February 26, 2025
The New Testament in the NRSV & the First Gospel
by parishioner Dick Fichter with assistance from Rev. Dina
Each new book in the NRSV Bible has an introduction. There is a general introduction before the narrative books, the Gospels and Acts, noting that the original manuscripts of the several books of the New Testament have long since disappeared.
Three sources of information exist today for our knowledge of the text of the New Testament. They are Greek manuscripts, early translations into other languages and quotations from the New Testament made by early ecclesiastical writers. The most important are written on papyrus or parchment date from the 2nd to the 8th century or longer.
The gospels like the other New Testament books and most of the rest of the Bible, are the literary productions of a believing community. They are written with the aim of changing the reader or of building up the community’s faith. The story they have to tell is intended to make a difference in the reader’s life. That story most scholars now agree, is put together over a period of several decades and several stages. During the time of oral transmission, the first stage, the teachings of Jesus, and individual stories about him, were communicated among his followers by word of mouth. It was also during this time that some of the materials were retold in Greek, the common language outside of Palestine, instead of Aramaic that Jesus and his first followers likely spoke.
Before the invention of printing with movable type about 1450 to 1456, all literary works had to be copied by hand. Owing to the rapid expansion of the early church and the growing demand for additional copies of the Christian scriptures, sometimes speed in the preparation of the manuscripts seemed to be of greater importance than strict accuracy of detail. Consequently, unintentional errors, inevitable in all transcription, were multiplied in what was copied.
The oral tradition and written forms, available at the time, were collected by the four evangelist and used to prepare their original Gospels.
The introduction to Mark’s gospel notes that the gospel according to Mark is generally recognized as the earliest attempt to reduce the Apostolic tradition concerning Jesus the Messiah to written form. Tradition has it, though never confirmed, that it was written by John Mark, and associate of St. Paul and a disciple of Peter.
Most scholars agree that it was used by St. Matthew and St. Luke in composing their accounts; more than 90 percent of the content of Mark’s Gospel appears in Matthew’s and more than 50 percent in the Gospel of Luke. The final passage in Mark (16:9–20) is omitted in some manuscripts, including the two oldest, and a shorter passage is substituted in others. Many scholars believe that these last verses were not written by Mark, at least not at the same time as the balance of the Gospel but were added later to account for the Resurrection.
More particularly, in the earliest Greek manuscripts and versions, the visit by the two Marys to Jesus’ empty tomb ends with the words,” …for they were afraid.” This is verse 8 which in the traditional version is followed by verses 9-20. Most likely, your Bible has the traditional ending contained in verses 9-20.
Have you ever wondered why Matthew’s gospel is listed first when people name them, or comes first in the Gospel section when the Gospel of Mark was written first?
Next time, we will look at the different endings and the commentary on them.
