The Four Gospels

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Accounts of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew, Mark and Luke share much material and are called the 'synoptic' gospels.

Traditional attribution

Written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Historical scholarship

Originally anonymous; Mark is usually dated first (c. 66–70 CE) and John last (c. 90–110 CE).

Context and curiosity

The oldest gospel fragment, Papyrus 52, is a scrap of John the size of a credit card.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Christianity (Roman Empire). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 66–110 CE and original language or script as Koine Greek. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.