The twelve : another perspective: John 6, 67-71

Abstract

Almost from the beginning of Christian history it has been recognized that the fourth gospel is radically different from the other three gospels in the New Testament. During Patristic times, the difference was epitomized in the characterization of the fourth gospel as "the spiritual gospel" and the choice of the eagle as a symbol to represent its author who was, as it were, considered capable of soaring to the heights of heaven. In the early years of the historical critical era, the difference between the fourth gospel and the others was summed up in the characterization of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as "the synoptic gospels," a category from which the fourth gospel was obviously - and for good reason - excluded. The difference between the Synoptics and the fourth gospel received symbolic expression in the printed synopses, beginning with Griesbach's work in 1774, which contained only the first three of the canonical gospels.