Letter to Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church

Israel was a book nation “par excellence”. By help of the Holy Scripture they learned to read and write. The Holy Scripture served both as a law and as a means of education. Some passages they knew by heart. In every better house there was a wax-tablet for writing. Presuming that Jesus’ disciples were uninterested in writing down Jesus’ significant words and deeds means completely to overlook the culture of writing in Israel at that time. In the years 66-70 Josephus Flavius made “written commentaries” on the fall of Jerusalem. As early as the year 212 on the coast of Israel in Caesarea there was a library established on the pattern of Musseion, the greatest library in Alexandria in Egypt. In the year 58 the Apostle Paul writes to his disciple Timothy: “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” (2Tim 4:13) The parchments may refer to the volumes of the Old Testament and the books to the scripts of the New Testament. Evidently the Apostle’s luggage already contained first editions of the Gospels.

The exegete R. Pesch puts the origin of Mark’s Gospel before the year 36. The reason is the fact that Mark presents here the office-holder Caiaphas and the Roman procurator Pilate as still being in office. In the year 36 Pilate was deposed by the Emperor Tiberius and subsequently committed suicide. At the turn of the years 36 and 37 the Roman legate Vitellius deprived Caiaphas of his function (see J. Flavius).

The pilgrims were coming from all over the world to Jerusalem. Tacitus estimates their number at 600.000 a year. It was inevitable to provide the necessary information. Here for the first time many heard about Jesus and believed in Him. Before returning to their homes they wanted to have a written testimony of the apostles – witnesses. The Gospels could therefore originate as early as the year 30-32, that means as early as possible after Christ’s resurrection. In order to prevent a rise of legends and myths, there had to be written data available. The group of disciples around Peter strictly watched that the events were transmitted accurately. In the same way as Paul they resolutely stood up against those who preached “another Gospel”, i.e. against those who embellished the historical events according to their own fantasy. As long as the apostles lived, the purity of faith was safe.

Most of the Apocrypha (i.e. unreliable scripts) were denied by the Church. The origin of the Apocrypha dates back to the 2nd century.

Paul’s scripts were written in the years 50-58. They presume the existence of the Gospels. They contain an immense theological treasure and the fullness of pastoral instructions referring to concrete situations. If the Gospels had not existed, the detailed information about Jesus’ teaching and life would have had to be transmitted to the communities by Paul additionally. But this is not done, since Paul presupposes this knowledge. The substance of his epistles is a theological deepening of the Gospel and its introduction into practice.

The Gospel of John

This Gospel, in spite of the fact that it is written in Greek, did not see the light in the Greek atmosphere of Ephesus, as many assume, but in Jerusalem. It addresses the intellectuals, theologians and the clergy in Jerusalem. Almost for three years Jesus was doing His best to help the experts in the Scripture (theologians and priests) understand the substance of God’s Word. They supposed themselves to be familiar with the Scripture and with Moses; however, Moses as well as the Prophets were pointing at Jesus. In Him both the Scripture and the Prophets were accomplished.

For the contemporaries of the Apostle John, especially for those from paganism who had not yet grown spiritually mature, his Gospel was too difficult, but not for the Jewish scholars and theologians. In the background of the origin one may presuppose an influence of Jesus’ Mother. She knew the mysteries of Her Son better than anyone else. John was in contact with Her in Jerusalem every day. He did not even need to be a great scholar to write down what he knew by heart. With a willing help of good advisers and fellow workers he was able to write his Gospel soon after Christ’s resurrection. After all, Nicodemus left in it his unobtrusive “signature” (Jn 7:50-51), similarly as Mark in his Gospel (Mk 14:51).

For anti-Semitic reasons John’s highly spiritual Gospel could not be attributed to any of the Jews. It was Greek scholars who had to figure as authors in the fantasy of the critics. However, according to the latest information we observe that the very John’s Gospel reflects the Jewish way of thinking which to HCT theologians is astonishing. It was just the manner of writing of John’s Gospel that was the reason why Mark and Luke wanted to express the substance of the Gospel news in a form acceptable to the Roman way of thinking. In the young Church John became a pillar to which Paul refers, and that not only due to John’s special position by Jesus’ side but also because he was the author of the most spiritual Gospel. It seems that John’s Gospel served Paul as a foundation for his preaching. One may explain it by the similarity of the theology of both men.

