The Maturation Of The Gospels
Most people think that Matthew was the first Gospel written because it comes first. Similarly, most people think Paul wrote Romans first; however, the positional placement is more about the length and volume of doctrine than when written. For those that are interested in the history and progression of the Gospels, the following should interest you.
Mark is the earliest of the Gospel writers and the most brief.
Let us not quibble over two to four years in difference, but to look at the big picture. I align with Raymond Edward Brown (1928 -1998), an American Roman Catholic priest and New Testament Biblical scholar. He was regarded as a specialist concerning the hypothetical Johannine community, which he speculated contributed to the authorship of the Gospel of John.
I see Mark written around 68-70CE and John in the 90-95CE time frame.
The difference in those 20-25 years shows not only the maturation of the Christian message, but also the movement from an historical Jesus to a spiritual Christos. There are many examples that show the progressive thinking of the Christian community which was highly diverse making denominationalism today look tame.
One of the best examples of the changing understanding of who Jesus was is found in the final moments of the life of Jesus. In other words, we move from the agony of Mark 15:53 to the exhilaration of John 19:30. Mark has Jesus wailing, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me”? That’s a good question. Why would a God of unconditional love forsake Jesus who was sinless?
How does that work?
John on the other hand has none of that. Instead, Jesus says triumphantly, “It is finished”. He knows Abba Father would never forsake him, he knows God is love, and he knows there is there is nothing that can separate him from the love of Abba Father. What a stark difference. But, isn’t this just the kind of progression that we should all have in our spiritual growth?
It is with me. The God I once feared as an immature Christian has given way to a merciful and forgiving Creator-Father-Consciousness who loves me unconditionally. Let’s keep going deeper in that rabbit hole- one that I imagine has no bottom! 
As a spiritual-futurist, I have a BA degree majoring in history. One cannot know the future without knowing the past which holds clues to what is on the horizon. The world is in such a rapid expansion of knowledge that we are close to entering a tipping point that will forever change earth as we know it. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/the-maturation-of-the-gospels-1785947.html
