The Gospels: Are They Historical?

How much can we really know about the historical Jesus? The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have shaped Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, but they were written decades after the events they describe. So how should we treat them as historical sources? Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Helen Bond to examine where the Gospels came from, who wrote them and how closely they reflect the world of first-century Judea. Were they based on eyewitness testimony and earlier traditions? And what do their stories reveal about the life of Jesus of Nazareth? 0:00 Introduction 1:28 Are the Gospels historical? 2:38 What is a Gospel? 3:12 Evidence for the historical Jesus 4:27 Introducing the four canonical Gospels 6:41 Who were the Gospel authors? 12:09 Which Gospel was written first? 14:00 The synoptic problem explained 18:18 Did a Q source exist? 23:10 Oral tradition and literary composition 26:11 Why John’s Gospel is different 38:31 John the Baptist in the Gospels 42:10 Differences in miracles and the raising of Lazarus 44:49 Historical evidence outside the Gospels 54:54 The Gospels as Greco-Roman biographies #BibleHistory #Bible #Gospels Presented by Tristan Hughes. Producers are Joseph Knight & McKenna Fernandez, senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Editor is Matthew Wilson. Channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™ #HistoryHitPodcast #TheAncients #Bible