In the Passion Story of Jesus, the writers of the gospels focused on specific areas of the story that they wished to elaborate on and redact in order to achieve a specific goal they saw necessary to achieve at that time. In the gospels however certain “nodes” are elaborated on more thoroughly in all of the gospels than others for specific reasons. Some of these nodes are surrounding the crucifixion,empty tomb after Jesus resurrection and the last supper. These two nodes are important to the early gospel writers because they are part of the larger tradition of aretologies created orally and in written texts to enhance the image of Jesus in the eyes of the wider Jewish and Greco-Roman world. The crucifixion was truly important for the gospel writers to redact as to align the story of Jesus with those of the old testament prophecies. This was important for convincing Jews of Jesus’s messianic traits. Also they wished to improve the view of Jesus in the Greco-Roman world from a criminal to a honorable and supernatural being similar to that of Apollonius of Tyana. These traditions were truly important in the eyes of the gospel writers as they were trying to create a Jesus’ story that was aligned with the Jewish prophecies and respected in the eyes of gentiles altogether.

As stated above, the gospel writers saw it ultimately necessary to tie the story of Jesus to the old testament prophecies about the messiah. This was something the gospel writers tasked themselves with  in the earliest stages of the christian tradition. They wished to convince their Jewish counterparts of the messianic nature of Jesus by connecting his story directly to old testament, specifically prophecies in Isaiah and psalms. This can be seen throughout whites chapter and specifically on page 136-141. These charts point out where specifically the gospel writers sought to include old testament ideas into the gospels. Specifically  Mark 11:1-10, When they were approaching Jerusalem … near the Mount of Olives compared to 14:4  On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives in  Zechariah. Also, Luke 23:6-11 shows the author’s specific literary goals showing Jesus trial in a dignified manner with Jesus stoically facing persecution in the face of the king by also by showing his behavior as being in line with that of the messiah prophesied in the old testament. The reason why Luke left out Jesus’s flogging was likely due to the fact that flogging was a punishment given to a non roman criminals used to humiliate him and any of his possible associates. This was something Luke likely wanted to avoid as by his time he was writing to a large gentile audience. The description of the flogging of a supposed great person went against the aretological nature of the gospels and would have certainly added to the overall mockery of Jesus that already present in the Greco-roman world. Although John includes the flogging, he may have been writing to a well establish christian community in the roman empire by his time altogether.

Overall, the gospel writers tactics  and  techniques in writing the gospels show the overall goal of the early christian community. They wished to change the view of Jesus in the eyes of their contemporaries, both Jews and the wider Greco-Roman world. The gospel writers aretological goals sought to change the image of Jesus in the early years after his death. The views of him were humiliating and unapologetic and the gospel writers wished to counter this in the gospels altogether. This goal of the writers becomes more and more lucid  as the later gospels were produced and Jesus continually elevated to a supernatural level that was severely removed from the historical Jesus altogether.