Tim McGrew Powerpoint

7/30/2019 Tim McGrew Powerpoint

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WhoWrotetheGospels?

Dr.TimothyMcGrew

CalvaryBibleChurchJanuary13,2013


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Luke1:4

...itseemedgoodtomealso,having

followedallthingscloselyforsome6mepast,towriteanorderlyaccountforyou,

mostexcellentTheophilus,thatyoumay

havecertaintyconcerningthethingsyouhavebeentaught.


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FiveImportantQuesHons

1. WhowrotetheGospels?

2. Isthereexternal,historicalevidenceforthetruthoftheGospels?

3. IsthereinternalevidenceforthetruthoftheGospels?

4. Whatisthetruthaboutallegedhistoricalerrors

intheGospels?5. WhatisthetruthaboutallegedcontradicHons

intheGospels?


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AuthenHcity

Anancienthistoricalworkisauthen'cifitgives

asubstanHallytruthfulaccountoftheeventsit

reports.

Thisiswhatwewantinahistoricaldocument:

wewanttoknowifwhatitsaysissubstan'ally

true.


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AuthenHcityandGenuineness

Anancienthistoricalworkisgenuineifitwas

actuallywriRenbythepersontowhomitisaRributed.

Showingthatthedocumentisgenuinehelpstoestablishthatitisauthen'c,becauseithelpsto

ruleoutrivaltheories(e.g.,thatthedocumentisalatemythicalcomposiHonforgedinthenameofanearlierwriter).


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WhyGenuinenessMaRers

ItwouldmostunquesHonablybeanargument

ofdecisiveweightinfavourofthecredibilityof

thebiblicalhistory,coulditindeedbeshown

thatitwaswriRenbyeye-witnesses,orevenby

personsnearlycontemporaneouswiththe

eventsnarrated.

D.F.Strauss,TheLifeofJesus,2nded.(1892),p.69


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OurGoalthisMorning

Toexaminefourkindsofhistoricalevidence

fortheauthorshipoftheGospels:

Names

Titles

ARribuHon

Earlyuse


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BartEhrmanontheGospels

"[S]omebooks,suchasthe

Gospels,hadbeenwriRen

anonymously,onlylatertobe

ascribedtocertainauthorswhoprobablydidnotwrite

them(apostlesandfriendsof

theapostles)."

BartEhrman,Jesus,Interrupted(2011),pp.101-02.


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RichardDawkinsontheGospels

"Nobodyknowswho

thefourevangelistswere,buttheyalmost

certainlynevermet

Jesuspersonally."

ichardDawkins,TheGodDelusion

(2006)


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FourTypesofEvidence

TypeofEvidence Evalua8on

Names

Titles

ARestaHon

Earlyuse


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TheNamesontheGospels

Thefirstandmostobviouswaytotellwhowrote

somethingistolookforanameonit.

AllfourofourGospelsbearthenamesofpeople

whowereeitherJesus'disciplesorclose

associatesofhisdisciples.

Askep8calques8on:Whatifthosenameswere

justputonlatertogivetheGospelspres8ge?


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AnsweringtheSkepHcalQuesHon

WhatcommendsMarkastheauthor,ifwe

aregoingtosimplypicksomeonetoenhancethereputaHonofagospelwhennoone

supposedlywhoknowstheauthoris...?WhatisMark'sreputaHon?efailedtosurvivethefirstmissionaryjourneyandcausedasplitbetweenPaulandBarnabasaccordingtoActs.SohowdoesrandomlyaRachinghisnametothebookenhancethatgospel'scredibility?

Dr.DarrelBock,2010


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TheSkepHcalQuesHonBackfires

IfsomeoneweretryingtoforgeaGospel,the

firstnameslikelytobepickedwouldbePeter,

James,andJohn.ButwehavetowaitunHlthe

secondcentury(whentheoriginalwitnesses

haddiedout)beforewegetgospelsofPeter

andJames.


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EvidenceofGenuineness


Names Unlikelytobeinvented

Titles

ARestaHon

Earlyuse


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TheTitlesoftheGospels

IftheGospelshadcirculatedanonymouslyunHl

themidtolatesecondcentury,wewouldexpect

toseeavarietyofHtlesonthem.(Aerall,

everyonewouldhavetomakehisownguess.)

Butinfact,theHtlesonmanuscriptsofthe

Gospelsarestrikinglyuniform:TheGospel

accordingtoMaRhew;TheGospelaccordingto

Mark;etc.


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TheSignificanceoftheTitles

TheuniformityofthisunusualformofHtle

stronglysuggeststhattheHtleswerenot

secondaryaddiHonsbutpartoftheGospelsas

originallycirculated....[T]hesesuperscripHons

werenotaddedtotheGospelssecondarily,long

aertheircomposiHon...

