[*Note: This is a significant extension to what I wrote on Facebook and Through the Church Fathers yesterday. ]
Do you think the Gospel writers fully understood everything they recorded Jesus saying?
This question is even more relevant for figures like Mark and Luke, who documented accounts one step removed from Jesus—Mark through Peter and Luke through various sources.
It also makes us consider the early Church Fathers, whom a large group and I are reading through right now. Men like Ignatius, Clement, and Polycarp certainly had a generational layer of interpretation, yet they were very close to the Apostles.
But does proximity always ensure a correct understanding? Or does it simply mean their views are more likely to represent what the Apostles believed? And then, of course, there’s the proximity to Jesus Himself. Jesus undoubtedly understood everything He said—but did the Apostles fully grasp it when they recorded His words?
Examples of Possible Gaps in Understanding
Okay, let me articulate my question one final time:
1. Did the Gospel writers understand everything they wrote?
2. Did the Gospel writers understand everything they recorded Jesus saying?
For example, did they fully comprehend why Jesus cursed the fig tree when they wrote it? Or is that something for us to discover later, as Scripture unfolds its meaning? Did John understand everything he wrote in Revelation, or does that understanding develop through an integration of other biblical authors? Did Paul grasp the full doctrine of the Trinity, or do we see that doctrine come into clearer focus over time? I could go on and on with examples.
(We see a similarly fascinating debate with the Old Testament prophets, who recorded God’s prophecies. But let’s stay focused on the New Testament.)
I just thought of something I need to clarify, and I’m too lazy to go back and write it in earlier. Let me be clear: I am not talking about or suggesting any mechanical view of dictation. That’s off the table—at least directly in what I’m asking.
The Final, Final Question (No, Not Really—This is Getting Way Too Exciting!
If they did not fully understand everything they wrote—or even everything Jesus said—do you think our hermeneutic needs adjusting? The classical evangelical conservative hermeneutic is authorial intent hermeneutics. In this, we look to the mind of the author to understand what he means, rather than trying to see what it means to us. It is a historical-grammatical hermeneutic.
But there’s always been a question: Are we to get into the mind of the author (authorial intent hermeneutics)—or the mind of the ancient reader?
My Growing Interest in Canonical Hermeneutics
Lately, this is what I’ve been drawn to. I still hold to the primacy of authorial intent hermeneutics and respect its role in preserving the intended meaning of Scripture. But if the biblical authors themselves didn’t always grasp the full theological weight of what they wrote, then perhaps interpretation must also account for how the entire canon reveals the fullness of meaning over time.
This does not mean interpretation becomes subjective or reader-determined. Instead, it aligns with a canonical hermeneutic, as advocated by Brevard Childs, which recognizes that Scripture should be understood in its final, received form—interpreted in light of the whole canon and the Spirit-led understanding of the Church throughout history.
This doesn’t replace authorial intent; rather, it situates it within the broader theological narrative God is telling through Scripture. In other words, meaning is still found in the mind of God and the author—100% each—but it also unfolds as the faithful community, guided by the Spirit, comes to understand Scripture more fully.
Conclusion
Believe it or not, this started as a one-sentence question I was posting on Facebook to spark discussion. It’s still a question for you all, but this is me thinking out loud—not expressing any personal dogma.
That said, I do like Canonical Development Hermeneutics.
What do you think?
*I’ll teach on this much more this year in my Through Theology in a Year podcast on YouTube and other podcast distributors. Just look for Theology Unplugged or Credo House on Facebook.
