Why are the Gospels Anonymous?

Unpacking a scholarly trope

The common claim that the Gospels are ‘anonymous’ may seem strange in light of the following facts:¹ 

• The earliest Gospel manuscripts we have bear variations of the titles, ‘the Gospel according to so-and-so.’ While these manuscripts date from the late second or early third century, we generally take the earliest manuscripts to be a reflection of what the authors originally wrote. 

• There is no disagreement about the authorship of the Gospels, which we might have expected if they were originally anonymous. 

• The Gospel attributions to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were accepted across the scope of the Christian world, from Syria to Africa to France.

• While the Gospel authors never disclose their identities within their narratives, this is not at all unusual for ancient biography. 

Why, then, do most Gospels scholars – from across the ideological spectrum – claim that the titles were not original? That the Gospels were, strictly-speaking, ‘anonymous?’ In this post, I will unpack three reasons this view is upheld.