Quote:
Originally Posted by VoiceInWilderness
In our harmony study of the gospels, I found it clear that Matthew was written 1st.
Here is why I think Matthew's gospel was written 1st:
The 3 synoptic accounts of the resurrection seem to differ in a lot of details. John 20:11- 17 gives the details of Jesus' extraordinary appearing to Mary Magdalene. Matthew records her experience as belonging to the group of sisters (Matt 28:9-10). He does not say it was to Mary M alone, but gives the impression, if there were no other accounts, that the Lord appeared to the whole group of sisters, when actually He appeared just to Mary M.
Luke does not mention the appearance to Mary M at all.
Mark says plainly that the Lord appeared first to Mary M (Mk 16:9). Why is Matthew ambiguous about it?
I think Matthew did not want to exalt Mary M while she was young (1Tim 3:6), which could ruin her. If Mark wrote 20 yrs later, then it would be ok for him to write it because Mary M has been in the Lord for a long time or may have passed. Mark also tells us the the Lord cast 7 demons out of Mary M, which may not be a proper thing to reveal about a young sister.
John writing 50 years later could give all the details for our edification.
I see this sort of thing more with John. For example, the biggest discrepancy between the 4 gospels is that only John tells of the great miracle of Lazarus' resurrection. How could the others have skipped that? WL said he did not understand that. The reason is given in John 12:10, because that would endanger the lives of Lazarus and his 2 sisters. Matt, Mk and Luke skipped it and left it to the HS to include it when the time was right. When John wrote, Lazarus, Mary and Martha had likely all gone to be with the Lord.
Mark 14:3-9; Matt 26:6-15 & Luke 7:36-50 tell of the nameless woman who broke the alabaster box on the Lord. John 12:2-11 tells us that this woman was Mary of Bethany, Lazarus' sister, and also provides details to link Luke 7 with Matt 26 & Mk 14. Luke tells us the woman was a known sinner, so her name was withheld until John wrote much later, after she was probably with the Lord.
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You raise some interesting points. I agree that Matthew was first.
I have highlighted a sentence at the beginning of your second last paragraph. Do you not think the total omission by John of the (so-called) Olivet Discourse, as found in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, is also of great significance?