The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them

Chapter III

The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them

The Relationship between the Gospels Authors and the Old Testament

The fourth fact which has been ignored by the scholars and researchers who have searched for the sources of the Gospels is the study of the texts of the Old Testament, which were cited in the Gospels, objectively and subjectively to find out the truth and the reality of these texts and its accuracy, as well as study the stories that containing those texts, to find out the reliability and the credibility of them.

The study of the texts of the Gospels through this way will lead us very clearly to the sources which the Gospels authors have relied upon, and how they wrote them.

The first thing that draws the attention of the researchers in the New Testament is the large number of texts which are quoted from the Old Testament, and this was considered by the various churches as prophecies talk about Jesus, and is a proof that the New Testament is an extension to the Old Testament, and the Gospels authors had received them from the same source which was received by the authors of the Old Testament, which is the revelation and the inspiration of the Spirit, but after the emergence of the contradictions between the principles and the concepts of the Gospels and the principles and the concepts of the Old Testament, and prove that they were not written by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so we should examine them in detail to find out why the Gospels authors have used these texts to talk about the life of Jesus and their beliefs, as well as to know the truth and the reality of these quotes.

The emergence of the Gospels authors and the Early Churches among the Jewish communities make them trying to persuade the Jews particularly, and the other nations generally, in the notions and beliefs which they believe in through the texts of the Old Testament, which the Jews believe in it. Because on the one hand, represents the divine source of what they believe in, and any attempt to call them for something new should be based on the divine source similar to their source, on the other hand, since the Gospels authors and the rest of the New Testament authors do not have such as this source, as mentioned previously, so they have been forced to quote from the texts of the Old Testament to preach among the Jews, and this can be seen clearly in the Acts of Apostles, which showed the way of preaching of the disciples in many texts, the following is a review of some of them.

Act 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,

Act 1:16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;

Act 1:17 "for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry."

Act 1:18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.

Act 1:19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)

Act 1:20 "For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office’.

In this text Peter cites, or more precisely Luke on the lips of Peter, on the selection of the alternative disciple to replace Judas Iscariot by what is written in the Psalms, and did not cite the words of Jesus or the Holy Spirit! If so, that Luke or Peter had received revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit; what is the need to quote from the Psalms? And here some of the good people of the followers of the churches may find for them an excuse for what they have said, because the Psalms are a revelation from heaven, but these good people will be surprised when they know that Peter and Luke contradict Matthew in the story of the death of Judas Iscariot, as is written in his Gospel, and this story will be discussed later. But what matters here is proving that the disciples were relying on the texts of the Old Testament in writing and preaching, and not on the new revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, even if they wrote stories contradictory with each other, as is the case in this text.

Act 3:18 "But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

Act 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Act 3:20 "and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,

Act 3:21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Act 3:22 "For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.

Act 3:23 ‘And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people’.

Act 3:24 "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.

Act 3:25 "You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed’.

Act 3:26 "To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."

This text is part of Peter's sermon at the Pentecost, which has been added about three thousand persons to the disciples after this sermon, and we note that he has quoted the words of the prophets of the Old Testament, such as the word of Moses the Prophet "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you" and "And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people", (Deuteronomy 18:15) and considered it as a prophecy about Jesus, and this is unacceptable and unimaginable in the light of the laws of faith of the churches which consider Jesus as a god and the son of God, because there is no comparison between the God and the Prophet!

However, we got an important result which is the lack of the revelation with the disciples, for this they need to rely on the texts of the Old Testament.

Act 8:32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

Act 8:33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."

Act 8:34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"

Act 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

This text is part of the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, and we notice that Philip did not preach him through the Gospels or even by the words of Jesus or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, whom took Philip away after this story and appeared in Azotus, as Luke said! But he preached Jesus to him through interpreting the texts of the Old Testament.

Act 15:13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:

Act 15:14 "Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

Act 15:15 "And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

Act 15:16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;

Act 15:17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things’.

