Eric W. King ~ TSW, "The Shepherds Way": "The written Gospel comes together." ~ TSW

Ancient Antiochene

Mysteries

Part Twenty-nine

“The written Gospel comes together.”

By presbyter Eric William King (September 3rd 2024)

How the New Testament came together was a process. Let us briefly talk about Gospel construction, the Four Gospels. We teach and believe that the earliest main versions of the Gospel story have been preserved for us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is not to say that these were the earliest completed accounts. Our Ancient Antiochene records show that Apostle Andrew actually held a written collection of thoughts and teachings of Jesus which has popularly become known as the “Q” document.

Bishop Evodius, second Bishop of the Antiochene Church, protected the original “Q” document all the way up to 69 A.D. – (53-69 A.D.) The original ”Q” document contained four categories regarding the Life of Christ. It also contained the Didache and the Apostle Creed.

Matthew’s gospel was originally written in Aramaic before it was translated by one of his disciples, Ishador, into Greek. The “Q” document with early versions of Matthew, Mark, and John existed before the counsel of Jerusalem, which is recorded in Acts ch.15. This counsel answered questions regarding Gentile converts. This was during the time of Apostle Paul. Barnabas, Paul, and Peter came down from the Antiochene Church to address this issue. This occurred in 50 A.D. From 50 A.D. all the way up to 55 A.D. the Apostles began to put together completed versions of Matthew, Mark, and John. The finalized versions were put into Greek with a final version of Mark also in Latin.

St. Mark’s gospel was the earliest completed gospel account and was originally written in Aramaic then in Latin for Roman Christians – a final Greek version with additions appeared latter. St. Mark was a disciple of St. Peter and St. Peter wanted a gospel account for the Romans. Really, we could say that St. Mark’s account is the “gospel according to St. Peter". St. Mark’s account also worked off of St. Andrew’s “Q” documentations (notes of the disciples) including early notes from St. Matthew. St. Mark kept his account short and fast for the Roman mind.

Towards the end of 55 A.D. our ancient records show that the first copy of Luke’s gospel was coming together, Luke being a disciple of Apostle Paul. Again, Mark was a disciple of Apostle Peter so Mark’s account could be called, “The Gospel of Peter”. Though modern scholars do not agree with our Antiochene records, the fact is, these first three Gospels were ready to go out with the Apostle Paul on his third missionary journey, sometime between 54 and 55 A.D. Some of them may have still been being worked on as they left on their journey. This third journey extended all the way to 57 A.D.

The expansion period of the early church really started at 30 A.D. (Pentecost) and extended all the way up to 60 A.D. - Paul wrote about his experiences in his epistles to the churches all the way up to around 60 A.D. - St. Irenaeus confirms that it was Luke who also penned the book of Acts. St. Irenaeus was a student of St. Polycarp who had been a disciple of Apostle John. St. Polycarp was also the Bishop of the Church of Smyrna while Apostle John was on the island of Patmos.

St. Luke was an educated Greek Gentile from Antioch who came to Christ through the teachings of Apostle Paul while on one of his visits to Jerusalem. His gospel account is written in the best Greek, even St. Jerome comments about this. St. Luke actually completed his final version of the gospel in Antioch, when St. Paul traveled there. They were first called “Christian” in Ancient Antioch (Acts 11:26). St. Luke, of course, traveled with St. Paul and got firsthand accounts. St. Luke’s genealogy account of Jesus, that is listed in his gospel, was given to him by Mother Mary in her older age. St. Matthew’s account lists Joseph’s side regarding the genealogy of Christ.

Regarding St. John’s gospel: St. John’s earliest account of the gospel no longer exists, it was penned in 55 A.D. – His gospel account contained the deepest Greek way of thinking in conjunction with the teachings of Christ. It most certainly was a Gospel to the Greeks. St. John’s gospel records Jesus’s ministry while in Judea and around Jerusalem, not Galilee like the others. The final version of St. John’s gospel appeared in 101 A.D. and was written by a Christian student by the name of Nathaniel. He was able to work off of an early copy that still existed of St. John’s gospel. He was a Greek Jew from Caesarea.

The epistles of St. John (1,2, & 3) are the preserved originals of St. John along with the Apocalypse – the Book of Revelation. These have been preserved by original Antiochene Christians. Also, St. John stayed behind at the Church in Jerusalem with St. James (Jesus’s literal brother who became the Bishop of the Jerusalem Church) for a longer period. There he gained many disciples which included Romans and Greek Philosophers. His followers became known as Johannites. Many of the hidden mysteries of Christ were preserved in this manner. Also, the earliest liturgical worship hymn was comprised by St. James during this time. The Ancient Antiochene Church still uses a version of “The Divine Liturgies of the Holy Apostle James – Brother of the Lord”.

There is a mystery about St. John’s life which we will cover latter. Here we will say that it is true that St. John took care of Mother Mary in her older age. Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. he left with disciples and Mother Mary to Ephesus where they lived for some time. This is documented by Nicephorus in the Ecclesiastical History 2,2.

St. John is “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Stay with us here at “The Shepherds Way” and “Nugget of Truth” and keep learning.

We have the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is most certainly true.

Eric William King (September 3^rd 2024)