The Evangelists

The Evangelists: A Biographical Study

For nearly two millennia, the four evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—have been revered as the inspired authors of the Gospels, whose writings have become an enduring spiritual treasure for humanity. While countless works have explored the meaning and interpretation of the Gospels themselves, the lives of the evangelists as individual human beings have rarely been presented in a comprehensive and unified way.

Drawing on available traditions and sources, this book offers a unique and in-depth study of the biographies of the four evangelists. It reveals them not only as bearers of sacred texts, but as men of flesh and blood, each with a distinct life path, character, and destiny. At the same time, the study illuminates their spiritual stature, portraying them as highly developed individuals initiated into profound mysteries of the world and of human evolution. In this light, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John emerge as the four closest and most significant servants of Christ, whose lives and inner development deepen our understanding of the Gospels they left to humanity.

About the Author

Fredrich Goebel was born in Darmstadt, Germany, on April 3, 1890, the son of a glass painter. He grew up in a strictly Protestant family with three younger sisters. He became an apprentice to a machine fitter after high school and completed the European 13th year of secondary education at the age of 21. After studying general machine construction at the Darmstadt Institute of Technology from 1930 to 1935, he was active as an engineer for 24 years in the research and development fields of German industry, specializing in aircraft engine construction. He got a Ph.D. in engineering at the Berlin-Charlottenberg Institute of Technology in 1940, with a dissertation on the elastic suspension of aircraft engines with the aid of rubber springs. Goebel became a professor at the State School of Engineering in Frankfurt am Main in 1959. After retiring, he remained active as an author of engineering papers and books. Goebel became acquainted with the Christian Community and Anthroposophy in 1945 and studied Rudolf Steiner’s Christology and other teachings avidly. He lived in an anthroposophical retirement home (Johanneshaus) in Oeschelbronn from 1978 until his death in 2001.