The Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John

The Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John
A Comparison



The four books that have been placed at the beginning of the New Testament, the Gospels, are a kind of benign Rashomon-style account of Jesus; his life, his teachings and his ultimate ascension. The first three books, are named after their presumed authors, Matthew, Mark and Luke, and are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels (from the Greek synoptikos, “viewing together”). So called because of their similar approaches to the story, they differ not only in content from the fourth Gospel, John, but particularly in the fourth book’s spiritual and poetic style which is more complex and profound than the first three books.
Who wrote these Gospels has been a matter of theological debate, and the order and date of the books is still a matter of speculation. Most scholars today are confident that Mark was written first, followed by Matthew (who was not familiar with the term “plagiarism”), then Luke and final...