This text is part of the story of the dispute that occurred among the disciples concerning the circumcision and the acceptance of preaching among the Gentiles, and we read the position of James and his acceptance to preach among them, and asked them to not circumcise themselves, and no need to obey other laws as well, except to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled and from blood, as is written in the following paragraphs of this chapter, (Acts 15/19-29). What matter here is; what are the evidences which were relied upon by James to prove his point of view?

As we read that James, or more precisely Luke, has quoted to prove his idea from the Old Testament by saying "And with this the words of the prophets agree,  just as it is written", and this is a clear evidence that he does not have a revelation or an inspiration, because if so, he should cite words of the Lord directly, or at least Jesus' words, instead of quoting from the Old Testament!

Act 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

In this text Luke says that Saul, i.e., Paul, confounded and baffled the Jews during his preaching by proving that Jesus is the Christ, so what are the evidences that were relied upon by Paul during his preaching and debating them, are they from the four Gospels?!

Or from his own Gospel which had been received by revelation, as he said previously, or from his understanding and interpretation of the texts of the Old Testament?!

Let's read the following text:

Act 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:

Act 13:17 "The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.

Act 13:18 "Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.

Act 13:19 "And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

Act 13:20 "After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

Act 13:21 "And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Act 13:22 "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will’.

Act 13:23 "From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior — Jesus —

This text shows how Paul has preached Jesus as Christ of the seed of David, and we notice that Paul has cited texts from the Old Testament, and did not cite texts from the four Gospels, as well as did not quote any words of Jesus, or the Holy Spirit; who was filled of it before this time, as Luke said in the Acts of the Apostles, (Acts 9:17-19), and also did not mention any word that shows that he had received a new revelation, as the Prophets of the children of Israel did, and here may some good people of the followers of the churches find an excuse for him, because he cited the words of the old revelation, i.e., the Old Testament, but this excuse will vanish when they know that his saying 'Saul had reigned forty years' contrasts with what is written in the Old Testament! As in the following texts:

1 Samuel 13:1 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel.

Hebrew Version

1 Samuel 13:1 Saul was ---- years old when he began to reign; and two years he reigned over Israel.

King James Version

1 Samuel 13:1 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

New American Standard Version

1 Samuel 13:1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty two years over Israel.

Act 13:26 "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.

Act 13:27 "For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

Act 13:28 "And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.

Act 13:29 "Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

Act 13:30 "But God raised Him from the dead.

Act 13:31 "He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.

Act 13:32 "And we declare to you glad tidings — that promise which was made to the fathers.

Act 13:33 "God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’.

Act 13:34 "And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David’.

Act 13:35 "Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption’.

Act 13:36 "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;

Act 13:37 "but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.

Act 13:38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;

Act 13:39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Act 13:40 "Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

Act 13:41 "Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you’."

In this text Luke writes on the lips of Paul saying that the Jews had fulfilled all the texts of the Old Testament that talk concerning Jesus, and this shows that what Paul has said and written in his Letters are attempts to interpret the texts of the Old Testament to say that it was talking or prophesying about Jesus in line with what he believes, for this he quoted what is written in the Psalms, not from the four Gospels, or even from the words of Jesus which he had received from him directly or through the revelation.

Therefore, I can say that what is written in the four Gospels and the other Letters of the New Testament are attempts by the Authors to interpret what is written in the prophetic books as if it was talking about Jesus as Christ, because they did not have their own revelation, and this will be demonstrated more clearly in the following text:

Act 17:2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Act 17:3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ."

This text shows that Paul was explaining the texts of the Old Testament to the Jews to prove what he believes, which is the way or the approach that he has relied upon, which is called the Gospel of Paul, as shown previously, and this will appear clearly in the following text:

Act 17:10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

Act 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

In this text we read that the Bereans have accepted what was preached by Paul through examining and searching the Old Testament texts, and what Paul has said agrees with those texts, thereby the faith of the Bereans has not based on the four Gospels or revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but relied upon their understanding that the texts of the Old Testament prove that what Paul has said is true, and this will be clearer in the following verses:

Act 18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

Act 18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Act 18:28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

These verses talk about Apollos and how he has convinced the Jews through the texts of the Old Testament that Jesus is the Christ, not through the four Gospels, or through the revelation or the inspiration of Holy Spirit, which have been received by the disciples, nor even through Jesus' miracles, including his resurrection from the dead!

