The Four Gospels

The Four Gospels:

In our study of the Life of Jesus Christ we are limited mainly to four small books written in Greek, which are called the Gospels.
These give us four accounts, which might be described as biographies of Jesus Christ.
As we shall see each of them gives a distinctly different aspect and picture of the life and ministry of Jesus.
To gain a full knowledge of Jesus we must study and compare these four records.
One fact should be borne in mind in approaching the gospels.
The church got along for years without any Christian literature.
The earliest Christian writings are the epistles of Paul. Probably not until after 60 or 65 AD was there any gospel such as we have today.
We must take account of those trained verbal memories cultivated in the East.
A Jewish saying was that the good disciple was like “a plastered cistern which loses not a drop.”
We must also remember that these four gospels were written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
1. Gospel:
The word “gospel” comes from the Anglo-Saxon “God” – “spell” or “God – “story” from which we get “good-story” or “good-tidings.”
2. Synoptic Gospels:
The first three Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke are known the as Synoptic Gospels.
These give a record of the same or parallel accounts of the life and work of Christ.
John is completely different.
The Synoptic Gospels emphasize the works of Jesus while the fourth Gospel emphasizes the works of Christ.

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