Early Christian Beliefs About the Harmony of the Gospels
Early Christians said the four Gospels belong together and agree in the same faith, even when the order or wording differs. Irenaeus defended the fourfold Gospel, and Origen said apparent disagreements can be understood in harmony. Tertullian and Dionysius of Alexandria also rejected the idea that the evangelists truly clash.
126 early-church witnesses · 213 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about the Harmony of the Gospels?
Early Christians taught that the four Gospels belong together and do not contradict each other in the faith. Irenaeus strongly defended the four-Gospel collection, while Origen said the Gospels may seem different but are in perfect harmony when read rightly. Dionysius of Alexandria also said the evangelists should not be thought to disagree, and Tertullian argued that even when narrative order varies, the core faith remains in agreement.
The evidence is broad and steady across the 2nd and 3rd centuries, though some passages focus more on the number of Gospels than on full method of harmony. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Irenaeus defended four Gospels, not fewer and not more.
- Origen said the Gospels can seem different but are really in harmony.
- Tertullian allowed differences in order as long as the faith agrees.
- Dionysius of Alexandria said the evangelists should not be treated as contradicting each other.
Questions Answered by the Sources
How did early Christians explain apparent differences between the Gospels?
Several early writers say the Gospels may seem different at first glance but are actually in harmony. Origen explicitly says terms that seem to disagree may be shown to be in harmony, and Dionysius of Alexandria says the evangelists should not be supposed to disagree or contradict each other.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching
It is not possible for the Gospels to be more or fewer in number than they are. Since there are four zones of the world we live in and four principal winds, while the Church is spread throughout the whole world, and the "pillar and ground" of the Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life; it's fitting that it should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side and renewing humans. From this fact, it's clear that the Word, the Creator of all, He who sits upon the cherubim and contains all things, He who was revealed to humanity, has given us the Gospel in four aspects, but connected by one Spirit. As David says when pleading for His manifestation, “You that sit between the cherubim, shine forth.” For the cherubim were also four-faced, and their faces were images of the arrangement of the Son of God. As Scripture says, “The first living creature was like a lion,” symbolizing His powerful work, His leadership, and royal power; the second living creature was like a calf, signifying His sacrificial and priestly order; the third had, as it were, the face of a man—clearly describing His coming as a human; the fourth was like a flying eagle, pointing out the gift of the Spi
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching
Concerning the four Gospels which alone are uncontroverted in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the Gospel according to Matthew, who was at one time a publican and afterwards an Apostle of Jesus Christ, was written first;
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Caius, Fragments Supporting witness
And hence, although different points are taught us in the several books of the Gospels, there is no difference as regards the faith of believers, inasmuch as in all of them all things are related under one imperial Spirit, which concern the Lord's nativity, His passion, His resurrection, His conversation with His disciples, and His twofold advent, — the first in the humiliation of rejection, which is now past, and the second in the glory of royal power, which is yet in the future.
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Origen, Commentary on John Supporting witness
Now the Gospels are four. These four are, as it were, the elements of the faith of the Church, out of which elements the whole world which is reconciled to God in Christ is put together;
Did early Christians say the Gospels agree with each other?
Yes. Origen said passages that seem to disagree are really in perfect harmony, and Dionysius of Alexandria said not to think the evangelists disagree or contradict each other. Tertullian also said that even if the order of events varies, the faith can still agree.
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching
...ose who do not have ears to hear, these things may seem to disagree, but they are really in perfect harmony. For just as the different strings of the psalter or the lyre each give its own sound, and one sound seems different from another, a man who is not musical and does not understand the principle of harmony thinks they are out of harmony because the sounds are different. In the same way, those who are not trained to hear the harmony of God in the sacred Scriptures think that the Old is not in harmony with the New, or the Prophets with the Law, or the Gospels with one another, or the Apostle with the Gospel, or with himself, or with the other Apostles. But the man who comes instructed in the music of God, being wise in word and deed, and for this reason like another David, which by interpretation means skillful with the hand, will bring out the sound of the music of God. He has learned from this how to strike the strings at the right time: now the strings of the Law, now the Gospel strings in harmony with them, and again the Prophetic strings, and, when reason requires it, the Apostolic strings, which are in harmony with the Prophetic ones, and likewise the Apostolic with tho
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Dionysius of Alexandria, Miscellaneous Fragments Supporting witness
And let us not suppose that the evangelists disagree or contradict each other.
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
Never mind if there does occur some variation in the order of their narratives, provided that there be agreement in the essential matter of the faith, in which there is disagreement with Marcion.
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
Luke's gospel. Far from being at variance, they were in perfect unison with the writings of the Old Testament, and therefore testified that the Creator was the only God, and that the Lord Jesus was his Christ.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these things, among which Christ Jesus is seated.
How did early Christians explain differences between the Gospels?
Origen said that words which seem to disagree may be shown to be in harmony when compared carefully, and that special meanings in each passage can be explained. He treated apparent differences as something to be worked through, not as a reason to reject the Gospels.
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Origen, Commentary on John Direct teaching
...o compare the wording of the passage we are considering with similar wording found elsewhere in the Gospels. We will continue to do this, point by point, to the end of this work. In this way, terms that seem to disagree may be shown to be in harmony, and the special meanings in each may be explained. We will do this in the present passage. The words, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,” are put by John, who was a disciple, into the mouth of the Baptist. In Mark, however, the same words are recorded at the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, according to the Scripture of Isaiah, as follows: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” Now the words, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” added by John, are not found in the prophet. Perhaps John was seeking to shorten the words, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God,” and so he wrote, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Mark, meanwhile, j
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Origen, Commentary on John Supporting witness
... belief; for both of these qualities are believed to belong to these writings. Those who accept the four Gospels, and who do not think that their apparent difference is to be resolved anagogically, that is, by mystical interpretation, will have to explain the difficulty raised above about the forty days of the temptation, a period for which no place can be found in John's account in any way. They will also have to tell us when it was that the Lord came to Capernaum. If it was after the six days in the period of His baptism, the sixth day being that of the marriage at Cana of Galilee, then it is clear that the temptation never took place, that He was never at Nazara, and that John had not yet been delivered up. Now after Capernaum, where He stayed not many days, the Passover of the Jews was near, and He went up to Jerusalem. There He drove the sheep and oxen out of the temple and poured out the small coins of the bankers. In Jerusalem also, it appears that Nicodemus, the ruler and Pharisee, first came to Him by night and heard what we can read in the Gospel. After these things, John 3:23-26, Jesus came with His disciples into the land of Judea, and there He stayed with them and b
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Origen, Commentary on John Background
3. What We are to Think of the Discrepancies Between the Different Gospels.
Common Questions
Did early Christians think the four Gospels agreed with each other?
Yes. Writers like Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, and Dionysius said the four Gospels belong together and do not clash in the faith.
Did they allow differences in Gospel order or wording?
Yes. Origen said passages may seem different but are in harmony, and Tertullian said variation in narrative order does not destroy agreement in the faith.
Did early Christians defend only four Gospels?
Yes. Irenaeus and Origen both spoke plainly of four Gospels as the accepted set in the Church.
Source Index for the Harmony of the Gospels
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 213 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 126
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 87
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.