Then we read the following text which is talking about the same method:

Act 19:8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

In this text we read that Paul has argued the Jews in their synagogue for three months, as he tries to persuade them concerning the Kingdom of God, and Jesus as the Christ whom mentioned in the Old Testament, so what are the sources that were relied on by Paul to persuade the Jews?

Does he rely on the revelation of God, or on the words which he has received directly from Him, as was the case with Moses and the prophets of the Old Testament, or even on the words of Jesus or on the miracles?

Let's read the following text:

Act 26:22 "Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come —

Act 26:23 "that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

This text shows very clearly that what was preached by Paul and called for it was through the texts of the Old Testament and his understanding of it, and this text also shows the sources that had been relied upon by Paul, both in his lost gospel, or in his letters which are part of the New Testament! Because he has quoted dozens of texts from the Old Testament, while he wrote only a few texts that talked about Jesus similar to what is written in the four Gospels, but he did not attribute them to the four Gospels, because they were not written at that time, and the following text confirms this clearly:

Act 28:23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.

Act 28:24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.

Act 28:25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,

Act 28:26 "saying, ‘Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive;

Act 28:27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them."‘

Act 28:28 "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"

Act 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves.

In this text we read that Paul was trying to convince the Jews concerning Jesus as the Christ and the Kingdom of God through the texts of the Old Testament, not through the inspiration that he has received from the Lord, or through the texts of the four Gospels, or even through Jesus' miracles, etc., and instead of this he quoted the text of the Book of Isaiah; when they refused him and announced that he will turn to the Gentiles.

This approach or method of preaching emerges clearly in his letters, as in the following texts:

Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

In this text Paul says that what has been written in the Old Testament books was for their learning, and I wonder where he read in any text in the prophetic books any talk about the three gods that should be worshiped with the Lord or beside Him, so that they might give him hope?!

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

In this text Paul says that what has been written in the Old Testament had been written for their admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come, and this view is wrong, because he was thinking that the end of the world will come at his time, as shown previously, (1 Corinthians 15:51) and (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), so we conclude that he had relied upon the Old Testament in his Letters and during his preaching.

Paul has confirmed the importance of the Old Testament to preach Jesus in his second letter to Timothy, despite his position on the Law and the covenants with the children of Israel, as shown previously, as in the following text:

2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

In this text Paul says that the Old Testament books are able to make the man wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, and this indicates that the sources which were relied upon by him to preach Jesus is the Old Testament texts, not the four Gospels, or the revelation or the words and the works of Jesus, for this he was keen to keep those books near him, as in the following text:

2 Timothy 4:13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come — and the books, especially the parchments.

In this text Paul asked Timothy to bring the books and the parchments of the Old Testament, because he needs them during his preaching, so, if he really had received a revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit what is the need to these books?!

Moreover, this is the same way of Peter's preaching, as in the following text:

1Peter 1:10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

1Peter 1:11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

1Peter 1:12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things which angels desire to look into.

In this text Peter says that the prophetic books had prophesied about Jesus, and this proves that his preaching Jesus was based on the Old Testament texts and his interpretation of them, not through a certain revelation that he has received! And the reality of those texts or prophecies will be shown soon in this chapter, to make sure if these texts had prophesied really about Jesus, or were taken from these books and put them in the form of narrative to say that they were prophecies about Jesus.

As well as he confirmed this way of preaching in his Second Letter, as in the following text:

2Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

2Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

2Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

New International Version

- And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.

For prophecy never had its origin in the will man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

In this text Peter says that the prophecies of the Old Testament are not of private interpretation, but the prophets spoke through the Holy Spirit, and this is clear as shown previously, yet did the Gospels authors and the authors of the New Testament Letters interpret these prophecies through the Holy Spirit, or through their own interpretation? This is what will be known soon.

