Why were the gospels written so long after the death of Christ?

Answer 1

thay needed people who are good a writeing fairy tales it took time to find them and then thay had to make it up give it a good start like the god making the earth the first ever si fi book and then thay left it for a bit to get the next set off writers in thats why it took so long to write

Answer 2

The gospel was written after the death of Christ because the gospel is about the life of Christ. Like Mark the evangelist, he did not really meet Christ. He wrote the gospel because of the stories told to him by Peter. For short Mark is not a direct follower of Christ but of Peter.

Answer 3

If you look at Acts 1, they were assuming an immediate return. There was also strong oral tradition at the time, but more likely, the events of the gospels were actually recorded very early on, and these documents were used as source documents for the gospels that we have today. If you look at Luke 1:1-4, you see that Luke compiled from a variety of sources.

When you look at the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) you see similarities that are the result of their borrowing from other written sources. The presentation of each gospel was to a different audience, so different things are emphasized in each.

Stein has done an excellent introductory work in this area called "Studying the Synoptic Gospels: Origin and Interpretation" I put the Amazon.com link to it below.

Answer 4

A) Because the authors were too busy spreading it via word of mouth and trying to keep from being stoned while they did.

B) Because for a long time they really believed that the end times were just around the corner and who'd be left to read?

C) Mark, usually considered the first to write a compendium of Christ's life and teachings, waited until he was in his middle years, probably because he was slowing down anyway and figured if he couldn't travel and get the word out personally, he could write it down and others would take it with them.

D) And to "gratvol", by your logic, history, archaeology and biography are wastes of time. How can we learn anything about anything in the past if it wasn't written down by those to whom it happened while it happened or immediately after it happened? PUHLEEEZE!

Answer 5

Biblical scholars agree that even the earliest gospel was written many years after Jesus died. There are so many things involved that make them wonder if the authors weren't just writing down hearsay, because it's believed that none of them could have been around during his time.

Which makes it silly to believe any of it as infallible.

Answer 6

Hi, in actual fact the Gospels were written within the lifetimes of the Apostles albeit towards the end of their lives, most Biblical Scholars have come to this conclusion now and place the first written Gospel that of St.Luke within 40-60yrs of the acension of Christ.
we tend to forget that as long as even one of the Apostles was living there was really no need to write things down as oral teaching was a natural and dependable mode of useage back then.

Answer 7

Their preaching work was being carried out.
You know the way you worded your question------I think it was only 20 yrs or so after his death, did the letters start circulating that the apostles wrote.
John wrote Revelation while at Patmos prison in the year 98. Now that was a while after the death of Jesus.

Answer 8

and yet for some reason people believe everything in their happend.

in a court of law were would call the Gospels heresay

Answer 9

They wouldn't have been as interesting if they were really written about Jesus' life. They become much more interesting the longer someone is dead.

Answer 10

they were written at different times those you think of were only the translations.