(February 1, 2016 at 4:11 pm)Rhythm Wrote:(February 1, 2016 at 3:50 pm)athrock Wrote: We would agree (I think) that the later copies of the book now known as Matthew would clearly state, "The Gospel According to Matthew". But if the book was published anonymously or its author was unknown to the early Church,the "early church" wasn't in any better a position to know the author than we are now...
This is wishful thinking on your part.
Roughly akin to saying that a New York Mets fan wouldn't be able to know when his team had won its championships...regardless of when that fan was born...without ever reading a book. A grandfather would tell his grandson about the Miracle Mets of '69. A father would tell his son about how the Mets were one out away from losing before coming back to win in '86. History that is passed on orally is history nonetheless.
Peter and Paul taught Clement and Ignatius. John discipled Polycarp and Papias. Polycarp discipled Irenaeus who mentored Hippolytus.
The Early Church knew EXACTLY who wrote the gospels because it knew the men who wrote them and it knew the men who knew the men who wrote them. And it knew the men who knew the men who knew the men...generation after generation after generation.
