C. The Authors

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF EACH AUTHOR:

1. Matthew: Mathew, also known as Levi, was a publican or tax collector who was chosen by Jesus to be one of the twelve Apostles. (Matthew 9:9) As a tax collector Matthew would have been a literate person well suited to author one of the gospel records. Early church tradition credits Matthew with the authorship of the gospel bearing his name.
2. Mark: This disciple is given credit by the early church as the author of the Gospel bearing his name. Mark was the Latin surname given to this young man whose Jewish name was John. John Mark was cousin to Barnabas a prominent figure in the early church. Mark traveled with his cousin Barnabas in ministry and later in years ministered to the Apostles Peter and Paul. (Acts 12:25) Mark is not identified as one who walked with Jesus yet his association with the Apostles makes him more than qualified to produce a gospel record.
3. Luke: This man is credited with authoring the third Gospel bearing his name and the book of Acts. Luke is mentioned three times in the New Testament, (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24; II Timothy 4:11) and from these passages we learn that Luke was a physician and a fellow worker of Paul who at times traveled with Paul during his missionary journeys. Luke was an educated man whose attention to historical detail is of great value to us today.
4. John: One of the twelve apostles, John was a fisherman and brother to one of the other twelve apostles James. (Matthew 4:21) The Apostle John is the author of the fourth gospel, three of the epistles and the Revelation. John was a close personal associate of Jesus being referred to as the “…disciple whom Jesus loved”. John’s writings are of tremendous value to the Christian church and account for a significant portion of the New Testament.
5. Peter: Peter was one of the most prominent of the twelve Apostles in the Gospel accounts and the early chapters of Acts. He was also a fisherman and brother to another of the twelve whose name was Andrew. (Matthew 4:18-19) Peter was also referred to at times as Simeon (Acts 15:14) as well as Cephos and Simon (John 1:43). Peter was a part of Jesus inner circle of disciples and remains an important person throughout early church history. Peter is credited with authoring the two Epistles which bear his name and as being the likely source for Mark’s Gospel.
6. Paul: The Apostle Paul, although not one of the original twelve Apostles, was chosen by Jesus to be an apostle and to bring the gospel to the non-Jewish people of his day. (1 Timothy 1:12-13) Paul was a Jew of respectable heritage and a ranking member of the strict Jewish sect of the Pharisees before his conversion. Paul was also a Roman citizen by birth which he used to his advantage in times of persecution. His name before his conversion was Saul and he was well known because he fiercely persecuted the early Christian community. After his miraculous conversion, Paul went on to live one of the most fruitful lives of service for the kingdom of God.
7. James: The author of the epistle bearing his name this man was also a half-brother of Jesus. (Galatians 1:19). James was not one of the twelve Apostles but was clearly a leader in the early church in Jerusalem. An important council in Jerusalem chaired by James was responsible for deciding that it was no longer required to keep the ceremonial aspects of the law of Moses. (Acts 12:17; 15:13,19; Galatians 2:9) Along with being a member of Jesus household James also had the privilege of seeing Jesus alive after He rose from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:5,7)
8. Jude: The author of one epistle of only twenty-five verses, Jude was also a brother of James and of Jesus. (Jude 1; Galatians 1:19) His name in Greek would be Judas, however this is not the traitor of Jesus but the defender of the faith whose epistle speaks out boldly against the apostasy of his day.