Short answer
No. The Gospel writers were not prophets, and they were not inspired either. No one knows for certain who wrote the four Gospels. Their names were added later, and the books were written decades after Jesus. The churches say the Holy Spirit inspired them. But in the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is God. If God (﷾) gave them their words, that would make them prophets, not authors. No church calls them prophets, and they never claimed it. They wrote as authors: ordinary men giving their own accounts. Their books show it. They copy from each other, they disagree, and they make mistakes. So it is wrong to call the Bible we have today "inspired". Jesus did preach a Gospel: the Injil God (﷾) gave him. But no record of it in his own words has survived. Only fragments of what he said remain, in Greek, in books written by others. God's (﷾) final word, the Qur'an, came to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). It was written down in his lifetime, and God (﷾) promised to guard it.
Full explanation
No one knows who wrote them
None of the four Gospels names its writer in its text. Titles such as the Gospel according to Matthew were added later. The first writer known to name all four is Irenaeus, around the year 180. Even an evangelical study Bible grants that Mark, Luke and John do not name their authors. Most critical scholars hold that none was written by an eyewitness. So the names rest on church tradition, not on the books themselves.
Sets out the view held by most critical scholars: the four Gospels were written anonymously, decades after Jesus, by people who were not eyewitnesses, and the names Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were attached later.
Irenaeus, writing about 180, is the earliest writer to name all four Gospel authors. He says Matthew issued a Gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, Mark handed down in writing what Peter had preached, Luke, Paul's companion, set down the gospel Paul preached, and John, the disciple of the Lord, published his Gospel at Ephesus.
The evangelical NIV Study Bible's introductions hold to the traditional authors, but grant that the books themselves do not name them. On Mark: there is no direct evidence inside the book of who wrote it; the name rests on the testimony of the early church. On Luke: the name of the writer does not appear in the book (it adds that other evidence points to Luke). On John: the apostle is not named anywhere in the Gospel, and the notes argue for him from that silence.
Written decades after Jesus
Jesus spoke Aramaic. The Gospels were written in Greek, decades after him. A standard textbook dates Mark to about 65-70, Matthew and Luke to about 80-85, and John to about 90-95. So the writers set down, in another language, what had been passed on for a generation or more.
A standard textbook. It dates Paul's earliest letters to around 50 CE, Mark to about 65-70, Matthew and Luke to about 80-85, and John to about 90-95, and notes that Jesus spoke Aramaic while the Gospels were written in Greek by authors who do not name themselves. It also says Paul did not know Jesus during Jesus' lifetime and came to faith only after the crucifixion.
- Jesus' lifetime
Jesus preaches
He speaks Aramaic and preaches the gospel of the kingdom of God (﷾).
- About 65-70
Mark
Written in Greek. Its writer does not name himself.
- About 80-85
Matthew and Luke
Both copy much of Mark, often word for word.
- About 90-95
John
It ends with a note from others: "we know that his testimony is true."
- Around 180
The names appear
Irenaeus is the first writer known to name all four.
What "inspired" means to the churches
The churches teach that the Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Christians quote: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God". The Catholic Church says God (﷾) chose men who used their own powers and abilities. It calls them true authors, yet says they wrote only what God (﷾) wanted. So, on this view, the words are both theirs and God's (﷾).
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
The Catholic Church teaches that the books of the Bible were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and have God as their author. In writing them, it says, God chose men who used their own powers and abilities, so that they were true authors, yet wrote everything and only what God wanted.
Inspired that way, they would be prophets
In the Trinity, "the Holy Ghost is God", the Athanasian Creed says. So to say the Holy Spirit gave these men their words is to say God (﷾) gave them. That is exactly what a prophet is. The Bible itself says God (﷾) speaks to prophets in many ways: "in a vision" and "in a dream". The Qur'an says the same: by inspiration, from behind a veil, or through an angel. The way does not matter. Whoever receives God's (﷾) words is a prophet, not an author. Yet no church calls these writers prophets. So either they were prophets, which no one claims, or they were not given God's (﷾) words at all.
“So the Father is God: the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.”
“And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.”
“It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.”
None of them claims it
God (﷾) told Jeremiah: "I have put my words in thy mouth." Moses, Abraham and Muhammad (ﷺ) each said God (﷾) spoke to them. No Gospel writer says this about himself. Luke opens by saying many had already written. He says he had "perfect understanding of all things from the very first", and wrote it in order. John's Gospel ends with a note from others: "we know that his testimony is true." These are authors and editors at work, writing their own accounts.
“Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”
“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,”
“This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.”
| Test | A prophet: Jeremiah, Moses, Muhammad (ﷺ) | The Gospel writers |
|---|---|---|
| Says God (﷾) gave him his words | ||
| Writes from his own research | ||
| Copies another writer's account | ||
| Called a prophet by the churches |
- Yes
- No
Whoever receives God's (﷾) words is a prophet. The Gospel writers wrote as authors.
