(part 1 of 6): Markus compared to Matthäus and Lukas
Many Bible scholars and students have observed how similar the gospels are in the episodes they tell and in the testimonies of Jesus they report. These scholars and students have also noticed how the same passages differ greatly in some details.
Over the past three hundred years, the world of biblical scholarship has developed a collective view to solve the riddle of why the Gospels are so similar and yet so different. The result of this laborious scientific research was the discovery that Matthew and Luke depended on Mark and an additional source called „Q“ for their own gospels.
The hypothesis from the two sources is generally recognized as the fundamental solution to the synoptic problem. It remains the primary position of contemporary New Testament scholars.
The late Protestant Protestant scholar FF Bruce writes:
“The conclusion that has normally been drawn from their comparative studies – and I think rightly so – is that the Gospel of Mark or something very similar is usually the source of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke served … ”[1]
The Gospel of Mark is dated between 65-70 AD. There is a general agreement on this timing, which both conservatives and skeptics agree with and which can be found in most introductions to the New Testament.
FF Bruce writes to corroborate this date:
„Mark may have written his gospel primarily to the Christians of Rome, in the aftermath of the persecution that they had suffered without warning under Nero as a result of the great fire in July 64 AD.“ [2]
If you study these gospels, it is quite striking that Mark is more primitive in style, theology, and language. More importantly, in the Gospel of Mark the person Jesus is more clearly recognizable than in the later Gospels. Scholars argue that the portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark corresponds much more to the historical and real Jesus.
There is an abundance of passages in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus describes as a mere human being. Such passages later became stumbling blocks on the path of the weak believers, traditions that go “against the grain” and were therefore omitted in the later Gospels.
If one examines the same narratives of Jesus that are reported in Mark and Matthew, it quickly becomes clear that the later changed the gospel of Mark because of an increasing feeling of veneration for the person of Christ. Passages that show the inability, weakness and humanity of Jesus are omitted by Matthew and replaced by a much better Christology.
Of course, not all changes were Christological. Actual inaccuracies, grammatical or other minor errors have also been omitted by Matthew and Luke. Matthew’s adaptation of the Gospel of Mark often seems to contain minor details at first, but a closer look shows that it is part of a constant and complete development of the Gospel of Mark.
Over time there was a marked change in Christianity from the earlier Gospels to the later ones. The development went from the smaller to the larger. There was an increase in feelings of worship and an increase in the position and rank of Jesus.
Bruce Metzger, the first text critic of the New Testament wrote:
“Matthew and Luke suppress or soften references in Mark, like human feelings of Jesus, like grief and anger and amazement as well as unrequited love; they also omit Mark’s statement that Jesus’s disciples thought he was beside himself. “
He further explained:
“ The later gospels have all gone, which may suggest that Jesus could not have been able to carry out what he wanted to do … and they also have questions that Jesus asked and on indicate his ignorance. ”[3]
Metzger continues to enumerate events where Matthew and Luke soften Mark’s statements, which may belittle the majesty of Jesus, and which replace them with representations of a more fascinating and commanding Jesus.
In the story of the fig tree, which can be found in Markus, the disciples did not notice the dryness of the tree until the next morning. To Matthew this didn’t seem very dramatic and impressive, and so the tree in his tale suddenly dried, which shocked and amazed the disciples.
Matthew and Luke were adamant in changing the words of Jesus. They let Jesus say what they wanted people to believe, reflecting a later stage of theological understanding than Mark. ” (Metzger, p. 83)
It seems fairly clear that during both stages of the Gospel tradition, the early and the later, the material available was directly blossomed, filtered, and changed in direct connection with the Christological beliefs of those who carried out the translations.
It is important to emphasize that it was not the case that the evangelists merely differed in their emphasis; there are numerous occasions when the later gospel writer modified and changed the earlier version.
So if we want to get closer to historical Jesus in the Gospels, it is a good place to start comparing the stories in the different Gospels to see clearly where the story was changed.
Footnotes:
[1] The Real Jesus, p. 25.
[2] Ibid
[3] The New Testament: its background, growth and content, pp. 81-83
(part 2 of 6): The Gospel of John
In the beginning every gospel circled independent in the community in which it was written. Mark was probably written in Rome, Matthew in Antioch, Luke in Caeserea and John in Ephesus. None of the Gospel writers had been an eyewitness to Jesus‘ life and little, if anything, is known of them.