As for his saying that they have the prophetic word; this indicates to the Old Testament, not to the four Gospels, because they were not written at that time.

All these texts lead us to say that the disciples did not preach through a certain book, which have been received by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but through their interpretation of the texts of the Old Testament to say that they were prophecies about Jesus.

This way or method or approach was not far away from the Gospels Authors, so that I consider that the Gospels are the practical expression of this way or method or approach; and its final production; through collecting huge numbers of texts of the Old Testament and reformulating them in their accounts, and saying that this is the life of Jesus according to the prophecies and the texts of the Old Testament which were fulfilled in Jesus and his contemporary generation to bestow a state of holiness and credibility and reliability on what they have written among the Jews particularly, and among the Gentiles generally, but they did not say that the Gospels had been written according to their understanding and their interpretation to those texts away from the historical events! For this we find that no one of the first century historian has mentioned Jesus, such as Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria, as well as we find a lot of historical contradictions between the Gospels themselves, such as determining the date of the birth of Jesus, etc. For this they spent dozens of years to collect the texts to write down the Gospels, which are small books (Matthew around 55 pages, Mark around 35 pages, Luke around 55 pages and John around 45 pages) comparing with big books such as the Story of Civilization by Will Durant (more than 16000 pages). Despite these long period of time, they were unable to compose an integrated story, or provide a coherent account, as will be shown in this chapter. The following is a review of some texts in the Gospels that refer to this way or method or approach of writing:

Matthew 26:54 "How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"

Matthew 26:56 "But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

Mark 14:49 "I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."

Luke 7:27 "This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You’.

New International Version

Luke 7:27 This is the one about whom it is written: ''I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you''.

John 12:14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

John 12:38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

John 13:18 "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me’.

John 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

John 19:24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore the soldiers did these things.

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"

John 19:36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."

Also there are several texts in the Gospels refer to the way or the method that was adopted by Paul and other disciples, including the following texts:

John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

In this text John writes that Jesus asks the Jews to search in the Old Testament books to find out the truth of what he says about himself!

This request indicates that he had relied upon the texts of the Old Testament to prove what he says about his attributes, and not upon the word of the Lord, or upon the revelation, or even upon his miracles!

Luke 24:13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

Luke 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

Luke 24:15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

Luke 24:16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

Luke 24:17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"

Luke 24:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"

Luke 24:19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

Luke 24:20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

Luke 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

Luke 24:22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

Luke 24:23 "When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

Luke 24:24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."

Luke 24:25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Luke 24:26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luke 24:28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.

Luke 24:29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

Luke 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

Luke 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

Luke 24:32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

In this text Luke says that Jesus has explained to the two disciples what was said in the Old Testament concerning him!

This shows that what was relied upon by the Gospels authors to prove that Jesus was the Christ is the Old Testament texts and their interpretation of them, because if they were believing that what they will write of stories about his crucifixion, his death and resurrection as historical events, or as a revelation or an inspiration of the Holy Spirit; will be alone enough for preaching. But they were feeling in their minds that what they will say or compose will not be valuable and reliable and credible without based on the texts that were inspired from the revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and since they do not have such as this revelation or inspiration; so, they were forced to quote texts from the Old Testament and reformulating them in their accounts about him to preach among the Jews at the beginning and later among the Gentiles.

Then we read text in the Gospel of Luke shows clearly this issue, which is as follows:

Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."

Luke 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Luke 24:46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

In this text we find that Luke has written on the lips of Jesus that he has cited the texts of the Old Testament to prove that he is the Christ, and did not cite to prove this by his works or his miracles, or by the Word of the Lord! And this indicates to the way which was adopted by the Gospels authors to preach Jesus as the Christ, which was through the interpretation of the texts of the Old Testament, and say that they are prophecies concerning Jesus.

John 20:9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

In this text John says that the disciples did not know that the Old Testament has spoken of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!

