Gospels and Memory of the Eyewitnesses

Gospels and Memory of the Eyewitnesses

Evidence based on Eyewitnesses: Memory of Eyewitnesses

Argument:

Jesus died around 30 AD. The Gospels were written between 50-70 AD. This means the Gospels cannot be trusted/reliable because they were written 20-40 years after Jesus died (memory of the eyewitnesses would not be reliable after a long period)

Response

* Two of the Gospels were written by the apostles Matthew and John. These two men would have travelled and spent many years preaching about Jesus and what they saw. This means that their memory of events would have been refreshed continuously because they were going around and re-telling people the same thing for many years prior to writing their Gospels

* The Gospel authors lived in a time and culture that heavily relied on human memory and oral communication. This is because most people were illiterate, had no access to books, and were unable to store information in the way we do today (computers, internet, recording devices etc). As a result, it was common and expected for people to memorize much of what they saw or heard. This might seem difficult for us to comprehend because we don’t memorize much of anything anymore. But it was reasonable and expected.

* The apostles Matthew and John would have travelled with Jesus during His ministry—a period of three years or 1080 days (360 days per year). However, in the three years of His ministry, only 50 days are touched upon in all the combined Gospels. This means that only 4:6 percent of the days that Jesus was actively ministering are actually recorded in the Gospels (the ‘highlights’ of the most important parts of Jesus’ ministry) When viewed this way, it is not difficult to understand how the Gospel authors (such as Matthew and John) were able to remember what they witnessed (they are recording a very small portion of the time they spent with Jesus)

* The apostles Matthew and John would have travelled with Jesus during His ministry. This means that they would have seen Jesus preach and teach the same thing over and over again (Jesus would have retold the same parables, commands and sermons to a number of different communities; compare Matthew chapters 5-7 with Luke chapters 6 and 11). Therefore, because Matthew and John (and the other apostles) heard the same parables, commands and sermons countless times, it would have been quite easy for them to know these things off by heart (Sermon on the Mount, The Good Samaritan, End Times would have been preached to a number of people in different communities)

* The Gospels were written at a time when many of the eyewitnesses were still alive. This allows the authors to speak to many different eyewitnesses in order to corroborate the teachings and miracles of Jesus. So even if some of the memories are unreliable, there would have been many eyewitnesses to go off from

* The apostles and eyewitnesses saw the miracles performed by Jesus (walk on water, feed multiple people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, raise the dead etc) These were unique extraordinary events (they were not the normal daily routine that you see your co-worker carry out in the office). In other words, these are not the kind of things that will easily slip a persons memory (it is hard to imagine the apostles failing to recall the time and day Jesus walked on water). Think of it this way, it is unlikely that the average person will remember what they did on Tuesday three months ago at 7.30pm. But it is more than likely that the average person will remember specific details of their wedding 20 years ago (year, day, time of their wedding). This is because people remember details of important events much more than daily events.

* To say ‘the Gospels cannot be trusted/reliable because they were written 20 years after Jesus died’ is completely false when we examine modern day examples. For example, survivors of tragic events (Titanic, The Great War) are able to recall what happened to them many decades after the event (40-50 years after). So if a person can remember the details of the sinking of the Titanic 50 years after it occurred, why can’t the memory of the apostles be trusted 20 years after Jesus rose from the dead?

So why did the authors wait so long before writing the Gospels?



Because the apostles, early followers, and eyewitnesses were still alive and spreading the news about Jesus—allowing others to hear from the eyewitnesses directly. In other words, there was no need to have a written record of Jesus in the early years of the Church because the Good News was being preached by those who had seen and followed Christ (e.g. no need to have a Gospel written by Matthew or John when a person can hear the Gospel directly from Matthew and John).

Also, the Gospel authors themselves were travelling with the other apostles and eyewitnesses (Mark—Acts 12:12,25; Colossians 4:10; 1 Peter 5:13; Luke—2 Timothy 4:11; Colossians 4:10,14; John—Acts 3:1-11). So it seems the first priority for the Gospel authors was to travel with the other apostles rather than immediately write the Gospels.

OR, they could have done as I did - carry a notebook to write things down. That's what students do, later referring to their scribblings as study material.

When I was 14 years old, I began a daily diary for far less important things. Most teenage girls did that, recommended by their teachers for being very therapeutic. I could freely express my emotions and opinions in live time or within hours.

That wasn't for anyone else to see, it was carefully hidden. Unbeknownst to me, in religious terms, that would be "calling yourself to account" at the end of the day. You didn't just write a list of events, you told a story about them.

I made the last entry in it at 31 years old because that was the end of my old way of life. Secretly stashed, I still have that diary to this day. It's as accurate as anything could be through one individual's eyes. Today, my memory is fading but with this diary, I can literally watch myself grow up!

Further to the disciples, it was a very dangerous time during the infancy of the Faith so they had to be careful not to let anyone find their documents. They may have written notes in code or shorthand, just in case. One couldn't write down the names of members.

Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone who He really was. People were to figure that out on their own. This band was too small to be wiped out before they could establish a community.

Most members were undercover - that is, they had to meet secretly for their own safety. They had a special greeting and symbol so they'd know who it was safe to be with. Only when the Apostles felt it was the right time, would they write the final draft from their notes, sending a letter to the Church.