Choose one of the four new Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luck or John) to read and write a 1300 word essay that focuses on showing how the particular Gospel is foundational to Christianity or upon one of the Gospel’s foundational to Christian Doctrines.
You will probably want to limit your study to a smaller and more focused sub-theme within the Gospel after reading through it. There are literally hundreds of sub-themes that may arise from a simple reading of one of the gospels. Choose one that is interesting to you personally. (Examples: 1. the author’s use of a certain word — like the word “immediately” in Mark’s Gospel, or “son of man” in an one of the Gospels; 2. the importance of miracles in Jesus’ ministry; 3) statements of Jesus’ deity or humanity in one of the Gospels.)
Relevant Questions:
The following questions do not necessarily need to be addressed in your essay, although some of them are more basic than others. These are for helping you get started and focusing on your topic.
• Intro: What genre of literature is this Gospel? Who wrote it? Why was it written? (You may find a variety of opinions and sometimes we can’t know for sure.)
• What is the historical context? In other words, when was it written and what was happening during that time that would affect the author or meaning of the text?
• How is this Gospel the same as the other 3 Gospels? What makes it “a Gospel”?
• How is this Gospel different from the others? What does it focus on that makes it unique to the others?
• What is the outline of Book?
• What is the Book’s focus? (The question here is not in comparison with the other Gospels, but as its own Book.)
• What are the themes of the Book, theological or otherwise?
• What theme is most important or interesting to you personally, and why?
Well Known Differences of Focus in the Gospels:
• Matthew – “Kingdom of God,” Jesus as the King and messiah
• Mark – fast moving, Jesus as a suffering servant
• Luke – Jesus as truly man and savior of the world
• John – Jesus as Son of God (his deity)