I made these charts to provide an easy reference guide for comparing the four Gospels! Feel free to share around wherever.
I think tumblr's crunching up these images so visit here for crisper versions (plus they're table format instead of png format).
Alt text version is under the readmore, necessarily formatted slightly differently but with all the same info.
TEXT ONLY / NON CHART VERSION:
Images show two charts, each credited to Avery Arden with a note that the material largely derives from the abridged version of Raymond E. Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament.
Chart 1: Comparing the Gospels, Part 1 – historical context
Mark
When:
Late 60s/early 70s
Who:
Jewish
Multi-lingual — peppers Aramaic into the Greek
Where:
Rome or Syria (clearly unfamiliar with Palestinian geography)
To whom:
Mainly to Gentiles new to Christianity who were experiencing persecution
Priorities:
Encourage audience and show them how their suffering fit into Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God
Matthew:
When:
Late 70s/80s
Who:
Jewish
Also multi-lingual, with Aramaic phrases;
Greek more polished than Mark’s
Where:
Probably in or near Antioch (in Syria); possibly Galilee
To Whom:
Mainly to well-educated Jews who were debating internally about how Jewish tradition fit into following Jesus
Priorities:
Promote Messiah Jesus who fulfills audience’s Jewish scriptures
inform church life and structure
Luke
When:
mid-to-late-80s
Who:
Gentile (possibly Jewish convert)
Educated Greek “historian” familiar with Septuagint; no use of Aramaic; expert use of Greek
Where:
Probably Greece; possibly Syria; also unfamiliar with Palestine
To whom:
Mainly to wealthy Gentiles influenced by Paul’s mission; living in an urban setting
Priorities:
Promote Isaiah-like Jesus; challenge audience to live out faith more actively (e.g., by redistributing wealth)
John
When:
90s / as late as 110
Who:
Jewish
Student(s) of “the Beloved Disciple” (the “Johannine school”)
Where:
Traditionally Ephesus; possibly Syria
To whom:
To a mixed crowd of Jews & Gentiles, at a time when tensions between Jews who did & didn’t follow Jesus had reached an all-time high
Priorities:
Promote Jesus’s divinity; strengthen unity in a group increasingly defining itself as separate from Jewish ones
Chart 2: Comparing the Gospels, Part 2 — Thematic Content
Mark
Emphasizes Jesus as:
Jesus as miracle-worker / healer; human being
Unafraid to depict human limitations & emotions in Jesus
Other defining attributes / content:
Focuses on Jesus’s actions, e.g., his miracles; as well as on his suffering and death
Originally ended with the empty tomb & fear; no resurrection relief
The disciples often fail to understand Jesus; Jesus is frequently secretive about his identity
Matthew
Emphasizes Jesus as:
A Moses figure, Messiah, Son of God; teacher
Removes descriptions that make Jesus seem limited, naïve
Other defining attributes / content:
Beatitudes (ch. 5); judgment of the “sheep and goats” (ch. 25);
Instructions for intracommunal relationships; forgiveness; “Great Commission” (ch. 28)
Polishes Mark’s depiction of the disciples to present them more favorably (esp. Peter as the “rock” of the church)
Luke
Emphasizes Jesus as:
Self-aware Son of God; prophet of the poor
Removes descriptions that make Jesus seem emotional, harsh, or weak
Other defining attributes / content:
Beatitudes (ch. 6) — with added “woes”; frequent warnings about risks of wealth
Also depicts disciples more favorably
Favorable depictions of tax collectors as sinners on the way to redemption;
negative views of Pharisees as rejectors of Jesus, juxtaposed with stories of Gentiles who express faith
John
Emphasizes Jesus as:
Divine, the Word / “I Am” made flesh; lamb of God
Often misunderstood by disciples & crowds due to his use of figurative language
Other defining attributes / content:
Poetic format, full of symbolism; similarities to Gnostic texts that arose in the same era
Lots of “testimony” and “signs”
Despite Jesus & his disciples being Jewish, John depicts “the Jews” as being against Jesus; his Jesus says things like “It is written in your law…”
