What are the Canonical and Non-canonical Gospels?

Canonical and Noncanonical Gospels

Canonical Gospels refers to inspired writing

Introduction

Canonical in biblical usage, according to the Pocket Catholic Dictionary of John A. Hardon, S.J., refers to the inspired writings known as the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are four canonical gospels in the New Testament: Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John.

Canonical gospels

Gospel of Mark - this was most probably written in Greek at Rome in the decade 60-70 A.D. It is written evidently for Christians because Mark uses terms meaningful only to Christians. Mark's gospel is a blend of history and theology written in simple but forceful language.


Gospel of Matthew - this was most probably written at Syria or Palestine in the decade 80-90 A.D. Matthew's purpose of writing was to convince the Christians of Jewish origin that Jesus was the Messiah and that He fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament prophets. This explains why Matthew also cites the Old Testament more frequently compared to either Mark or Luke

Gospel of Luke - scholars estimate that much of the writing of Luke was done at Antioch about the same time as Matthew - 80-90 A.D. Luke may have been a Greek Gentile directing his message to Gentile Christians. His gospel shows how in Jesus God has visited his people and manifested his loving-kindness towards them. He also wrote a second volume, the Acts of the Apostles.

Gospel of John - this gospel, written in Asia Minor about the years 95-100 A.D., is obviously the work of one close to Jesus - an eyewitness of his ministry and one who loved Jesus. The gospel of John as a whole is a profound meditation on Jesus as the Word of God. It shows how the crucified Jesus is still alive today and gives us His Spirit.

Noncanonical gospels

Listed below are other gospels not considered inspired writing by the Catholic Church. Eight are described below but there may be others existing of which are not as known or as popular.

Gospel of the Ebionites - this gospel was written in the first half of the second century. It was apparently an abridged and altered form of the Gospel of Matthew, which Epiphanius incorrectly refers to as the "Gospel of the Hebrews" or the "Hebrew Gospel". Written in Greek, this gospel was used by the Jewish Christian sect known as Ebionites. The Ebionites denied Jesus' birth of a virgin. They believed that Jesus' sonship to God rested not on his birth in a special way, but on the union of the Spirit with him at the time of his baptism. The seven existing fragments of this work are found in Epiphanius' "Against Heresies" XXX, 13-22

Gospel of the Hebrews - this gospel was written in the first half of the second century, for Greek-speaking Jewish Christian circles. It probably originated in Egypt since some of its main witnesses were the Alexandrians Clement and Origen. The gospel is apparently not a development from any of the four canonical gospels.

Gospel of the Egyptians - probably written in the first half of the second century, this gospel was used by Christians in Egypt as their only "life of Jesus". Though this gospel was influenced by Gnosticism, it was quoted by the author of II Clement. Clement of Alexandria also quoted this gospel and did not consider it heretical. Origen, however, regarded this gospel as heretical.

Gospel of the Naassenes - this gospel was quoted by Hippolytus in Book V of his "Refutation of All Heresies". The origin of the Naassenes, or Orphites, i.e. Serpent-Worshippers, is unknown, but they practiced heathen rites and were considered heretics by Hippolytus.

Gospel of the Nazaraeans - this gospel appeared in the first half of the second century in Syrian Jewish Christian circles. It is apparently an Aramaic translation of a Greek form of the Gospel of Matthew.

Gospel of Peter - this gospel comes from the middle of the second century and is a development in a Gnostic direction of the four canonical gospels. It is not, however, a full-blown Gnostic work. It was known by reference to its title only until the winter of 1886-87 A.D. when a fragment of it, coming from the eighth or ninth century, was found at Akhmim in Upper Egypt. The gospel began with Pilate's washing of his hands and ended with a unique description of Jesus' resurrection.

Acts of Philip - this is a fourth century Gnostic work which we know from fragments of later revisions.

Gospel of Thomas - this is a late fourth century "gospel" found about 1945 A.D. near the village of Nag Hammadi, up the Nile River in Egypt. Written in Sahidic Coptic, it is a collection of sayings of Jesus, many of them strongly influenced by Gnostic thought. The sayings probably originated in Greek about 140 A.D.

Sources and references:

• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, S.J.


• How to Read the New Testament, by Etienne Charpentier


• Gospel Parallels, by Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr.

The End Will Not Be At Once by Herman Hendrickx, CICM

This book is part of a series on Studies in the Synoptic Gospels by Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM. Other books in this series are: The Infancy Narratives, The Passion Narratives of the Synoptic Gospels, The Resurrection Narratives of the Synoptic Gospels, The Miracle Stories, The Parables of Jesus, and The Sermon on the Mount.

Introduction

Popular religious literature about the end times are often written by holy men and women, saints, and religious, who base their prophecies on visions and revelations from God. Some of these holy men and women are: Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (Rome), St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Capuchin Priest, Italy, feast on September 23), Pere Lamy (Priest, France), Elizabeth Canori-Mora (Rome), Sister Rosa Colomba Asdente (Italy), Father Nectou (Jesuit Priest, Belgium), Sister Palma D'Oria (Italy), Sister Marie Baourdi (Carmelite, France), Marie Julie Jahenny (France), Saint Hildegard of Bingen (Germany), Marie Martel (Normandy), and many more. Although the prophetic visions of these holy men and women are regarded as authentic, when one reads the scripture texts themselves, with a special attention to the eschatological passage in Mark and Luke, a systematic study of the text can provide quite a substantial number of biblical insights on what can happen in the end times. Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM, a noted scripture scholar, writes this book for students who want to learn an exposition of the end times as it is presented in the gospel of Luke and in Mark.

