Did the Gospel Writers Feel Free to Make Stuff Up?

http://www.SecretInfoClub.com Some people hold the view that the writers of the four gospels felt free to basically make stuff up, to freely shape the narratives they were writing about Jesus' life by either manufacturing stories about his deeds or making up teachings and putting them on his lips.

The idea is that they used the figure of Jesus as a vehicle for their own ideas, and they made up material to serve the perceived needs of their local Christian communities.

It's easy to show that by the second century there were a lot of people identifying themselves as Christians who did exactly this. That's why there were so many Gnostic gospels dating from the second to the fourth century.

But what about the first century, canonical gospels?

Let's take a look . . .

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[krssswank]

best shirt ever

[mattd259]

“Let the chin have the hair. . . . For an ample beard suffices it for men. . . . The hair on the chin is not to be disturbed.” - Clement of Alexandria

Reminds me of Jimmy!

[CarcharodonMeg]

Jimmy... There are at minimum 3 references to Mystery Science 3000 in your office.

I adore you, sir.

[JakeObnial]

@CarcharodonMeg yeah. I know they had some truths in them. A priest actually told us some stuff from a gnostic gospel last time

[CarcharodonMeg]

Sure there are- just not any that aren't also found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

[Jared Zetterlund]

Love your videos!

[stcolreplover]

I took a course on the historical Jesus. Why does Bart Ehrman never bring this point up?

[Thom Willis]

Great video Jimmy!

[JakeObnial]

There are bits of truth in some gnostic gospels, right? 

[chrstnwlkr]

Thoughtful. I appreciate the effort!