Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ [Paperback]

Martin Hengel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563383004 | ISBN-13: 978-1563383007 | Publication Date: August 2000 | Edition: 1

Why did the church, in forming its canon of scripture, choose to include four different and sometimes contradictory accounts of the life of Jesus, when others, like Tatian and Marcion, opted for a harmony, for one account? Professor Hengel examines the external historical evidence for the creation of the Gospels by those documenting the early church, like Papias and Ireneus. He also analyzes the origin of the uniform title "Gospel according to" and the process of dissemination of the gospel. He concludes that whether for the evangelists or for Paul, the gospel is both narrative and proclamation. Despite the problems caused by the different forms in which the gospel has come down to us, this very multiplicity remains a source of strength for the church. Martin Hengel is Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism at the University of Tübingen.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hengel's latest volume applies his proditious scholarship to three related issues: the origin of the collection of four Gospels, the significance of the term "gospel" in early Christianity, and the central role of the Gospel of Mark...Those challenges make the book significant in the ongoing debate about the Gospels and the historical Jesus."—Jon A. Weatherly, Stone-Campbell Journal, Fall 2001 (Jon A. Weatherly )

"Whatever the eminent German scholar Martin Hengel writes is guaranteed to be substantial, well documented, and compelling...Hengel’s erudition and his forceful convictions always make his works informative and interesting."—The Bible Today, Nov/Dec 2000 (Bible Today, The )

"Libraries that have other books by this prolific and erudite author will want to add this latest." L. Gaston, Emeritus, Vancouver School of Theology, reviewing for Choice, March 2001 (L. Gaston, Emeritus Choice )

"Though never detached from laboriously reconstructed, historical argument, Hengel’s work delivers a theological payoff. In particular, his too-brief musings on the gospel narrative’s dialectical relationship with the Torah’s story of salvation renew this reader’s hope in the possibility of biblical theology." — C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary, reviewing for Theology Today, April 2001 (C. Clifton Black Theology Today )

A very bold and provocative account of the origins of the four Gospels…his erudite and fascinating argumentation deserves serious consideration. This stimulating tome wukk force many to rethink their positions regarding Gospel origins.—John Paul Heil, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary,Theological Studies, Sept. 2001. (John Paul Heil, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Theological Studies )

"Most of the data on the canonical development of the gospels are well known, but Hengel offers an interesting refresher course as he examines and rearranges well-known pieces in this reappraisal of ancient lore…Readers of Hengel's work should not fail to mine the 807 notes appended to the main text. They will be well rewarded for their diligence. Three helpful indexes conclude this informative book, which is certain to ensure lively discussion, and not least of all for Hengel's conscientious inquiry into the meaning of "Gospel."- Frederick W. Danker, Currents in Theology and Mission, Feb. 2002 (Frederick W. Danker Currents In Theology and Mission )

"Although some of Hengel’s conclusions will be controversial, any reader, from the student beginning serious study of the NT to the most seasoned scholar, can learn from this erudite and well-argued book…" (Adela Yarbro Collins, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 63, 2001 Catholic Biblical Quarterly )

"Hengel's latest volume applies his proditious scholarship to three related issues: the origin of the collection of four Gospels, the significance of the term "gospel" in early Christianity, and the central role of the Gospel of Mark...Those challenges make the book significant in the ongoing debate about the Gospels and the historical Jesus."—Jon A. Weatherly, Stone-Campbell Journal, Fall 2001 (, )

"Libraries that have other books by this prolific and erudite author will want to add this latest." L. Gaston, Emeritus, Vancouver School of Theology, reviewing for Choice, March 2001 (, Choice )

"Though never detached from laboriously reconstructed, historical argument, Hengel’s work delivers a theological payoff. In particular, his too-brief musings on the gospel narrative’s dialectical relationship with the Torah’s story of salvation renew this reader’s hope in the possibility of biblical theology." — C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary, reviewing for Theology Today, April 2001 (, Theology Today )

"Most of the data on the canonical development of the gospels are well known, but Hengel offers an interesting refresher course as he examines and rearranges well-known pieces in this reappraisal of ancient lore…Readers of Hengel's work should not fail to mine the 807 notes appended to the main text. They will be well rewarded for their diligence. Three helpful indexes conclude this informative book, which is certain to ensure lively discussion, and not least of all for Hengel's conscientious inquiry into the meaning of "Gospel."- Frederick W. Danker, Currents in Theology and Mission, Feb. 2002 (, Currents In Theology and Mission )

"Although some of Hengel’s conclusions will be controversial, any reader, from the student beginning serious study of the NT to the most seasoned scholar, can learn from this erudite and well-argued book…" (, Catholic Biblical Quarterly )

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l; 1 edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563383004
• ISBN-13: 978-1563383007
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why four gospels instead of one?, April 16, 2001

By 

Timotheus Josephus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ (Paperback)

Martin Hengel attempts to cover a great deal of ground in this relatively small book (200 pages excluding a huge number of endnotes). He discusses the four canonical gospels and the issues related to their authorship and recognition by the early church. Most of his time is spent on the three synoptic gospels while John is either neglected or only briefly mentioned.

