The Gospels for All Christians? A Response to Richard Bauckham

Abstract

Richard Bauckham has recently challenged the consensus view that the Gospels were written for local Christian communities. He suggests that this hypothesis has been more assumed than argued in Gospel scholarship, and he presents an alternative thesis that the Gospels were in fact written for all Christians. This study responds to both of these contentions. First, it maintains that Bauckham’s arguments in favour of his hypothesis do not stand up to scrutiny; they are largely circumstantial and lack concrete support. Secondly, it provides evidence that scholars have been correct to identify the intended readers of the Gospels with the local communities of the Evangelists.