Now that the gospels have been gathered in the Bible, they can all be studied together. Now, most readers often forget or ignore what is written in Markus and concentrate only on the “improved” version of Matthew, Luke and John. Yet most readers today often forget or ignore what is in Mark and concentrate only on the “improved” version in Matthew, Luke and more specifically John.
When we turn our attention to John, the gospel that was last written, it is not surprising to see that Jesus was raised and changed to someone who is quite different from the person found in Mark. The Jesus at John is a powerful being who has a position somewhere between God and man. It is the logos, the Word of God, through which God created everything. He is no longer just a prophet and messenger of God, but God’s only begotten son!
Although none of the Gospels teaches that Jesus is God, some of the statements found in the fourth place Jesus so high above humanity that many readers consider this to be enough evidence that later Christians thought Jesus was divine.
For example, we find the following statements ONLY in the Gospel of John:
„So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that all who believe in him are not lost, but have eternal life.“ (John 3:16)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was with God in the beginning. ” (John 1: 1)
“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
“Whoever sees me sees the father.” (John 14: 8-9)
“I am the way and the truth and the life; nobody comes to the father because of me. ” (John 14: 6)
“Before Abraham became, I am.” (John 8:58)
Another apt fact is that Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God in the earlier Gospels while he is busy preaching about himself.
The word „kingdom“ appears on the lips of Jesus in Mark 18 times, while in Johannes it is reduced to five. In addition, Jesus uses „I“ for himself nine times in Mark, while he uses it astonishing 118 times in John!
When we read the earlier Gospels, the impression predominates that “the Kingdom of God” was the main speech and teaching, while Jesus rarely speaks of “the Kingdom of God” in the Gospel of John. His gospel is full of profound and breathtaking claims about himself.
„I am the bread of life.“ (John 6:35)
“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
„I am the door to the sheep.“ (John 10: 7)
“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11)
“I am resurrection and life.” (John 11:25)
“I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14: 6)
“I am the right vine.” (John 15: 1)
It is no surprise that evangelists and Christian apologists, when asked for evidence from texts, hurry to quickly quote the Gospel of John because none of the powerful self-testimonies cited above can be found in any of the other Gospels. Certainly there would have been a few, if these words had actually been part of Jesus‘ original statements, every writer would have mentioned them. It is implausible to believe that the authors have neglected all of these core tenets and foundations and have dealt with less important details from his life.
Furthermore, why is the term “father” or “the father” used four times in relation to God in Mark, but 173 times in John? The clearest conclusion from all these statistics is that in the course of the time period that has passed between Markus and Johannes, there has been a development and movement in the traditions. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus spoke of “God” as “God”, while 30 years later in his Gospel, John called “God” his “father” in the same episodes.
In the first of the four gospels, Jesus appears quite human and like a prophet. In the last gospel, however, he appears far more divine and more like an icon.
For this reason, the Gospel of Mark was largely neglected by the early church. It was copied less frequently by the scribes, the preachers made less use of it, and it was only occasionally quoted in the church during ceremonies and services.
As quoted earlier, the author of the Gospel of John was not only guilty of changing the words of Jesus, Matthew and Luke, he also disagreed with the description of Jesus in Mark and began to raise the person of Jesus in many ways and decorate. If we put the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke (Synoptic Gospels) side by side and compare them, we will find that the events and speeches have been modified as we move from one gospel to the next.
(part 3 of 6): Comparison of texts (I)
If we look at such cases at Matthew, we notice that the authors who came after Markus repeatedly changed the story in the following ways:
1) They often added the title “Son God ”for Jesus.
2) They often inserted “father” for God.
3) They exaggerated the miracles of Jesus.
4) They hid the borders of Jesus.
5) They called Jesus “Lord”.
6) They showed people who prayed to Jesus.
7) They portrayed Jesus with more knowledge.
8) They obscured the separation between Jesus and God.
To illustrate the types of changes that have occurred, I will show how individual episodes in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark are similar and yet remarkably different. The differences were noted by the Bible scholars and explained as modifications introduced by Matthew.
