Gospel Distinctives

[BibleWheel]

It is common knowledge that each Gospel writer had a preference for certain words. This can be the source of significant insights. I quote from Robert Stein's The Synoptic Problem:


If we investigate the Gospels, we gain a great deal of insight by observing their particular theological vocabulary. Significant in this regard is Matthew's frequent use of such terms as fulfill, disciple, Son of David, cause to sin (skandalizo), righteous-righteousness; Luke's use of such terms as Spirit, to heal, reprent-repentance, multitude, salvation-Savior-save, receive, and the following Johannine vocabulary: love, know, witness, Father, life, I am , world, light. These terms provide clues as to the theological emphases of the respective Gospel writers.


I am very interested in learning more about this aspect of the Gospels. This thread is dedicated to discovering and discussing the disctinctive vocabularies characteristic of each Gospel.

Richard

[spiritmech]

I believe Mark used "authority" a lot.
John used "time" ... "it's not my time yet"

[BibleWheel]

I believe Mark used "authority" a lot.
John used "time" ... "it's not my time yet"
Yes, others have noticed Mark's use of authority (exousia), but the raw numbers don't make that particularly evident:

Mt:9, Mk:9, Lk:15, Jn:6

These are verse counts. If we weighted them for the size of the books, Mk stands out more because it is the smallest.

An interesting study would be to see how these are used in parallel verses. For example, Matthew's predilection for righteousness is seen in the parallel between Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31.

As for "my time" - yes there are three verses that I know of where Jesus uses that or a similar phrase in John. But as for the idea of "time" in general (kairos) I didn't know about that. Do you have any more info? That's really what this thread is for. One man simply can't do all the research, and am hoping to get some help from others.

Richard

[spiritmech]

As for "my time" - yes there are three verses that I know of where Jesus uses that or a similar phrase in John. But as for the idea of "time" in general (kairos) I didn't know about that. Do you have any more info? That's really what this thread is for. One man simply can't do all the research, and am hoping to get some help from others.

Richard
I'll take a look at it. Mark also seems to put more emphasis on the spiritual power ... even in the final sections of Mark, where the apostles go out and do wonders.

Maybe "time" isn't as big as I thought it was in John. In John, there are certain turning points where people stop following him that are extremely important.

There's a book out, I want to get it, called the "Four Witnesses" ... Luke is the Chronicler. John presents Jesus as a mystic, in his categorization. I can't remember what Matthew/Mark are categorized as.

Steve

[BibleWheel]

Hi Steve,

Here's what I found on the web:
The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic -- Why the Gospels Present Strikingly Different Visions of Jesus?

Looks like it would be a good read, and a worthy basis for a long thread.

As for John, Kairos (time) only appears twice. An interesting emphasis in John is the word "sent" as in the elliptic reference to God the Father in the phrase "the one who sent me." Here is the distribution:

Mt:1 Mk:1 Lk:3 Jn:34

John's emphasis is extremely obvious. It is also amplified by the fact that he is the only one who gives the interpretation of the Pool of Siloam as meaning "sent." Wonder what the theological implications of this might be?

Thanks for your help!

Richard