A Muslim reader wrote: Who wrote the gospels? Why were they written anonymously? You can't defend Christianity at all. The following is our response.
Christianity does not rest on nameless, late legends. The Gospels are rooted in historical eyewitness testimony, written within the lifetime of those who saw Jesus, preserved faithfully, and confirmed by the early church, who knew the authors personally. My response to your two questions is as follows.
1. The Gospels Were Written by Known Eyewitnesses or Close Companions
- Matthew – One of Jesus’ twelve apostles (Matthew 9:9), an eyewitness to His ministry.
- Mark – A close companion of the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:13), writing Peter’s testimony.
- Luke – A physician and traveling companion of Paul (Colossians 4:14), who investigated eyewitness accounts carefully (Luke 1:1–4).
- John – The “beloved disciple” (John 21:24-25), part of the inner circle of Jesus’ apostles.
Though the original manuscripts didn’t have name headers, the early church unanimously attributed each Gospel to these authors — and did so from the first century onward.
2. Why They Appear “Anonymous”
- In the ancient world, scrolls and codices often had no author’s name inside the text body; the title on the outside gave identification.
- The Gospel writers focused on Jesus, not themselves (John 20:30–31). They avoided self-promotion, in keeping with humility and the mission to exalt Christ.
- Their names were preserved through the early Christian community’s oral and written transmission, verified by leaders who personally knew the apostles (e.g., Papias, Irenaeus).
3. Scripture Itself Confirms Eyewitness Foundation
- Luke 1:2 – “Just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us…”
- John 21:24 – “This is the disciple who is bearing witness… and we know that his testimony is true.”
- 2 Peter 1:16 – “We did not follow cleverly devised myths… but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”
4. Why This Is Not a Weakness but a Strength
- Anonymous forgery usually brings contradictions in attribution — but here we have consistent authorship claims from the earliest sources.
- The Gospels were circulating while many eyewitnesses to Jesus were still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6), making falsehood easy to expose.
- The agreement between the four accounts, despite different perspectives, points to authenticity rather than collusion.