Copying, disagreements and mistakes
The books themselves show human authors. Matthew and Luke copy much of Mark, often word for word. They also disagree. Matthew says Judas "went and hanged himself". Acts, by the writer of Luke, says he fell "headlong" and "burst asunder". Matthew calls Joseph's father Jacob, and Luke calls him Heli. And they make mistakes. Mark names "Abiathar the high priest", but 1 Samuel names Ahimelech. Matthew credits words to "Jeremy the prophet" that are found in Zechariah. Words given by God (﷾) would not do this. Ordinary men writing their own accounts do.
The classic statement of the view most New Testament scholars still hold: Mark was written first, and Matthew and Luke both used Mark as a source, taking over most of its material, often word for word and in the same order.
“And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
“Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”
“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
“How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?”
Recounts that as a student at Princeton Theological Seminary he wrote a long paper arguing that Mark 2:26 is not an error, although 1 Samuel names Ahimelech as the priest. His professor wrote in the margin that maybe Mark just made a mistake. Ehrman says this began his change of mind about the Bible being without error.
“Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.”
“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.”
"All scripture" meant the Hebrew Bible
The verse "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" does not speak of the Gospels. The verse before says Timothy had known these scriptures "from a child". When he was a child, no Gospel had been written. So the word "inspired" was later stretched to cover books whose writers never claimed it. To call the Bible we have today "inspired" is a claim its own writers did not make.
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
The Gospel Jesus preached
Mark says Jesus came "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God", and told people to "believe the gospel". The Qur'an says God (﷾) gave Jesus the Injil: "therein was guidance and light". So the Injil did come down. Jesus preached it to the people. But no record of it in his own words has survived. He spoke Aramaic, and the Gospels keep only a few of his Aramaic words, such as "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" The rest of what we have is retold in Greek by later writers. John's Gospel itself admits that "many other things which Jesus did" were never written.
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”
If his words mattered, why were they lost?
This is a big question for anyone who holds the Bible to be God's (﷾) word. If what Jesus said was so important, why do only fragments of it remain? The Qur'an gives an answer. Earlier peoples were trusted to keep their own books: "to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's book". Of the Christians it says: "they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them". So God (﷾) sent a final book, and kept its guarding for Himself: "We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)." The Qur'an confirms the scripture before it, "guarding it in safety".
“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.”
“From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the day of judgment. And soon will Allah show them what it is they have done.”
“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”
“To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;”
How the Qur'an came
The Qur'an says of the Prophet (ﷺ): "Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him". He received it as God's (﷾) words, as the prophets before him received theirs. He recited it to his followers, and it was written down in his lifetime and learned by heart. Its messenger is known, and so is its source.
“Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him:”
“We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.”
Perspectives
The Gospel writers were inspired
Most Christians say the Gospel writers were not prophets. But they say the Holy Spirit inspired what they wrote, so the Gospels are God's word.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, including the Gospels.
Rebuttal
The verse speaks of scriptures Timothy knew from childhood, before any Gospel was written. It is about the Hebrew Bible. No Gospel writer claims that God (﷾) gave him his words. Luke says he wrote from careful research.
Inspiration is not prophecy: the Spirit guided the writers without giving them a message.
Rebuttal
If the Holy Spirit is God, and He chose their words, then God (﷾) gave them His words. That would make them prophets, not authors. If He did not choose their words, they were ordinary authors writing their own accounts. Their books show which: they copy each other, disagree and make mistakes.
The writers were apostles or close to them, so their witness is sure.
Rebuttal
The books do not name their writers. The names first appear together around 180, in Irenaeus. Mark and Luke were not among the twelve, and Matthew copies Mark.
John also wrote Revelation, which God gave to show His servants what must come. So at least John was a prophet.
Rebuttal
Revelation's writer calls himself John, but never says he is the disciple or the writer of the Gospel. The Gospel never names its writer at all. Dionysius, a third-century bishop of Alexandria, judged from the Greek and the ideas that they were not the same man.
The Islamic perspective
The Gospel writers were neither prophets nor inspired. They were unknown authors writing their own accounts decades later, and their books copy, disagree and err. The Injil God (﷾) gave Jesus was preached by him, but no record of it in his words survives. The Qur'an came as God's (﷾) final word, and He guards it.
The Gospels do not name their writers; the names come from later tradition.
They were written decades after Jesus.
Luke says he wrote what eyewitnesses handed down, after careful research.
The Gospels copy from each other, disagree, and contain mistakes.
Jesus preached the Gospel before any of the four was written.
God (﷾) gave Jesus his own Gospel, the Injil.
God (﷾) promised to guard the Qur'an Himself.