The Significance of the Four Gospels in Relation to Jewish Tradition
Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2008
by Jennifer Cuddy
As I study the New Testame
nt in the Bible, one significant question that the Biblical scholars have attempted to answer has struck my attention regarding "Why only the four Gospels?" Or even why four Gospels at all, when there is only one story to tell regarding the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth? This is a question that Biblical scholars have answered stating that Jesus is portrayed according to the four general groups of people of the first century: Matthew was written for the Jews; Mark for the Romans; Luke for the pagan Gentiles; and John for the converted Christians. (The Ryrie KJV Study Bible) Yet, this still does not answer the question as to why only four Gospel accounts when there were 11 disciples ( excluding Judas Iscariot)? Indeed, there were numerous Gospel accounts written later known as the Gnostic Gospels, but they were of doubtful reliability as they were written from the heretical and mystical sectarian viewpoints that were typical of the Gnostics of the time.
Not only do the four canonical Gospels differ according to the Ryrie Bible scholars in respect of their apparent audiences: Jews, Romans, pagan Gentiles, and converted Christians; but they also differ in the ways that Christ is viewed: as King in Matthew, Servant in Mark, Son of Man in Luke, and Son of God in John. Upon discovering this, I was reminded of the traditional Passover Seder celebration that is integral to the Jewish faith. The Seder is a custom conducted in the family home as a ritual to transmit the story of Exodus from one generation to the next. In this ritual, the number four is of similar significance.
For example: Wine is divided into four cups that each participant is obliged to drink to symbolize the four types of deliverance expressed by God: "I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God " Exodus 6:6-7
The Four Cups are also prophetically symbolic of the four worlds in the Bible: the earthly age, the Messianic age, the resurrection of the dead, and the world to come. Some Jewish traditions relate the four cups to the four redemptions: the promise to Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt, the survival of the Jewish people in the desert, and the redemption at the end of days.
To both the Gentiles and the Jews, the most famous of all of the fours celebrated in Passover is The Four Questions. These four questions are designed to allow and encourage their children to fully participate in the Passover holiday, and to help them understand the Exodus in relation to the Jewish identity and religion. These four questions are all basically different traditional variations of " Why is this night different from all other nights? "
The most intriguing symbolic "four" to me of all of the Passover Seder rituals is the Jewish tradition of The Four Sons - the wise son, the wicked son, the one who is simple, and the one who does not know how to ask; each assigned to ask a certain variation of the question "What is the meaning of this service?" This tradition is startlingly insightful and psychological. The four sons represent four types of personalities typically found in children, yet none of the aforementioned names are meant to be derogatory. The wise child ( or personality ) is typically inquisitive, meticulous, and impatient and therefore the reply he receives is one of a deeper analysis of the question, according to his higher level of knowledge. The wicked son is the typical rebellious child who wishes to isolate himself from the Jewish people, and he is rebuked by an explanation that separates him from the glory of the Jewish redemption. The simple son asks the question in a simple manner, and thus his question is answered in strong, but easy to understand terminology. The child who does not know how to ask is seen as the shy, sensitive child, and he is answered in such a way that rephrases and answers the question for him.
Knowing these Jewish traditions, it is easy to understand why the New Testament should have four Gospels. As I had referred to in the beginning of this essay, the four Gospels each have individual particular goals in telling their side of the story.
