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A: The only more or less contemporary sources we have for the life of Jesus are the four New Testament gospels. The gospels were originally anonymous, but during the second century, the Church Fathers attributed them to four of the apostles, based on which apostle they felt most likely to have written each one. However, there is no reason to accept the assigned authorships, and modern scholars say that the authors could not have been apostles.

Scholars say that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke used the Gospel of Mark as their principal source for the life of Jesus. In fact, the "Missing Block" proves the the author of Luke's Gospel knew nothing of the life of Jesus, other than what he found in Mark's Gospel. John's Gospel, in turn, was based principally on Luke's Gospel, with some input direct from Mark's Gospel.

Another source used by both Matthew and Luke was the hypothetical 'Q' document. However, 'Q' contained only sayings attributed to Jesus, and did not even mention the crucifixion or resurrection. Whenever Matthew and Luke used the same material from 'Q', they placed the saying or parable in quite different settings and times - evidence that neither really knew whether Jesus had really spoken the saying, nor in what context.

Although it contains no sayings from 'Q', Mark's Gospel is therefore the primary source of information now available on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. All the other gospels are derivative.

The elaborate framework (parallel) structure of Mark's Gospel could not plausibly have been a true chronological record of the life or crucifixion of Jesus so, at the very least, the author substantially altered the accounts he received, to suit his literary preferences. Raymond E. Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) says that Mark seems to depend on traditions (and perhaps already shaped sources) received in Greek - in other words not first hand accounts from any of the apostles. Parallels have been detected between Mark and Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and 1 Corinthians. Some have suggested that Mark's Gospel is an elaboration of material he found in Paul's epistles, and that he created the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

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Q: What is the primary source of information available about the life of Jesus of Nazareth?
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