MarHnengel,TheFourGospelsandtheOneGospel

ofJesusChrist(2000),p.50


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Titles Tooconsistentforanonymity

ARestaHon

Earlyuse


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Augus6ne'scriterionforauthorship

Whydoesnoonedoubtthegenuinenessofthe

booksaRributedtoippocrates?

"[B]ecausethereisasuccessionoftesHmoniestothebooksfromtheHmeofippocratesto

thepresentday,whichmakesitunreasonable

eithernoworhereaertohaveanydoubtonthesubject."


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AugusHne'sCriterion

"owdoweknowtheauthorshipofthe

worksofPlato,Aristotle,Cicero,Varro,and

othersimilarwriters,butbytheunbroken

chainofevidence?"

AgainstFaustus33.6(~AD400)


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SomeEarlyAOesta6onsofAuthorship

TertullianofCarthage(~207)

ClementofAlexandria(~180)

IrenaeusofLyons(~180) JusHnMartyr(~150)

Papiasofierapolis(~125)


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WhatTertulliantellsus(~207)

TheGospelswerewriRenbyMaRhewand

John,whowereapostles,andLukeandMark,whowere"apostolicmen."Mark'sGospelis

therecordofPeter'spreaching. TheytellthesamebasicfactsaboutJesus,

includinghisvirginbirthandhisfulfillmentof

prophecy. Theyborethenamesoftheirauthorsfrom

anHquity,andtheancientchurchesvouchforthemandnoothers.


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WhatClementtellsus(~180)

MarkwrotehisGospel,byrequest,fromhis

knowledgeofPeter'spreachingatome.

MaRhewandLukewerepublishedfirst;they

aretheGospelscontainingthegenealogies.

John'sGospelwasthelastonetoappear.It

waswriRenattheurgingofhisfriends.


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WhatIrenaeustellsus(~180)

MaRhew'sGospelwasthefirstonewriRen;it

wasoriginallywriReninthe"ebrewdialect."

Mark,adiscipleofPeter,handeddowninhis

GospelwhatPeterhadpreached.

Luke,acompanionofPaul,recordedinabook

theGospelpreachedbyhim.

John,thediscipleoftheLord,publisheda

GospelwhilelivingatEphesusinAsia.


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WhatJusHnMartyrtellsus(~150)

TheChrisHanspossessed"memoirs"ofJesus,

whichwerealsocalled"Gospels."

ThesewerewriRenbyapostlesandbythose

whoweretheirfollowers.

Theytellusofsucheventsasthevisitofthe

MagiatJesus'birthandhisagonyin

Gethsemane. JusHn'spupil,TaHan,producedaharmonyof

ourfourGospels,theDiatessaron.


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WhatPapiastellsus(~125)

Mark,havingbeentheinterpreterofPeter,

wrotedownwhatPeterhadpreached

accurately,thoughnotnecessarilyinorder.

MaRhewwrotethe("oracles"a

referencetohiswholeGospel?tothesayings

ofJesus?)intheebrewlanguage.


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GeographicalspreadoftheaOesta6on


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AOesta6onofAuthorship:

SummaryoftheFacts

TheaRestaHonofauthorshipisnotonly

significantandearly,itisalsogeographically

diverse,comingfromeveryquarterofthe

omanempire.

Thereisnorivaltradi'onofauthorshipforany

ofthefourGospels.


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ARribuHon Strong,widespread,andconsistent

Earlyuse


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EarlyUseoftheFourGospels

ManyearlywritersmakeuseoftheGospelswithoutnamingordescribingtheirauthors.

Thisevidencetakesusbackevenearlierthan

theevidenceofaRribuHon.


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ExamplesofEarlyUseoftheGospels

Polycarp,LeertothePhilippians2:3(~AD108):

...butrememberingthewordswhichtheLordspake,as

etaught;Judgenotthatyebenotjudged.Forgive,anditshallbeforgiventoyou.Havemercythatyemay

receivemercy.Withwhatmeasureyemete,itshallbe

measuredtoyouagain;andagain,Blessedarethepoor

andthosepersecutedforrighteousnesssake,fortheirsistheKingdomofGod.

Cf.Luke6:20,MaR.5:3,10,etc.


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IgnaHus,LeertoPolycarp2:2(~AD107):

Inallcircumstancesbewiseasaserpent,andperpetuallyharmlessasadove.

Cf.MaR.10:16


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Clementofome,1Clement46:7-8(~AD95):

ememberthewordsofJesusourLord:fore

said,Woeuntothatman;itweregoodforhimif

hehadnotbeenborn,ratherthanthatathe

shouldoffendoneofMineelect.Itwerebeer

forhimthatamillstonewerehangedabouthim,

andbecastintothesea,thanthatheshouldpervertoneofMineelect.