The Greatest Command (
Mark 12 : 28-35, Matthew 22: 34-40) Mark 12 : 28-35
Matthew 22: 34-40
28 A lawyer had listened to their argument; and seeing how aptly Jesus answered them, he went up to him and asked him: What is the first commandment of all?
29 Jesus answered: The first is: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, is the only Lord. 30 Therefore you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, with all your thoughts and all your strength. 31 Second, you should love your neighbor as yourself. No other command is greater than these two.
32 Then the scribe said to him: Very well, master! You have quite correctly said: He alone is the Lord, and there is no one else besides him, 33 and loving him with all his heart, mind and strength and loving his neighbor as himself is far more than all burnt victims and other victim.
34 Jesus saw that he had answered with understanding and said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no one dared to ask Jesus a question.
34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 One of them, a law teacher, wanted to test him and asked him:
36 Master, what is the most important rule in the law? 37 He answered him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your thoughts.38 That is the most important and first commandment. 39 The second is just as important: you should love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The whole law, including the prophets, depends on these two commandments.
* All quotes are from the German standard version.In the Gospel of Mark, a scribe asks Jesus about the greatest commandment. Jesus replied that the greatest commandment is that God is one. In response to Jesus‘ answer that the greatest commandment is that God is the only Lord, this man agrees. Jesus notices that the man has answered wisely and tells him that he is not far from the kingdom of God.
In Matthew, love for God becomes the greatest commandment and it is not mentioned that God is one.
The Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10: 17-19, Matthew 19: 16-20)
Mark 10: 17-19
Matthew 19: 16-20
17 When Jesus set out again, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees and asked him: good master, what do I have to do to win eternal life?
18 Jesus answered: Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except God, the One. 19 You know the commandments: You should not kill, you should not commit adultery, you should not steal, you should not testify incorrectly, you should not commit robbery; honor your father and mother!
16 A man came to Jesus and asked: Master, what good things do I have to do to win eternal life?
17 He answered: What are you asking me about the good? Only one is „the good“. But if you want to get life, keep the commandments!
18 Then he asked him: Which one? Jesus answered: You should not kill, you should not commit adultery, you should not steal, you should not testify wrongly; 19 dear father and mother! And: You should love your neighbor as yourself!
If you listen to both of them together, you will see no difference and this is what is happening. You will soon be finished reading Matthew, then Markus, and then Luke. You no longer remember what you read in which gospel. The reader thinks that all three gospels say exactly the same thing. However, if we study them closely side by side, we realize that the Gospel writers have been able to use the information to their advantage; to teach exactly what they wanted to preach.
In the passage above, the opening exchange between the man and Jesus was changed by Matthew. With Markus the man speaks to Jesus with „good master“. Jesus answered with a mild rebuke: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except God, the One. ”Again Matthew tries to change the passage. First, he changes the man’s initial question by taking the word „good“ from the addressee and placing it as the object of the sentence.
Markus: “Good master, what do I have to do to win eternal life?”
Matthew: “Master, what do I need to do good to win eternal life?”
Finally, out of embarrassment at the fact that Jesus reprimanded the man for calling him good, Matthew finally changed Mark’s second sentence, leaving Jesus no chance to refuse this salutation and to save Jesus from this implied salutation. With this act, Matthew has given his version an inadequate connection, which suggests that Jesus did not understand this question.
(part 4 of 6): Texts in comparison (II)
The withered fig tree (Mark 11: 12-25, Matthew 21: 12-22)
Mark 11: 12-25
Matthew 21: 12-22
12 And the next day when they left Bethany, he was starving. 13And he saw a fig tree from afar with leaves; then he went in to see if he could find anything on it, and since he got there he found nothing but leaves, for it was not yet time for figs to be. 14 And Jesus answered and said to him, Now eat none of you forever! And his disciples heard that.
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple, started and drove out the sellers and buyers in the temple; and he overturned the tables of the changers and the chairs of the pigeon-keepers, 16 and did not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.17 And he taught and said to them, Do not write: „My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples „? But you made a killer pit out of it
18 And the scribes and chief priests came; and they tried to kill him. But they were afraid of him; for all the people were amazed at its teaching.