This text shows that what he has written, and the rest of the authors, is just to explain and interpret the texts of the Old Testament, which also confirms that they have not written the Gospels through the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, otherwise, what is the need to prove the resurrection of Jesus through the texts of the Old Testament, if he really rose from the dead?!

Despite these texts, have the four Gospels been really written through collecting huge numbers of texts of the Old Testament and reformulated them in their accounts away from the historical events and the real story of the Christ?

This requires us to study the texts and stories of the Gospels through new way to determine and to verify the following issues:

Have the Gospels been written through the revelation and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

Do the Gospels consistent with each other in the historical events that mentioned therein?

Have the authors quoted the texts of the Old Testament accurately or they have distorted and twisted them?

Have the authors quoted their stories which they said that they are prophecies about Jesus only; or they have quoted the rest of the events of their accounts?!

Do the authors have an extensive knowledge in the Old Testament?

Finally, what is the reliability and the credibility of the four Gospels?

This study will be by examining most of the texts and the stories of the Gospels and comparing them with the texts of the Old Testament that were attributed to it whether directly or indirectly.

For this we should find a law to judge and evaluate these texts, because it is not enough to state that the Gospels contradict with the principles and the concepts of the Old Testament to make them not reliable and not credible, both historically or objectively, I mean in this aspect; the way of quoting from the Old Testament texts, and their accuracy and consistency with the stories of the Gospels themselves. So this law should be accepted by all people and minds. I have found this law in the Old Testament, which is "do not accept the lying and false", as in the following texts:

Exodus 23:7 "Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.

Leviticus 19:11 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

Exodus 23:1 "You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

This law will be the judge in the study of the texts and the stories of the Gospels that were quoted from the Old Testament, which is accepted by all people.

As well as, this law is consistent with the attributes of the Lord the Creator of the heavens and the earth, as in the following text:

Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

The Lord the Creator of the heavens and the earth is not a man; therefore He does not lie. So if any word or story is false or lie or not true and was attributed to Him, or to the revelation or to the inspiration of Holy Spirit; certainly He did not say it, or was inspired by Him, and we in the end of this chapter will see how many stories and sayings and words of the Gospels that will remain away from this law, and does not apply to them!

Whereupon we will know the sources and the credibility and the reliability of the Gospels, and if it was the word of the Lord or revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or they are just stories and sayings have been quoted from the Old Testament and reformulated in the books which later named the Gospels; away from the LORD and His Word and the Revelation and the Spirit.

Given the numerous texts which were quoted in the four Gospels, and the variety ways of Quoting; such as some of the texts say as it is written, and some of them say to fulfill of what is said, and so on. In addition, that some of them quoted some texts during the arguments, dialogues and discussions between the figures of the Gospels, as what happened during the temptation of Jesus, or when Jesus has argued and discussed the Jews, and some of them in a certain way; without having attributed directly to the Old Testament, such as the texts that had been written about the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, and other ways of Quoting, These things, whether the texts or the ways make the researcher in confusion from where to start! After careful consideration, I have decided to divide them into several sections, which are as follows:

The first section is the texts in the Gospels that have been attributed to the Old Testament, while they are not written in it!

The second section is the texts in the Gospels that have been attributed to some of the books of the Old Testament, while they are written in other books.

The third section is the texts in the Gospels that mentioned some names and numbers which are contrary to what is written in the Old Testament.

The fourth section is the texts that have been attributed directly to the Old Testament, and comparing them with the texts of the Old Testament to find out the truth and the credibility and the reliability of these texts, and if they have been fulfilled in Jesus and his time and his contemporary generation or not.

The fifth section is the texts that have quoted the texts of the Old Testament during some dialogues and discussions and arguments that took place among the figures of the Gospels, whether Jesus or the Jews or even the devil.

The sixth section is the texts that were not attributed directly to the Old Testament, but were quoted from it and examining them and comparing them with the texts of the Old Testament to find out if they were talking about Jesus or not.