Cf.MaR.26:24,Mark14:21,Luke17:1-2


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WhyEarlyUseMaRers

FortheseauthorstomakeuseoftheGospels

asauthoritaHvesourcesmeansthatthey

expectedtheiraudiencetorecognizetheir

quotaHonsandallusionsandtoacceptthem

asauthenHc.

ButifnooneknewwhohadwriRenthese

works,whywouldtheChrisHansacceptthemasauthenHc?


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TheWitnessofBasilides

(Gnos6ccommentator,~AD125)

"ThateachmanhashisownappointedHme,he

says,theSaviorsufficientlyindicateswhenhe

says,Myhourisnotyetcome."Cf.John2:4

"this,hesays,iswhatismenHonedinthe

Gospels:Hewasthetruelight,whichlightsevery

mancomingintotheworld."Cf.John1:9


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ExternalEvidence:EarlyUse

Polycarp'sLeertothePhilippians(~108)quotesfromoralludesto:

MaRhew GalaHans Mark Ephesians

Luke Philippians

Acts 1Thessalonians

omans 2Thessalonians 1Corinthians ebrews

2Corinthians 1Peter

...andmore...


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EarlyUseoftheGospels


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Jus6nMartyrontheReadingofScripture

"AndonthedaycalledSunday,allwholiveinciHes

orinthecountrygathertogethertooneplace,and

thememoirsoftheapostlesorthewriHngsofthe

prophetsareread,aslongasHmepermits;..."

FirstApology,ch.67

FortheGospelstobereadasscriptureinweekly

services,theymusthavebeenextremelyhighlyregardedandwellknowntoChrisHansthroughout

theworld.


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EarlyUse:SummaryoftheFacts

ThefourGospelsandActsareusedcopiously

bytheearlychurchfathers.

EvenearlyhereHcstacitlyacknowledgetheir

genuineness,whichtheywouldnothavedone

iftheycouldhelpit.

Noneoftheapocryphalso-called"gospels"is

anywherenearlysowidelyused.


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ARribuHon Strong,widespread,andconsistent

Earlyuse Overwhelming


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ASkep6calCounter-argument

MaRhew'sGospeliswriRen

completelyinthethird

person,...Evenwhenthis

GospelnarratestheeventofMaRhewbeingcalledto

becomeadisciple,ittalks

about"him,"notabout"me."

BartEhrman,Jesus,Interrupted

(2009),p.104


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MaOhew'sDescrip6onofMaOhew

MaRhew9:9:AsJesuspassedonfromthere,

hesawamancalledMaRhewsingatthetax

booth,andhesaidtohim,"Followme."And

heroseandfollowedhim.


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AVeryOldArgument

FromFaustustheManichean,aboutAD400.

AugusHne'srebuRal:

"FaustusthinkshimselfwonderfullycleverinprovingthatMaRhewwasnotthewriterofthis

Gospel,because,whenspeakingofhisown

elecHon,hesaysnot,Hesawme,andsaidto

me,Followme;but,Hesawhim,andsaidto

him,Followme...."


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BartEhrman,meetSt.AugusHne

"Thismusthavebeensaideitherin

ignoranceorfromadesigntomislead.

Faustuscanhardlybesoignorantasnotto

havereadorheardthatnarrators,when

speakingofthemselves,oYenusea

construc6onasifspeakingofanother...."


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BartEhrman,meetSt.AugusHne

"ItismoreprobablethatFaustuswished

tobewilderthosemoreignorantthan

himself,inthehopeofge[ngholdon

notafewunacquaintedwiththese

things."

AugusHne,AgainstFaustus17.1.4


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Augus6neisRight

"TherewasinthearmyacertainXenophon,anAthenian,whoaccompaniedthearmyneither

asageneralnorasacaptainnorasaprivate

soldier;butProxenos,anoldacquaintance,had

sentforhim."

Xenophon,Anabasis3.1

SeealsoAnabasis1.8.15;2.5.40;3.1.10,47,etc.

SeealsoCaesar'sCommentaries,Josephus'sJewish

War,Nicolaus'sHistory,Dexippus'sScythica,etc.


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Summary:EvidenceofGenuineness

ThenamesaRachedtoourfourGospelscouldnot

havebeenchosentogivethempresHge,withthe

soleexcepHonofJohn.

TheHtlesoftheGospelsareuniformandunusual,somethingwewouldnotexpectiftheyhad

circulatedanonymouslyforalongHmebeforebeing

named.

TheaRestaHonofauthorshipisstrong,widespread,andconsistent.

Theevidenceofearlyuseisoverwhelming.

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