19 And in the evening he went out to the city.
The withered fig tree
20 And in the morning they went by and saw the fig tree that it was withered to the roots. 21 And Peter thought of it, and said to him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which you have cursed is withered.
22 Jesus answered and said to them, Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, Whoever says to this mountain, rise and throw yourself into the sea! and did not doubt in his heart, but believed that what he said would happen, what he said would happen to him. 24 Therefore I say to you: Whatever you ask in your prayer, only believe that you will be received , it will be so for you. 25 And if you stand and pray, forgive where you have something against someone, so that your Heavenly Father will forgive you your mistakes.
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all the vendors and buyers in the temple, throwing tables and the chairs of the dove-traders around the changer. 13 And he said to them: It is written: „My house shall be called a house of prayer“; but you made a killer pit out of it.
14 The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 Then the chief priests and scribes saw the wonders he did and the children who cried out in the temple and said, Hosanna to the son of David! they were indignant
16 and said to him: Do you hear what they say? Jesus said to them: Yes! Have you never read: „From the mouth of minors and infants you have made praise“? 17And he left them there and went out of the city to Bethany and stayed there.
The fig tree withers
18 When he went back to town in the morning, he was starving; 19 And he saw a fig tree by the way and went there and found nothing in it but leaves alone, and said to him, Now grow no fruit on you ever again. And the fig tree withered at once.
20 And when the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, How soon has the fig tree withered?
21 And Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do this with the fig tree, but you will say to this mountain: Rise up and throw yourself into it Sea! This is how it will be done. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive it.
In Mark’s version, Jesus sees a fig tree in the distance and goes there to look for fruit. Since it was not the right season yet, he found no fruit in the tree. After making this understandable human error, Jesus cursed the good tree anyway. As for Matthew, he omits the information that it was not the right season, because it would indicate that Jesus destroyed a tree for no justifiable reason. Matthew makes the reader think that the tree was sterile, so it must be destroyed.
The disciples at Markus also notice that the tree dried up the next day. With Matthew, however, the tree dries up immediately, which demonstrates Jesus‘ power and the astonishment of the disciples. Furthermore, Matthew makes other changes to the passage, for example where Mark mentions „My house should be called a house of prayer for all peoples“, Matthew omits „all peoples“ to justify the leadership of the Jews.
The sick woman (Mark 5: 24-35, Matthew 9: 20-23)
Mark 5: 24-35
Matthew 9: 20-23
And he went with him; and many people followed him, and they pressed him. 25 And there was a woman who had had the blood flow for twelve years 26 and had suffered a lot from many doctors and had consumed all her good because of it, and helped her nothing, but rather it got worse with her. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came to the people from behind and touched his dress. 28 For she said, If I only wanted to touch his dress, I would be well. 29 And immediately the well of their blood dried up; and she felt that she had recovered from her plague. 30
And Jesus immediately felt the strength that had come from him and turned to the people and said, Who touched my clothes? 30
And the disciples said to him, You see that the people are urging you, saying, Who touched me? 32
And he looked around for the one who had done it. 33 But the woman was afraid and trembled (because she knew what had happened to her), came and fell before him and told the whole truth. 34 And he spoke to her; My daughter, your faith has made you well; go there with peace and be well from your plague!
20 And behold, a woman who had had the blood flow for twelve years came to him from behind and touched the hem of his dress. 21 For she said to herself: If I only touch his dress, I would be well.
22 Then Jesus turned and saw her, and said, Be confident, my daughter; your faith has helped you And the woman got well at the same hour.
With Markus the woman touches Jesus‘ coat and is healed. Jesus feels that power comes from him and he realizes that someone has touched him, but he did not know where that power had gone and who touched it. While the woman with Mark was already healed, Jesus was still trying to find out what had happened.
With Matthew, Jesus is much more powerful. He knew immediately who touched him and the woman is only healed after Jesus has spoken, as if the healing effect had been waiting for Jesus‘ command.
(part 5 of 6): Texts in comparison (III)
Peter’s confession (Mark 8: 27-30, Matthew 16: 13-17)
Mark 8: 27-30
Matthew 16: 13-17
27 And Jesus went out with his disciples to the markets of the city of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples and said to them, Who do people say I am?