A modern biblical study

Fr. Herman Hendrickx takes account of modern biblical scholarship in this book with the treatment of the gospel of Luke - especially the eschatological discourse. He however writes in a style and manner that is accessible to the general reader. Section by section, he compares the passages which refer to the end times in the gospel of Luke with that of the passages in Mark. He explains the original significance and meaning of these texts and presents its relevance to the present times. A final chapter in the book contains valuable suggestions for homilies on gospel readings taken from chapter 13 of the gospel of Mark and chapter 21 of the gospel of Luke. The book also contains an extensive bibliography of general and specialized studies.

The author

Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM, was born in Belgium and studied scripture and theology at Louvain University. He was Professor of Theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, Louvain. In 1967 A.D., he arrived in the Philippines where he became a Professor of New Testament Studies. He has lectured widely in the Philippines, Asia, Australia and the United States to groups of priests, religious, teachers, and catechists. One of the schools in which he applied all his learning and shared it in his teaching is Maryhill School of Theology in New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines.

Main sections of the book

Listed below are the main sections of the book. For those undertaking New Testament studies, this is a welcome resource and good material for research.

• Luke 21:5-36: Context, Structure, Source(s), Train of Thought
  


• The Introduction to the Discourse (Luke 21:5-7)
  


• The Beginning of the Discourse (Luke 21:8-11)
  


• Description and Interpretation of Persecution (Luke 21:12-19)
  


• Destruction of the Temple as Judgment (Luke 21:20-24)
  


• The Return of the Son of Man (Luke 21:25-28)
  


• The Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 21:29-31)
  


• Additional Sayings (Luke 21:32-33)
  


• Concluding Warnings (Luke 21:34-36)
  


• Results of the Inquiry into Luke 21:5-36
  


• Preaching the Eschatological Discourse (Mark 13 and Luke 21)
  

General message of the book

Those who read the passages of the gospel referring to these end times will feel a certain uneasiness in words such as "cosmic collapse" and other descriptive warnings of the end times in the gospel of Mark and Luke. Whether the warnings can be justified and currently relevant (as no one knows exactly when the end times will be), it can evoke negative emotions. But, the context of the Christian message presented by Fr. Herman Hendrickx contains an attitude of faith and confidence in the midst of trouble. The crisis-situation presented in the gospel texts can be seen more as a hope in God's salvation (cf. v. 28 "Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near"). What is seriously to be considered is that God's judgment definitely comes. All the faithful need to be aware of this and see what this means for each one's life. It is an opportune time not to live blindly, but to be ready, vigilant and confident that liberation from God is a reality strongly present in the daily events of life. All the faithful are thus called to avoid what is unworthy of being Christian, to have a healthy detachment from temporary relationships, possessions and realities, and live with a hopeful attitude to what is eternal: the redemption and liberation of humanity by Christ.

Memorial of Saints (September 18)

St. Joseph of Cupertino was among the few gifted with the power of levitation. When he came of age, he joined the Franciscan Conventuals. His gift for levitation was so extraordinary that the mere mention of anything spiritual lifted him up several feet in the air. This attracted people to flock to him; but not only because of this miraculous feat, but also to ask help for the forgiveness of their sins. Because of his unique gift, Joseph of Cupertino was made patron saint of aviators (died ca. 1663 A.D.).

St. Richardis was married to Charles, son of King Louis the German. She and her husband were crowned rulers of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope John VIII in 881 A.D. Several years later in their marriage, Richardis was accused of infidelity by her husband Emperor Charles. St. Richardis had to endure the ordeal of having to prove her innocence. But when her husband Charles was deposed from his throne, Richardis left him to live as a nun at Hohenburg. She then went to found Andlau Abbey, where she lived the last years of her life (died ca. 895 A.D.).

St. John Massias was orphaned in his youth and worked as a shepherd in his hometown in Spain. He then went to Peru, worked for a while in a cattle ranch, and then decided to join the Dominican Order. As a Dominican lay brother and porter, he was known for his austerities, miracles and visions. He also attracted the poor and the sick, whom he ministered according to their spiritual and physical needs (died ca. 1645 A.D.).

St. Ferreolus was a Christian tribune in the imperial army at Vienne. Crispin, the governor, arrested him because he did not reveal the Christian identity of St. Julian of Brioude. When Ferreolus also announced to the governor that he too was a Christian, he was scourged and imprisoned. Although he was able to escape miraculously, he was recaptured near Vienne and beheaded (died ca. 304 A.D.).

St. Methodius of Olympus was bishop of Olympus, Lycia. His name is listed in the Roman Martyrology and is mentioned also in one of St. Jerome's writings. St. Methodius was known for his preaching and scholarship. Some of the many treatises which he wrote were: "On the Resurrection" and "Symposium". Because of his opposition to Millenarianism, he suffered martyrdom at Chalcis, Greece (died ca. 311 A.D.).