used in temple sacrifices. St. Luke begins his Gospel with the announcement of the birth of St. John the Baptizer to his father, the priest Zechariah, who was offering sacrifice in the Temple (Lk 1). St. Luke also includes the parable of the Prodigal Son the winged ox reminds us of the priestly character of our Lord and His sacrifice for our redemption. 4 SYMBOLS AND IMAGES OF THE GOSPELS St. John is represented by the rising eagle. “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God. He was present to God in the beginning. Through Him all things came into being, and apart from Him nothing came to be” (Jn 1:1-3). “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God. He was present to God in the beginning. Through Him all things came into being, and apart from Him nothing came to be” (Jn 1:1-3). 4 SYMBOLS AND IMAGES OF THE GOSPELS The four Gospels