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Most Christians have been given the impression the gospel accounts found in the New Testament were “official” histories of Jesus’ life and teachings held sacred by all early Christians, but that was hardly the case. During the three hundred years following Jesus’ death, thousands of writings with regards to Jesus were circulated. These writings were seldom in agreement since each of them was the product of the author’s own perception. Since none of these early writings could be verified as authentic, each one was as valid as the next. Finally, in the 4th century, leaders of the Catholic Church decisive to compile a group of church approved writings that supported their beliefs. These accounts in the long run became the New Testament. The gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John included in the New Testament were written over a 45-60 year amount of time that begun at least 25-30 years after Jesus died. Considering the time frame, and the fact that Jesus’ nearest followers couldn’t write, we must conclude these gospels were not written by any person who knew Jesus directly. Like writers today, the writers assembled info by word of mouth and pulled selective information from antecedently written accounts. The gospels were in the long run named after Jesus nearest follower to make them more credible. The New Testament gospel account attributed to Mark was written first, with Matthew and Luke following when it comes to 15-20 years later. Scholars ran into that the writers of Matthew and Luke employed Mark as one of their exploration sources. Bible scholars call Mark, Matthew and Luke synoptic meaning “comparable” because the writers of Matthew and Luke both copied portions of Mark’s manuscript word-for-word, resulting in a lot of matchings amongst the three books. Although scholars feel sure the writers of Matthew and Luke couldn’t have known each other, they’ve found another gospel concealed within their writings. There are an further and added 4,500 words shared by Matthew and Luke that are not found in Mark. These are portions of text that agree so closely in word choice, order and inflection, scholars have concluded they had to have been copied from a second mutual source. This source material predates the four gospels, but no manuscripts survived. Using stringent guidelines, scholars employed the verses wholly shared by Matthew and Luke to reconstruct a facsimile of the missing source document. This document is now known as The Sayings Gospel of Q. Q stands for the German word quelle or “source.” Scholars have continued to compile and authenticate this source material since 1838, so the manuscript that’s presently available may be considered a stand-alone document that’s as valid as the gospels it was drawn from. Q is written in a very dissimilar style than the New Testament gospel accounts. Q says not one thing at all with regards to Jesus’ life, but concentrates exclusively on his wisdom teachings. For that reason, it’s considered a “sayings” gospel. This format almost resembles other early Christian writings that were not included in the Bible, such as the gnostic gospels. Of course there is much that may be learned from the sayings themselves, but there may be even more primary info gleaned from Q as a whole. What may we learn? The finish lack of biographical info in Q tells us that Jesus’ earliest followers were more mesmerized in his wisdom teachings than his personal life. Nothing is said in Q with regards to Jesus’ death or a resurrection. This lack of info also supports a view held by the gnostic gospels: Jesus’ earliest followers believed they would gain salvation by understanding his teachings, not by putting faith in him personally. In Q Jesus does speak of a messiah, the “One to Come,” who will usher in God’s kingdom, but he isn’t talking regarding himself. The “One to Come,” like the “Son of Man” brought up in the New Testament, was thought to be a cosmic warrior/judge capable of restoring equilibrium amidst good and evil world wide. In Q and the gnostic gospels, Jesus is thought of as a humane prophet. Like other Jewish prophets, he spurred and encouraged fellow Jews to repent and turn away from religious hypocrisy. And, like the prophets before him, he was either ignored or rejected by the majority. Q treats Jesus like an ambassador delivering a message. It’s the message that’s important, not the person delivering it. Q is mesmerized in the lessons that may be learned when miracles occur, not the miracles themselves. Miracles serve as a bright visual representation of the power and glory of God’s kingdom. But in Q, miracles occur to direct humans to God’s kingdom, not to attract attention to Jesus. Jesus points to nature as an each and everyday miracle that must support us be grateful for God’s love. For readers of Q, Jesus’ death was not a sacrifice. Instead, Jesus passed away because he was a prophet who spoke the truth. His death held the same meaning as the death of the numerous prophets who went before him. In Q, resurrection is seen as a sign of God’s kingdom, but Q says not one thing with regards to Jesus being resurrected. Rather, Jesus prophesies that the “One to Come” will resurrect the faithful after God’s kingdom is established, and Q expects Jesus to be percentage of that resurrection. Q, like the gnostic gospels, emphasizes that understanding Jesus’ message and acting on it is of utmost importance. These writings tell us that salvation depends on giving God’s kingdom the most eminent priority. Q and the gnostic gospels present a very dissimilar picture of Jesus than the one devised by the New Testament gospel writers. Since none of these accounts are more valid than the other, sincere Christians will want to acquaint themselves with this arousing and attention holding information. For readers who would like to know more when it comes to Q or would like to read “The Sayings Gospel of Q” for themselves, we commend Q: The Earliest Gospel but John S. Kloppenborg. Copyright © Lee and Steven Hager
