Why Are There Four Gospels Instead of Just One?

When we open the Bible, the first books we encounter are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. A question might suddenly occur:

“The story of Jesus is one, so why were four separate books—similar yet slightly different—necessary? Wouldn’t it have been more efficient to combine them into one perfect biography?”

In fact, such an attempt actually occurred in history. Around the 2nd century, Tatian of Syria combined the four Gospels into a single volume called the Diatessaron. However, the Church ultimately chose to preserve the four independent Gospels instead of this artificial compilation.

Why was that? Today, we will examine the reasons why there are four Gospels from the perspective of “unity in diversity.”

1. A 360-Degree Portrait of Jesus Christ

The primary reason there are four Gospels is that the vast personality of Jesus Christ cannot be fully captured through a single perspective alone.

To understand this, we can think of a portrait. It is difficult to describe a person with just one photograph. The personality of that individual is revealed more multi-dimensionally when images of them laughing, in silence, enduring pain, and caring for someone are gathered together.

The four Gospels are like four windows illuminating Jesus from 360 degrees. They show His person and ministry from different angles.

The early church father Irenaeus even compared them to the four living creatures appearing in the Book of Revelation:

• Matthew keeps Jewish readers primarily in mind, emphasizing Jesus as the “King of the Jews” who fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.
• Mark portrays the image of a suffering and serving Servant with a fast-paced and dynamic literary style.
• Luke highlights the full humanity of Jesus, who cared for the marginalized, and the universal scope of salvation.
• John deeply testifies to His divinity as the Word who existed from the beginning and the Son of God.

2. Reliable and Independent Testimony

The second reason is to allow the truthfulness of the record to be viewed more objectively. The Bible states that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses” a matter is established.

Legal expert Simon Greenleaf analyzed the Gospels from a legal perspective. If the four Gospels were completely identical without a single different letter, it might actually be suspected as evidence of collusion, where the authors coordinated their stories in advance.

However, the four Gospels agree on the core truths—namely, the death and resurrection of Jesus—while showing differences in detailed descriptions or order according to each author’s individuality and perspective.

These “harmonious differences” actually demonstrate that each record has the character of an independent and reliable testimony.

3. Why Four Volumes, Excluding Other Gospels?

In history, several records existed that were not included in the canon, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, and the Gospel of Peter. Nevertheless, there were clear criteria for the Church accepting only the four Gospels as canon.

First is Apostolicity. It was crucial whether the record was connected to apostolic testimony, such as Matthew and John, who were among the twelve disciples of Jesus, or Mark and Luke, who were close associates of the apostles.

Second is Catholicity (Universality). It was considered whether the document was read and recognized by various churches together, rather than being used only in a specific region or by a secretive group.

Third is Date. It was important that the testimony was from the 1st century, close to the eyewitnesses. Gospels outside the canon were generally written at a much later date.

Fourth is Consistency of Content. Whether it faithfully contained historical facts and the teachings of Jesus, and whether mythological embellishments or excessive decoration distracted from the core, were important criteria.

Conclusion: Four Perspectives, One Truth

The existence of four Gospels is not intended to cause confusion. It can be seen as divine providence to help us understand Jesus Christ, our Savior, more richly and fully.

When the kingship of Matthew, the service of Mark, the humanity of Luke, and the divinity of John come together, we discover a more multi-dimensional image of Christ.

Just as different parts come together to form one beautiful chorus, the four Gospels complement each other and tell us the Gospel of life.

Through which of the four windows are we looking at Jesus today?