28 They answered: They say you are John the Baptist; some say you are Elijah; quite a few, you are one of the prophets.
29 And he said to them, But who do you say that I am? Then Peter answered and said to him: You are Christ!
30 And he threatened them not to tell anyone about him.
13 Then Jesus came to the area of the city of Caesarea Philippi and asked his disciples, saying, Who do people say that man is a son?
14 They said, Some say you are John the Baptist; the others, you are Elijah; some of you are Jeremiah or the prophet one.
15 He said to them, Who do you say that I am?
16 Then Simon answered Peter, saying, You are Christ, the Son of God living!
What did Peter really say?
Markus: “You are Christ”.
Matthew: “You are Christ, the living God of Son!”
Many Bible observations and commentaries note that here Matthew put an additional sentence in Jesus‘ mouth. (New Jerusalem Bible, p. 34)
The rejection of Jesus at Nazareth (Mark 6: 1-6, Matthew 13: 53-58)
Mark 6: 1-6
Matthew 13: 53-58
1 And he went from there and came to his hometown; and his disciples followed him.
2 And when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in their school. And many who heard it were amazed at his teaching and said: Where does this come from? And what wisdom is it given to him and such deeds that are done through his hands?
3 Isn’t he the carpenter, Mary’s son, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters with us here too? And they were angry with him. But Jesus said to them: Nowhere is a prophet less valid than in the homeland and at home with his own.
5 And he couldn’t do a single thing there; except for a few Siechen, he put his hands on and healed them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.
53 And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away 54 and came to his hometown and taught them in their school, including that they were horrified and said, Where does this wisdom and deed come from?
55 Isn’t he a carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Maria? and his brothers Jacob and Joses and Simon and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where does all this come from?
57 And they were angry with him. Jesus said to them, „Nowhere is a prophet less valid than in his homeland and in his house.
58 And he did not do much there because of their unbelief.
As you can see, Mark’s version describes Jesus as powerless in the face of unbelief and he was unable to perform miracles. Matthew changes the version of Markus to solve this problem.
Markus: „And there he couldn’t do a single act …“
Matthew: „And there he didn’t do much signs …“
Scholars also suspected that Matthew wanted to avoid calling Jesus a carpenter and would therefore have it because of the general low reputation of artisans, which was characteristic of the elite of the Greco-Roman world.
Jesus heals many (Mark 1: 32-34, Matthew 8: 16-17)
Mark 1: 32-34
Matthew 8: 16-17
32 But in the evening, when the sun had set, they brought him all kinds of sick and possessed. 33 And the whole city gathered at the door. 34 And he helped many sick people who were burdened with various diseases, and drove out many devils and did not let the devils speak, because they knew him.
16 In the evening they brought many possessed people to him; and he drove out the spirits with words and made all the sick well, 17 to be fulfilled what was said by the prophet Isaiah, who said: „He has taken on our weaknesses and has borne our plagues.“
With Markus Jesus heals many, but with Matthew he heals everyone!
Jesus‘ mother and brothers (Mark 3: 31-35, Matthew 12: 46-50)
Mark 3: 31-35
Matthew 12: 46-50
31 And his mother and brothers came and stood outside, sending him and calling him. 32 And the people sat around him. And they said to him, Behold, your mother and your brothers outside are asking about you.
33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother and my brothers?
34 And he looked around at the disciples seated in the circle, and said, Behold, this is my mother and my brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother. ”
46 So when he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
47 Then one said to him, Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside and want to speak to you.
48 But he answered and said to him who told him, Who is my mother and who are my brothers?
49 And he stretched out his hand over his disciples and said, Behold, this is my mother and my brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of my Heavenly Father is my brother, sister and mother ”
Here Matthew makes“ God ”“ Father ”in Jesus‘ speech in order to support the later developed ideas about Jesus and God.
Walking on water (Mark 6: 45-52, Matthew 14: 22-33)
Mark 6: 45-52
Matthew 14: 22-33
4 And he promptly drove his disciples to enter the ship and take him to Bethsaida until he let the people go. 46 And when he had gotten away from him, he went up to a mountain to pray. 47 And in the evening the ship was in the middle of the sea and he was alone in the country.
