Theological Term of the Week: Gospels

Gospels

The four books of the New Testament which tell the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

• The dedication at the beginning of The Gospel According to Luke:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught (Luke 1:1-4 ESV).

• The purpose statement included in The Gospel According to John:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31 ESV).

• The glossary of the ESV Literary Study Bible:

Primarily the Gospels inform us about the person and work of Christ. The material is divided approximately evenly between narrative (events) and discourses. The Gospels combine three primary ingredients: Jesus’ teaching and preaching (what Jesus said and taught); Jesus’ actions (what Jesus did); the responses of people to Jesus (what others said and did). Jesus’ conversations and controversies are a hybrid that combine all three ingredients: they are a form of teaching, that are speech acts that have the effect of an action, and they involve people’s responses to Jesus. Numerous subgenres converge in the Gospels—birth stories; stories of calling, recognition, witness/testimony, conflict/controversy, encounter, miracle, pronouncement; saying, parables, and discourses/sermons by Jesus; passion and resurrection stories. The overall aim of the Gospels is persuasive, as the writers seek to give readers adequate reason for believing that Jesus is the Savior of the world and to appeal to them to place their faith in Jesus. The Gospels thus have affinities with biography, but biography tends to be packaged as a straightforward factual account, not as an embodiment of the dialogues, stories, and discourses. 

Learn more:

1. ESV Study Bible: Reading the Gospels and Acts
2. GotQuestions.org: Why did God give us four Gospels?
3. Christianity.com: Why Are There Four Gospels?
4. The Gospel Coalition: Introduction to the Gospels and Acts
5. Ligonier Ministries: How to Read the Gospels

Related terms:

• biblical hermeneutics
• epistle
• literary genres of the Bible

Filed under Scripture

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