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Explain why the gospel authors at times differ from each other in their accounts.
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They differ because they were each writing to a different audience. If I were retelling what we learned in chapel to 1st graders, I would use short and simple sentences to describe it. I would make it easy for the kids to understand. If I were retelling the same chapel experience to a group of seniors, I might go more in-depth on what my feelings were and if I agreed. I would tailor my thoughts to that age group vs the younger one.
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Each of the four gospels is written by a different person. Each man has his own upbringing, culture, and interests that will influence how he perceives things and what details he will think are important to document. Each writer is also trying to reach a specific audience to help them better understand the Good News about Jesus.
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They all have different backgrounds and different audiences. These significantly impact how they write, what they’ve experienced, what they write about, and who they write to.
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Their backgrounds and perspectives were different. We gain insight into each writers perspective and understanding of Jesus through these books.
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They are writing to different audiences with different cultural and historical contexts.