Languages and dates of the Gospels

[hilar...@bluewin.ch]

Dear friends and colleagues,

In Iḥkām bāb al-i‘rāb ‘an lughat al-a‘rāb, originally compiled by Jirmānūs Farḥāt and corrected and edited by Rushayd al-Daḥdāḥ, the lemma nūn-jīm-lām has a section on the Gospels. It states that Matthew was written in Hebrew in 41 AD, Mark in Latin in Rome dictated by St. Peter in 45 AD, and Luke and John in Greek in Achaia in 58 AD and in Patmos in 99 AD respectively.

Does anyone know the source of this unusual information?

With best wishes for a pleasant and productive summer,

Hilary

 

 

Dr. Hilary Kilpatrick,

Avenue de Cour 155,

1007 Lausanne, Switzerland. 

[Myriam Wissa]

Dear Hilary ,

There are  significant numbers of articles written by  ancient and modern authors who studied and wrote about this topic . The list is huge. 

It is very likely that the Arabic tradition emerged from one of the sources in Greek or Latin . 

The following Timeline is perhaps helpful :

It has been generally admitted that the Act of the Apostles and some letters of Saint Paul were the first written sources prior to the four canonical gospels. 

The four gospels were written in the late 1st century, a few decades after the death of the Lord Jesus-Christ, with Mark dated to the late 60s or early 70s AD, Matthew and Luke in the 80s–90s AD, and John between 90–100 AD. 

Textual and historical sources regarding the composition of the four canonical gospels include internal textual relationships, external fragments from early church writers, and modern academic source hypotheses. 

Early External and Patristic Source

Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) Preserved in Eusebius’ Church History, Papias provided early testimony that Mark recorded Peter’s memoirs accurately and that Matthew compiled the sayings of Jesus in a Hebrew/Aramaic dialect.

Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 180 AD)

write Against Heresies, explicitly defending the fourfold gospel framework and attributing the texts to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The Muratorian Fragment (late 2nd century) The earliest surviving canonical list of New Testament writings, naming Luke as Paul's companion and confirming the status of John, Matthew, and Mark.

Papyrus 52 (\(\mathfrak{P}^{52}\))

 The oldest known physical fragment of a New Testament text, containing a few lines from the Gospel of John and dated paleographically to the first half of the 2nd century.

Academic Four-Source Hypothesis

The predominant scholarly solution to the Synoptic Problem, which proposes that Mark was written first, and that both Matthew and Luke utilized Mark alongside a hypothetical lost sayings collection designated as Q (Quelle), plus independent material sources (M for Matthew, L for Luke

Eyewitness Testimony Analysis

Thank you .

With best wishes, 

Myriam 

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[hilar...@bluewin.ch]

Dear Myriam,

Thank you for this. I should have been more specific: which source affirms that Matthew was written in Hebrew and Mark in Latin and dates Matthew, Mark and Luke much earlier than the standard account which you refer to? Surely Farḥāt/al-Daḥdāḥ didn't make this up - or did they?

Best wishes,

Hilary

 

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[Myriam Wissa]

Dear Hilary,

In contrast to the early Church fathers such as 

Papias and Irenaeus, who asserted that Matthew wrote in Hebrew or Aramaic, and  stated that Mark wrote his Gospel in Greek in some instances it is said Koine Greek (as Peter's interpreter in Rome ) but  not in Latin, the assertions that Matthew was written in Hebrew in Judea and Mark in Latin in Italy stem from scholars of the late middle âge,  namely Ricaldo da Monte di Croce in his work Confutatio Alcorani (c. 1281–1288) and the Archbishop of Armagh, Richard Fitzralph, in his Quaestiones Armenorum (c. 1355). Modern scholars overwhelmingly agree that both canonical Gospels were originally written in Koine Greek. 

Very best wishes,

Myriam 

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