The full name of the Passover Jewish ceremony is called Seder Haggadah, or "the order of narration". As I have discussed, the number four is of tremendous symbolic significance in the Jewish oral tradition of story telling. It could be that this theory is coincidental, however it is fitting according to ancient Jewish rubric.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Jennifer, I am impressed! Very informative and well laid out. You are a quick study and I am excited to see how God is using you now and will continue to use you in the future! Your knowledge of the Jewish tradition by studying with Judaism with a Rabbi before your conversation is proving to be God-designed. I am learning from you and so will many others! I am anxious for next Monday night.Thanks! And yes, this is exactly what I thought in writing this..that meaning that I am grateful for my knowledge of Jewish traditions that will help me in my understanding of the bible as a whole.I look forward to Monday night too..Too bad that is so far away, so it seems. Do remember to check out that documentary " In Search of the Real Mt Sinai"I will call you on Christmas day nevertheless, :)Jennifer
oops, that's conversion, not conversation. :-) And while I am impressed, I am certainly not surprised.hehe..I knew what you meant..*smiles*
Hi Jennifer -- Like Teresa, I am deeply impressed with your knowledge; I myself never knew any of this information and find your article to be written in a way that makes your readers want more ... perhaps a column? ... smile... I also sense a wonderful spirit within you that I praise God for; the beauty in your soul is shining and I will keep you in my prayers -- Merry Christmas!Hi Judi!Thank you for commenting. This is a great thing for you to do knowing that I think we did not come off on a great start. I am sorry about that. I don't even remember what it was about. I'm glad that my article comes across that way..I honestly did think of the Passover and the 4 children and 4 questions when I came upon the question asked "Why only four Gospels?" I think that even more significant is that possibly different personalities may have certain affinities for different Gospel accounts. I'm not positive about this, as it seems to me that each one emphasizes different aspects of the life of Jesus. I, for one, hands down like the Gospel of John the best!Thank you again for commenting. it means alot to me.JenniferJennifer, perhaps our "crime" had been that we are both passionate women and that's to be admired. I can be guilty of talking without thinking sometimes and have to remember "it's not all about me" -- No apologies needed; as I've stated, I sense the beauty in your spirit and am here if ever you need someone. The world needs women like you! Oh, btw: since you seem to enjoy researching things check out the life of George Sands when you've a chance; she was a novelist in the 1800s in Paris and talk about a passionate woman! But her work is timeless! Merry Christmas!No doubt it was probably about this past election. How odd that it was after that that I had converted. And yes, I do know of George Sand, but only from the movie "Impromptu".I am a big fan of Chopin, however..:)Oh, Jennifer, I saw that movie as well and to be honest, especially since I'm an artist, I would have loved to live in Paris during that time period -- imagine being surrounded with all those creative people! I love Chopin as well but wasn't he a tortured soul? Anyway, see, we've got things in common, especially the Lord -- keep truckin' girl!Ha! Yes, I would have loved to have been an aristocrat in that age, or atleast a recognized talented artist with very wealthy patrons!Merry Christmas to you too! It's Christmas Eve!Jennifer
Shalom,I enjoyed the Rabbinical connections you made and the references to Pasach. Very nice.I also agreed with “Christ is viewed: as King in Matthew, Servant in Mark, Son of Man in Luke, and Son of God in John.”I’m very glad that you are taking into account the Jewish roots more then you have in your other articles, that’s always good. I won’t talk about the other parts lol.Overall, it was good.I will also say that you are a good writer, there’s some I could learn there.May HaShem smile on your mitzvoth,Rabbi StanleyWhy thank you Rabbi Stanley,I am glad that you have stopped by. And yes, of course the apostles were Jewish, and would have very deep Jewish roots and traditions. Or atleast, all except Matthew, the tax collecter. He must have been partying up with all of those sinners you know? haha You know, that tradition of the 4 children of Pesach is what made me fall in love with the Jewish religion. I thought it was so fantastically modern..to know that each child learns differently.May HaShem smile upon you as well this Christmas Eve ( per the Gentile Christian Calender)JenniferRabbi, I enjoy learning from both of you. Can you elaborate on the Jewish Wedding ceremony in relationship to the rapture? I understand there are 14 steps to the ancient rite and in the first the bride [the church] is lifted up and carried away? Thanks. Enjoying your articles and Jennifer's.Shalom Robert,
I’m glad you’re enjoying the dialogue.
