Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Gospels (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Gospels

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, August 10, 2025)

In previous Sundays we briefly presented the books of the Old Testament, the historical, prophetic and poetic, and in what follows we will briefly look at the books of the New Testament. As we have emphasized, in the Old Testament the Son and Word of God spoke, while in the New Testament the incarnate Word of God, that is, Christ, spoke. The first texts of the New Testament are the four Gospels, and in particular the first Gospel, that of Matthew, is in a way the link between the Old and New Testaments, and this is evident not only because it is the first book of the New Testament, but because it begins with the genealogical table of the Forefathers of Christ who lived in the Old Testament, and then speaks of the birth of Christ as a man.

The word Gospel comes from two words, εὖ and ἀγγελία, which means good news, good tidings, joyful information, that He of whom the Prophets spoke came to redeem Israel and every man from the dominion of the devil, from the state of sin and death. We speak of four Gospels, while in reality there is only one Gospel, that is, one is the good news or tidings. This is seen in the beautiful phrase of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum, of present-day Lyon, France, who lived in the 2nd century, and who speaks of a “tetramorphic Gospel.” The true composer of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, and the four Evangelists recorded what they heard, saw, and learned about Christ.

Saint Justin the Martyr and Philosopher, in his text titled First Apology speaks of the memoirs of the Apostles, which are called “Gospels.” The Evangelist Luke begins his Gospel with the following phrase: “Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been revealed to us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed everything carefully from the beginning, to write to you in the following order, O Theophilos, so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed” (Luke 1:1-4).

This prologue of the Evangelist Luke shows the purpose for which the Gospels were written, but also their content. First, it shows that many attempted to narrate the events that were confirmed among the Disciples of Christ. They wanted to write their memories of what Christ said, did and suffered and that He was resurrected and ascended into heaven. And from these many the Church has kept four Gospels - of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Then, it is written that those things that are included in the Gospels are those that were their own experience or were from the eyewitnesses of the word. They are, in other words, empirical events, just as witnesses in Courts give their own personal testimony in a case. Also, the Gospels were written either to catechize those who wanted to be baptized and learn about Jesus Christ and what He taught and did, or to confirm for the faithful what they were taught during catechesis.

This was the purpose of the Gospels. They are not a complete biography of Christ, but they record the most basic aspects of Christ’s life and teachings, which each writer wanted to emphasize to his readers. Just as those who are present at an event later describe what they themselves noticed or wanted to emphasize, so did the Evangelists. These are historical events that are mixed with theology and, as is natural, complement each other.

When one reads the four Gospels carefully, one finds that the first three, that is, Matthew, Mark and Luke, have a unity among themselves and remain more in the narration of historical events in a brief, concise manner, which is why they were called the “synoptic” Gospels. In contrast, the Gospel of John was called the “spiritual” Gospel, because it insists on recording the theology of the word and the actions of Christ.

This is also evident from the order that the Church has established for them to be read throughout the year. From Easter Sunday until almost Pentecost, Gospel passages from the Gospel of John are read, because already on Great Saturday the catechumens were baptized and this Gospel being “spiritual” is addressed to the faithful. From the Monday of the Holy Spirit until the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross (in September), passages from the Gospel of Matthew are read. From the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross until the Saturday before Meatfare, passages from the Gospel of Luke are read. And during Great Lent, passages from the Gospel of Mark are read. This is a general pattern, but due to the festivals and other events a different distribution is made.

And these four Gospels are not, as has been emphasized, a complete description and biography of Christ, but present some events that support the purpose of each Gospel.

The Evangelist John concludes his Gospel with the phrase: “There are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one were written, even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 12:25). That is, there are many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were all written, I suppose that even the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. However, in these Gospels it is written that Christ is the Son of God and the Son of Man, that is, the God-man Christ, not a simple teacher and prophet, as well as some of what Christ taught, from the miracles He performed and those related to His Passion, the Cross, the Resurrection and the Ascension.

It is a little difficult to analyze the content of the Holy Gospels in a short sermon. However, I could highlight a few indicative points.

The Gospel of Matthew presents the genealogy of Christ, as it addresses the Jewish Christians and primarily discusses the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, along with the presentation of Christ's parables, particularly those pertaining to marriage, as well as the exhortation for readers or listeners to enter the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom comes, is brought near to us, and is experienced through repentance; those who experience the Kingdom of God will fully enter into it in the future. Christians must respond to the invitation to partake in the Kingdom of God.

The Gospel of Mark presupposes readers who are outside of Palestine and were formerly Gentiles; thus, it presents the power of the person of Christ, who is God and liberates people from the bondage of the devil. It speaks of the great power of Christ.

The Gospel of Luke approaches historical events with greater accuracy and demonstrates the universal character of Christ's teaching and work, as well as Christ's love for sinners, the poor, and the marginalized, including women, children, and foreigners. Since the Evangelist Luke was a physician, he possesses a vocabulary that reflects the medical terminology of that era and recounts miracles using medical language.

The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John the Theologian, the Disciple of Love, which is why it is characterized as "spiritual." John recounts only a few miracles of Christ and emphasizes the teachings derived from them. He is particularly interested in the fact that Christ is the light of the world, the life, and the resurrection of humanity. The recording of Christ's teachings at the Secret Supper, prior to His Passion, as well as His High Priestly prayer to His Father, is extraordinary. Additionally, since he was present during the Passion and the Crucifixion of Christ, he provides an accurate account of those events.

The important thing is that the Gospels were originally written in the Greek language, only the Gospel of Matthew was originally written in the Aramaic language, but was translated into Greek by the Evangelist himself. We must read the Gospels at home, in order to better learn the teaching and work of Christ, Whose disciples we are.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.