One of Hengel's main points is that the gospels were written with titles already attached to them. "The gospel according to X" is how they were known from the very time of their composition. This view is in contrast to the view of some scholars who claim the gospels circulated as completely anonymous works until the mid to late 2nd century. Hengel's arguments on this topic are very persuasive. If the gospels were anonymous until the middle of the 2nd century, then we would not have expected such authors as Mark and Luke to be attributed to two of the gospels instead of the more respected Peter and Paul. There is also no known deviation in the naming of the gospels. This would seemingly be impossible if the titles were not attached to the gospels until 50-100 years after they began circulating because there was no centralized church government to impose such an edict in the second century. There is also no hint of any dispute in the early church regarding the titles of the four gospels.

Hengel frequently discusses the testimony of the early church Fathers such as Papias, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus in order to reach his conclusions. Before assuming Hengel is another Christian apologist it should be mentioned that he does not believe Matthew or John were written by those two disciples. However, he does believe they were originally written with the titles "gospel according to Matthew/John". He dates Matthew to 90-100 C.E. and John to 100-110 C.E, while dating Luke to 75-80 C.E. He also believes Matthew used Luke as a source.

This is the type of book in which the reader will not agree with everything the author claims, but will most likely find some areas of agreement. Hengel's arguments are always his own and he isn't one to follow the "party line" on any particular issue. He is to be commended for his originality and willingness to think for himself rather than relying on constant appeals to previous scholars to support his views.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deft, inviting, brilliant scholarship., September 6, 2004

By 

Anne Rice "Anne Rice" (Little Paradise, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ (Paperback)

Martin Hengel is one of the giants of modern Biblical scholarship. And this, one of his latest books, does away with some of the most destructive assumptions that have haunted a century of New Testament Studies. He makes the case effortlessly that the gospels were never circulated anonymously. That Mark and Luke came earlier than Matthew and John may be true as well. Hengel sees through alot of scholarly confusion as he seeks for what really happened. And he writes so that outsiders and novices like me can understand him, as well as for the most firmly entrenched in the field. I love his detailed examination of the primary source materials of the first two centuries; and his brilliant logic. His output is really immense, and I'm studying as much of it as I can. In my studies so far he ranks with N.T.Wright, John P. Meier, Raymond Brown and John A.T. Robinson. If I suffered any disappointment here, it was that Hengel did not go into greater detail in his response to David Trobisch whose book on the New Testament I very much admire. I think we'll see a lot of refreshing break throughs in New Testament scholarship in the years to come, and some of them are going to be purely matters of perspective: focusing on the obvious which generations of supposedly enlightened thinkers have rather madly ignored. Hengel makes those kinds of break throughs. So does Richard Bauckham. Marvelous teachers!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly Traditionalist, May 23, 2005

By 

Denny Burk (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ (Paperback)

"Martin Hengel, Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism at the University of Tübingen, has produced a monograph of massive importance for gospel studies. In The Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ, Hengel attempts, 'starting from Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria and applying all the references from the early church and the New Testament textual tradition, to give a plausible historical account of the development of this collection and to evaluate its historical and theological significance' (p. xi). In this work, Hengel brings early post-apostolic Christian testimony to bear upon the modern understanding of how the four canonical gospels came into being. This is a learned treatise in which Hengel draws together in one place reflections that that have occupied him over decades of Gospel study (p. xi).

"Hengel offers much positive material in his account of the origin of the fourfold Gospel tradition. One of his most significant observations is that the gospels never circulated as anonymous works in the churches. From the very earliest period, there was a concern that these writings be connected to an apostle. Hengel gives convincing evidence that the Gospel superscriptions were a part of the Gospels as originally circulated. In spite of its strengths,
Hengel's argument could be shored up at numerous points. First, his allowance of pseudepigraphal writings in the canon undermines some of his historical statements. Second, Hengel should have made a better case for understanding the evangelists' original intention that their texts be read aloud. Third, in spite of Hengel's remarks to the contrary, the evidence does not seem to support the notion that the canonical materials ran wild up until the end of he second century. Fourth, Hengel's assumption of Markan priority erodes the credibility of his plea for the reader to listen more closely to the early Church Fathers".

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