One way to answer this question is to look at the language in which they were written. Languages vary from place to place and from time to time, and by looking at the language we can discover when and where the material in the Gospels began. The Gospels were written in Koine Greek, used in the eastern Mediterranean in the first century AD. However, the Greek used in the Gospels contains linguistic features which indicate that the speech within them came from people who often thought in Hebrew or Aramaic.

These ‘linguistic fossils’ are consistent with the idea that the accounts in the Gospels come from Palestine at the time of Jesus, and not from a gentile church, although they were written for a Greek-speaking readership.

This indicates that the accounts are close to the events of the ministry of Jesus, and not church-inspired fiction.

The presence of the linguistic fossils also shows that they have been copied reliably by Greek scribes over the centuries, as alterations would tend to follow later language conventions. In addition to the general linguistic background of the Gospels, we have specific features of the speech of Jesus. He has an individual style which appears in all the Gospels (for example, the use of parables and the use of the word “Amen” at the start of a saying rather than the end).

Linguistic evidence tends to suggest that the Gospels give a very reliable account of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Join us for a presentation on this subject in Pontlliw Village Hall, on 14th June at 10.30am, God Willing