📅 Today is Day 3 of The 20-Day Easter Special Each day leading up to Easter, we’re critically examining a core resurrection claim—one at a time—through the lens of reason, evidence, and The God Question’s Core Philosophy.
The New Testament Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—form the backbone of the resurrection story. But before we can trust what they say about an empty tomb or post-death appearances, we must first ask:
When were these texts written—and who really wrote them?
✍️ The Traditional View
Most churches teach that the Gospels were written by:
- Matthew: a disciple of Jesus
- Mark: a companion of Peter
- Luke: a companion of Paul
- John: the “beloved disciple” of Jesus
These attributions create the impression that the Gospels are firsthand, eyewitness accounts. But when we examine the historical and scholarly consensus, a very different picture emerges.
🕰️ The Likely Timeline
Scholars date the Gospels as follows:
| Gospel | Approximate Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mark | ~70 CE | Likely the earliest written, around or just after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. |
| Matthew | ~80–90 CE | Uses much of Mark’s content. Adds infancy stories and teachings. |
| Luke | ~80–95 CE | Also uses Mark; adds new parables and details. Claims to be written after “careful investigation.” |
| John | ~90–110 CE | Theologically distinct; includes no parables or exorcisms. Presents a more divine Jesus. |
None of the Gospel authors claim to be eyewitnesses—nor do they identify themselves by name within the texts. The familiar titles (“The Gospel According to Matthew”) were added later, not by the original writers.
🔍 Why This Matters
If the Gospels were written 40–80 years after Jesus’ death, and not by the disciples themselves, we’re dealing with decades of oral storytelling, theological editing, and cultural transmission. This opens the door to:
- Myth-building and embellishment
- Theological agendas shaping the text
- Memory errors and historical distortion
Would we accept this level of hearsay and delay in reporting for any modern claim of a miracle? Of course not. So why make an exception here?
🧠 The God Question’s Core Philosophy Applied
1. Does the resurrection story rely on firsthand evidence? ➤ No. The Gospels are secondhand at best, with Mark being the earliest and anonymous. John, the latest, presents a very different version of events.
2. Is the claim falsifiable? ➤ Not easily. These texts are written decades later, with no external verification. They claim eyewitness accounts but never name their sources.
3. Are alternative explanations considered? ➤ Not in church settings. Most believers are never told the Gospels are anonymous, late, and often contradictory.
4. Is there independent corroboration? ➤ No. We have zero contemporary, non-Christian sources verifying that Jesus rose from the dead—or even that a specific tomb was found empty.
5. Does this raise more questions than it answers? ➤ Yes. Why would an all-knowing God leave the most important message in history to be pieced together from decades-old, anonymous texts filled with contradictions?
🔚 The Bottom Line
We’re not saying the Gospels are worthless. But they are not historical documentation in the way believers often assume. They are faith documents, written by unknown authors, shaped by theology, and compiled long after the events they describe.
To treat them as courtroom-level evidence of a supernatural event is not just uncritical—it’s dangerous.
📺 For Further Exploration
YouTube: Dr. Bart Ehrman – Who Wrote The Gospels?
📅 Note: After we wrap up our 20-Day Easter Special on April 20, we’ll return to our regular schedule of posting three times a week:
- Tuesdays & Fridays – our structured explorations through all 11 blog categories
- Sundays – our Sunday Special Feature, where we critically respond to real-world religious claims in real time
We hope you’ll stay with us as we continue asking bold questions and applying reason to faith.
God or Delusion? 