Most helpful customer reviews 121 of 136 people found the following review helpful. It was interesting in the final show of the 3rd season to see Jack’s focus change (seen in a flash forward) from getting off the island to getting back on it. This season was spent giving a set up to the reason why without really answering the question but creating enough suspense to make it worth finding out…next season I hope. This season is about who gets off the island (the Oceanic 6, as they’re called) and how, and a bit about what they’re going to do back in the real world. A few other people also get off the island but they aren’t included in “the Oceanic 6″ and you’ll also get a partial reason why by the last episode, as well as finding out who was in the coffin in the final episode of the 3rd season that had Jack so upset (but not why or how.) Jack finally finds out who Claire is to him, but we still don’t know what actually happened to her. Ben’s character becomes more complex, as we start to see how he manages to go from outcast to leader and gets people to do what he wants (such as Locke, Sayid, and even Jack,) even if they are uneasy in their association with him. Clearly some other Oceanic refugees have escaped the island but we don’t know how yet, and it doesn’t seem like the “Oceanic 6″ are necessarily even aware of them. Another interesting addition this season is the newcomers, the “freighter folk,” who may as well be the new “others.” Some are decent people and some are evil, and one will be familiar face from previous seasons. Speaking of “the others,” who they are, where they came from, and what is their nature became a new set of unanswered questions this season. I wasn’t thrilled with Rosseau’s or her daughter’s storylines, but it seems what happened was done in order to develop Ben’s character. What is planned for extra features is below, it is subject to change since it wasn’t released yet. If you want to see more info for yourself on planned extras, run a search for TV shows on DVD, you should be able to find the site I got my info from. Features: Lost Bloopers I recommend this season for anyone who ever enjoyed this show. You won’t feel the writer’s strike when watching the DVDs. 20 of 21 people found the following review helpful. This left fans with a significant hint that there are survivors who made it off the island. But who were they? Also, who will be rescuing the survivors or more like, are they even there to save them? There are so many things that happened in Season 4 that it would be too difficult to explain but I can tell you that the whole season was exciting and despite the writer’s strike possibly hindering the amount of episodes in the season, “LOST” was able to capitalize with quality over quantity in a total of 13 episodes and boy did they deliver. “LOST – THE COMPETE FOURTH SEASON” features the following episodes: 1. The Beginning of the End Again, I really don’t want to spoil the season for anyone but I will say that the body count of this season is quite high and the amount of action is also quite high for the fourth season. The storytelling was just awesome and the acting was well done. Especially the final episode. Absolutely fantastic! VIDEO: The video is featured in 1080p High Definition/1:78:1. One of the first things you will notice is how the island just comes alive with the vibrant colors. From the lush greens to the variation of blues from the sky to the ocean. And yes, you will be able to see the pores, the wrinkles of each actor. The picture quality was absolutely beautiful. I did see a few scenes (low-light) where there was considerable noise. But only a few scenes. AUDIO: The audio features are English 5.1 uncompressed (48khz/16-bit) and English and French in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish in Dolby Digital 2.0. During the action scenes or when you hear the music during a suspenseful scene, that is when you hear the audio being utilized. Especially for this season due to the amount of explosions. But overall, the audio is primarily dialogue. You won’t hear birds chirping or the oceans waves pounding from the island, but after watching the featurettes and the challenges of filming in public beaches and areas near traffic, I can understand the crew trying to make sure the dialogue came out clear and not trying to incorporate another noises that could have hindered the dialogue. SPECIAL FEATURES: The Blu-ray edition of “LOST – THE COMPLETE SEASON FOUR” definitely is full of special features. Included are: * LOST in 8:15 – Learn about “LOST SEASONS 1-3′ in 8:15 Like previous “LOST” Seasons on DVD and Blu-ray, there are also Easter Eggs. In fact, there over 20 of them. You can find many of them here. [...] I’ve owned every season of “LOST” on DVD and Blu-ray but the fourth season on Blu-ray is visually and audio appealing for “LOST” fans, there are so many awesome bonus features, let alone Easter Eggs that you can’t help but be content and happy with the overall product. The fourth season with it’s gripping storyline, action and acting really made the fourth season quite enjoyable. But the Blu-ray version really enhanced my love or this show due to the vibrant colors and just the beauty of the island and the audio quality but how many special features (that were quite lengthy) included on this box set. You’re getting your money’s worth with this release. There are not many television shows on Blu-ray at this time but currently, I have to say that “LOST – THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON” is the best out there right now. A total package and a must own for fans of the series! 43 of 53 people found the following review helpful. |
Excellent Season