The early origin of John’s Gospel does not exclude a later redaction by John himself. The latest addition obviously was the last 21st chapter. This last redaction might have been the reason why the origin of the Gospel was attributed to John in his old age. In broad outlines we can divide the origin of the Gospel into three phases: 1) the period of writing in the 30-ties, 2) later, in the years 50-55, a redaction of the text as known today and 3) the final addition of 21st chapter at the end of the 60-ties, at all events by John himself.

John’s epistles

There is no mention of persecutions – these had not begun by that time (Nero the Emperor, yr. 65), therefore the epistles must have been written in the years 60-65. The author is the Apostle John: “That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of eternal life – and we testify to it.” (1Jn 1:1) However, in spite of this fact the “Bible critics” ungroundedly claim that John is not the author of the epistles. The same is claimed by them about the epistles of the Apostle Paul in spite of the fact that he mentions that he is the author and signs it with his own hand (cf. Col 4:18).

When condemning the heretical teachings the Apostle John is very sharp. He speaks about antichrists. John’s epistles presuppose the existence of the Gospel which John defends and wants to protect from a wrong interpretation.

Matthew, Mark, Luke

There is a close connection between John and Matthew and then between Mark and Luke. With regard to the contents, John’s writing was on a very high level. It was connected with the addressees whom he had before him. Very soon Matthew came to understand that this exceeded the possibility of speaking to a broad mass. They needed firm ground. Matthew can thus be considered a continuation and complementation of John. Mark complied with the pressure of Roman Peter’s listeners and transmitted his preaching onto a paper. The message is brief, clear, with a well-arranged structure, practically like modern scenarios. Luke came to see soon that a little more was expected, and this gave rise to his more detailed message. That is the connection between Mark and Luke.

The Gospels lay great stress on physical authentication. The Resurrection is a reality, no illusion, no fantasy, no symbolic suggestion. It is a piece of accessible historical experience which the faith may lean upon. This was what the early Church laid greatest stress upon from the very beginning. Nevertheless, the empty tomb is not the only evidence of the Resurrection. The main evidence is the personal encounter of the apostles with the risen Jesus, and that several times. He ate and drank with them and called them to touch Him in clear evidence of the reality that a spirit cannot be handled.

Matthew

The purpose of Matthew is in the first place to explicate the core of Jesus’ teaching. He turns to the masses of Christians coming from Judaism, 60% of the text is a collection of sayings and morals. The culminant point is the Beatitudes, this is followed by moral instructions – Jesus’ commandment in the Sermon on the Mount and finally the explanation what Jesus understands by the kingdom of God. Matthew as a financial office-holder was used to writing reports; however, here he worked in cooperation with the Christian community in Jerusalem. The newly converted wanted foundations. The first proposal must have been brought forward as early as the 30-ties. In the half of the 40-ties there might have already been a definitive redaction.

Mark

He was inspired by Matthew, yet as he was Peter’s fellow worker and interpreter, his Gospel is mainly a faithful transmission of Peter’s catechesis.

Luke

The message about the conception of the Saviour is a factual expression of reality. He must have had an opportunity to speak with Jesus’ Mother Mary, which is testified by the following words: “I myself studied everything carefully from the beginning.” (Lk 1:3) In his writing Luke bore in mind the people of the Roman Empire. He transmits to them a vision of the future which relates to the whole mankind.

In Christ,

Fr. Eliáš A. Dohnal ThD. OSBM

Fr. Metod?j R. Špi?ík ThD. OSBM

Fr. Cyril J. Špi?ík ThD. Ing. OSBM

Fr. Markian V. Hitiuk ThLic. OSBM

Pidhirtsi 3th April 2007

Tuesday of the Holy Week

The time of origin of the Gospels and of the Epistles