48 And he saw that they were suffering in rowing; because the wind was against them. And around the fourth watch of the night he came to them and walked on the sea; 49 and he wanted to pass them. And when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said to them: Be confident, it is I, do not be afraid!
51 And he came into the ship with them, and the wind abated. And they were amazed and amazed beyond measure, 52 for they had not been able to understand the bread, and their hearts were frozen.
And immediately Jesus drove his disciples to step into the ship and to drive in front of him until he let the people go. 23 And having let the people go, he went up a mountain alone to pray. And in the evening he was there alone. 24And the ship was already in the middle of the sea, suffering from the waves; because they disliked the wind.
25 But on the fourth night watch, Jesus came to them and went out to sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were startled and said, It is a ghost! and screamed in fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be confident, it is I; do not be afraid!
28 Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it is you, hot me come to you on the water.
29 And he said, Come here!
And Peter stepped out of the ship and went on the water to come to Jesus. 30 But he saw a strong wind; Then he was startled and began to sink, cried out and said, Lord, help me!
31 Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him and said to him, „ Oh you little believer, why did you doubt?
32 And they got into the ship, and the wind died down. 33 But those who were in the ship came and fell before him, saying, You are truly the Son of God! ”
Do you notice the following changes and additions that Matthew made from Mark: First, because of geographic difficulties, he left out Bethsaida; secondly, in the Gospel of Matthew, Peter turns to Jesus with the praising title “Lord”; thirdly, the disciples worship Jesus and finally they testify that Jesus is the „Son of God“.
Over time, the more the story of Jesus was told like a snowball, the greater and better it became. This passage above illustrates how Matthew modified the language of individuals to achieve the result that Jesus is called “Lord”. Now it is true that Lord does not necessarily mean God. But in the mindset of later Christianity it will mean exactly that. Matthew accidentally paved the way for Jesus to become a deity.
(part 6 of 6): conclusion
The following question arises from the previous discussion. How can we trust with Mark that everything he presents to us about Jesus is historically correct? It is common knowledge that today’s Gospels were neither written nor dictated by Jesus. The earliest gospel of Mark was written around 65-70 AD. So there is a gap between Jesus going away and the first gospel, a gap of around 35-40 years.
As mentioned earlier, Mark was neither an eyewitness to Jesus ‚life, nor do we have clear reports that show whether the early Church had memorized Jesus‘ statements. This gap in time is therefore significant. During this time, the accounts of Jesus were shaped and developed, with many different versions of the gospel circulating in the different churches.
It is also important to emphasize that the gospel writers were not merely reporting. Like the other Gospel writers, Markus edited his material. He tweaked it and rewritten the reports he used. Like the rest of the authors, he did not attempt to reproduce a historically accurate biography of Jesus. Her interest was to present the material that served her church the most and that reflected her understanding of Jesus rather than how Jesus saw himself. If one reconstructs the teachings and deeds of Jesus, it is possible to see the changes introduced by the later writers of the gospels. But the time between Jesus and the appearance of written gospels is far more problematic.
Therefore, if we try to discover the true historical Jesus, we will have to peel the layers behind all the stories that were later developed about Jesus. We need to find out who Jesus really was before the gospels were written about him. As we study the Gospels, we see how the stories of Jesus have changed over time so that the person of Jesus has grown and improved. It can be seen that Jesus had become increasingly knowledgeable and powerful over time, until finally after many councils and disputes he officially attended the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. was declared the Son of God. Over time, the Jewish carpenter and Messenger of God became the second person of the Holy Trinity. So he’s become something
But not everything is lost. Even if someone wants to get to know the true historical Jesus today, he can do it. God in His infinite grace once again sent a Messenger with an untouched message, with a message that was neither contaminated nor manipulated.
In this last message, God tells us that Jesus was a man and a mighty messenger whom He sent, that with God’s permission Jesus performed miracles, that he was born of a virgin, and that he will return at the end of time .
In the Quran, God instructs Christians:.
“O people of the Scriptures, do not exaggerate your beliefs and tell God nothing but the truth. Verily, the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only the Messenger of God and His Word, which He offered to Mary, and of His Spirit. Therefore believe in God and His messengers and do not say „three.“ let
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/entdecke-den-wahren-jesus