There are quite a few similarities between the Rapture and even more then the ancient Jewish wedding itself. It goes clear back to the sending of the servant and then the Ketuba. The Ketuba is the contract that is made between the groom and the bride and actually constitutes half of the marriage. Most Christians are misinformed and think that in Old Testament times as well as during the first century that women were treated as property. This again shows a lack of sensitivity and knowledge of the Jewish culture. In Judaism, women were put on a pedestal and treated very well. If Gentiles knew even one Jewish woman, this wouldn’t be difficult to understand lol. The Mishna clearly states that the woman HAD to agree to marry the man or else the marriage was void. Likewise we have to be willing children of G-d before we can ever be admitted into His Shechina (heaven).
Most agree that Yeshua is the groom and the church is His bride but if I were to go on beyond that, much would have to do with your stance as to when the rapture takes place. I am pre-wrath, not pre-trib. Pre-wrath is not post-trib, there are some differences that have to do with Daniel’s 7-year period. If you want to know more, please write to my email address because in this format I’m thinking it could be counter productive. It’s a great topic and I think you’d enjoy it.
As far as 14 steps, I can think of about 9, but some of these are broken up into separate pieces sometimes
The sending of the servant
(Just as Abraham sent his servant for Rebecca)
The price is paid
(Women were expensive so a dowry was paid by the family of the bride)
The virgin is presented
(The woman was brought to meet the suitor)
The cup is passed
(The bridegroom would drink from a cup of wine pass it to the girl if she also drank from it that meant she liked him and agreed to the marriage)
The vow is voiced
(The bridegroom would make a speech and state his intentions and plans etc)
The engagement
(This was a waiting period, they didn’t get married right away)
The return of the redeemer/bridegroom
(The bride didn’t know when the groom would return so she would wait anxiously for him)
The ceremony
(This would be held under a Tallit – it later became the Chupa – and showed how the bride came under his wings…another symbol of the Tallit.
The supper
(Falafels and matzaballs, just kiddin. But there was certainly a feast and the knowledge that the bride and groom would be together forever more.)
I’m sure just by looking at this list you can draw many similarities between HaShem, the rapture and ourselves. There are many interpretations made by Messianics about this, some of them are good but some of them are grasping at straws when there’s no need to look any farther then the obvious. Although I believe in the hidden meanings of the Scripture, I’m not a Kabbalist and I think some Messianics tend to go that way too much.
Very interesting and informative article and it presents information that many believers may not have been aware of.Thank you Robert,I do believe it is significant, because of the apostles Jewish upbringing..they would have been very familiar with the Four Questions, and the Four Children. It fits in the Four different ways that the Gospels were written.Which would have been the traditional ways they would have been taught ( and learned to teach ) the story of Exodus, to pass down thru future generations.
Very interesting info on the four gospels from the Jewish tradition. SInce the Bible is God's revelation we should ask what is being revealed in the four gospels. Since the gospels are the accounts of Jesus' life and ministry, it would seem obvious that they must relate to His life and work. That He is a king, servant, man and God would seem to be the most logical reason there are four. If you consider them as the King
Servant as one spectrum and Man
God as another spectrum you can realize what an all-inclusive person our dear Lord Jesus is. Then go through the gospels, and find the particular details that substantiate the view of each author. There is actual much ancient Christian art that illustrates the four gospels, though they are not all in agreement as to which symbols attach to each gospel. There is some overlap.Found the symbols: ox, eagle, angel, etc..
However, it is interesting that there is no mention of the Dolphin: I believe this
"The dolphin is a very ancient Christian symbol, and is drawn from earlier Greek and Roman symbolism. The dolphin was traditionally regarded as a psychopomp, leading souls to safety, and in this sense came to represent the church as guide of souls into paradise. "
found it: the ox, eagle, etc..
yet I do wonder why there is no mention of the Dolphin. This, I believe:
"The dolphin is a very ancient Christian symbol, and is drawn from earlier Greek and Roman symbolism. The dolphin was traditionally regarded as a psychopomp, leading souls to safety, and in this sense came to represent the church as guide of souls into paradise."
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