The Four Gospels: The Infancy Narratives

Section A: Rationale and Preliminary Research One of the great strengths of the Christian scriptures is the four Gospels which provide us with four different perspectives about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Growing up in a Roman Catholic family, I was introduced to the Infancy Narratives at a young age and was always learning more about it in religion class at school. When the Gospels were written, there were very few details about the birth and early life of Jesus. The Infancy Narratives are not factual accounts, nevertheless, they are theological portraits of Jesus Christ. They painted a picture of who Jesus would be in the future and what the people felt about him. Matthew and Luke had to paint this picture because there were
Another difference between the two Gospels is the role of women, specifically Mary, the Mother of Jesus. In Luke’s gospel, Mary is said to have received the dreams brought by the angel of God. During the time the Gospels were written, women were nowhere near equal to men. I think that it was very important for Luke to defy the gender rolls of the time and to show the importance that women had in a male-dominated society. An additional example of the differences between the Gospels in the picture of poverty. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus is born and is visited by magi bearing expensive and lavish gifts to the newborn Messiah. This is not the picture that is portrayed in the Gospel according to Luke. I think this is a very significant feature found in the Gospel because it is such a critical teaching of Christianity, that all people are equal, no matter what their social status is or how much money they
Matthew and Luke went against social norms of the time and regarded highly of the poor or those who were of high social status. This is the message that God wanted them to share with people, that everyone was equal in the eyes of God. This is a message of Christianity that began with the Gospel writers and has been passed on to people today. The connection between the Infancy Narratives, God’s message, and how it relates to teachings of Christianity today is something very special to the faith life of Christians