Aims of the Biblical authors
The Bible is a collection of books by a range of different authors who each had their own purpose, aims and context within which the authors were writing.
The main aim of the Bible is to inform people about:
- God
- God's laws
- God's teachings
- God's salvation
Each book has a different style because of the audience of the time, and the context within which the authors were writing. Each book needs to be understood within its context, because the meaning is then more accurately understood.
The table below shows the context and aims of the Gospel writers.
| Matthew | The Apostle Matthew (Levi) is linked to this Gospel. He had in mind people who were Jewish converts to Christianity. He includes many quotations from the Jewish Scriptures to show that Jesus was the fulfilment of God’s promise to the Jews about the Messiah. |
| Mark | This very short Gospel concentrates on the last week before Jesus died. It shows how Jesus accepted suffering and won final victory over death and evil. Its main purpose was to encourage the Church in Rome which was suffering persecution. |
| Luke | This was written for a Gentile Church. It includes many stories to show that Jesus is the saviour of the whole world. St Luke also shows how Jesus had time for the outsider, for people in society who were normally on the margins – women, the poor, foreigners, the sick and sinners. |
| John | The Apostle John is linked to this Gospel. There are many differences between St John’s Gospel and the other three. This is the only Gospel in which Jesus openly claims to be the Messiah. Famous sayings like, “I am the Light of the World” and “I am the Bread of Life” are in this Gospel. |
| Matthew |
| The Apostle Matthew (Levi) is linked to this Gospel. He had in mind people who were Jewish converts to Christianity. He includes many quotations from the Jewish Scriptures to show that Jesus was the fulfilment of God’s promise to the Jews about the Messiah. |
| Mark |
| This very short Gospel concentrates on the last week before Jesus died. It shows how Jesus accepted suffering and won final victory over death and evil. Its main purpose was to encourage the Church in Rome which was suffering persecution. |
| Luke |
| This was written for a Gentile Church. It includes many stories to show that Jesus is the saviour of the whole world. St Luke also shows how Jesus had time for the outsider, for people in society who were normally on the margins – women, the poor, foreigners, the sick and sinners. |
| John |
| The Apostle John is linked to this Gospel. There are many differences between St John’s Gospel and the other three. This is the only Gospel in which Jesus openly claims to be the Messiah. Famous sayings like, “I am the Light of the World” and “I am the Bread of Life” are in this Gospel. |
The Bible is not to be understood and read in the same way as other historical documents. Although the authors did include many historical facts and truths, this was not their main aim. The main priorities are to convey:
- the truth about God
- the incarnation of Christ
- the promise of salvation