Synopsis and the Synoptic Gospels

The Gospel of Matthew is the first of the four canonical Gospels and the one that opens the New Testament. Addressed primarily to readers of Jewish culture, it presents Jesus as the Messiah announced by the Scriptures, heir to the promise made to Abraham and David. It opens with a carefully constructed genealogy and unfolds around five great discourses, including the famous Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew gives an important place to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, to the ethical teachings of Jesus, to the birth and childhood of the Messiah, and to the conflicts with the religious authorities of his time, notably the Pharisees.

The articles in this section examine the literary and theological particularities of this Gospel, its context of composition, its narrative structure, and its major themes: the Kingdom of Heaven, the new Law, the parables, and the mission entrusted to the disciples.

The Gospel of Luke is one of the four canonical accounts of the life of Jesus, and undoubtedly the most literary. A physician and companion of Paul, Luke stands out for his historical rigor and his concern to go back to the sources: he himself declares that he consulted eyewitnesses in order to compose an orderly and reliable account.

This section covers the major introductory questions about this gospel: who was Luke, what sources did he use, what editorial method does he adopt, and what theological project guides him? It also explores his relationship to the other Synoptic Gospels and his particular sensitivity to women, the poor and the marginalized.

To read Luke is to enter an account that is at once rigorous and deeply human, which begins with prophetic announcements — the birth of John the Baptist, then that of Jesus — and unfolds up to the resurrection. An ideal doorway for anyone who wishes to understand the narrative and theological foundations of the Gospels.

This sub-theme gathers the Gospel passages where Jesus addresses the question of scandals — those acts, words or situations that become spiritual traps, occasions to stumble for others or for oneself. The Greek term "skandalon" literally designates an obstacle that makes one fall, and Jesus uses it with particular gravity to warn his disciples against everything that could draw believers away from God.

These texts cover in particular the warnings of Jesus about those who cause the little ones to stumble, the teachings on personal responsibility in the face of sin, and the confrontations with the Pharisees whose behavior is itself a scandal for the people.

To read these passages is to discover a demanding ethic of discipleship: Jesus never minimizes the gravity of causing another to fall. He calls his followers to constant vigilance, both over their actions and over their spiritual influence.

This sub-theme resonates with the teachings on the parable of the sower, purity of heart and communal responsibility in the early Church.