1. The Development of the Gospels

2. There are three stages in describing how the Gospels came to be:

3. 1. Jesus of Nazareth and His Disciples The foundation of the events and meaning recorded in the Gospels is Jesus of Nazareth, a man, a historical figure!

4. The Basic Facts Historical facts: - Jesus was born a Jew sometime around the year 5 B.C.E. - In Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod

5. - He practiced carpentry - At about the age 30, He began a public career of preaching and teaching - His actions brought about mixed reactions – those in power eventually brought him to trial and we was executed by crucifixion around the year 30 C.E.

6. The Resurrection: The Pivotal Event Belief in the resurrection of Jesus became the identifying mark of all those who claimed Jesus as their Lord. “and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:14

7. For the early Christians, the carpenter’s son Jesus was also truly the Christ of Faith. The title Christ means literally “anointed one.” It is based on the Greek word Christos, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word messiah.  The Messiah??

8. 2. The Disciples and the Early Community of Faith Imagine you were a disciple of Jesus… Many believed that the Kingdom of Heaven was going to come right away! They were awaiting an end to this world.

9. Early Christians began an intense missionary campaign to proclaim his life, death, and resurrection to all! (instead of writing it down) For them, preserving the message was not a priority, there was no “future” expected!

11. It was then that the process of picking and choosing what to remember about Jesus begun. Incidents from his life and teaching were used to instruct new recruits. Reflections on his life in terms of the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures became part of Christian worship services.

12. For several decades this info about Jesus was shared primarily by word of mouth or oral tradition! On the basis of these carefully selected and highly polished recollections, and from their application to the early church’s experience, the Gospels would eventually be written.

13. 3. The Early Community of Faith and the Evangelists It was approximately 40 years after Jesus’ death that the first Gospel was written. With a realization that Christianity and the church did have a future, it became necessary to find a means of preserving its teachings!

14. The preservation of Jesus’ message for the future was also needed to instruct and inspire the already existing communities of faith!

15. Oral StorytellingWritten Storytelling

16. If you were to pass on the Christian message, which images and stories would you use?