Gospels

Definition and Meaning

The Gospels are the four books placed at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Together they are also called the four Gospels. The word "gospel" translates the Greek euangelion, meaning "good news." The Gospels recount the birth, public ministry, teaching, and miracles of Jesus Christ, as well as his death on the cross and his resurrection. The term gospel itself refers to the content of this message, while a Gospel is a book that contains it.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. "Synoptic" means "seeing together"; the name reflects the fact that the three books record many of the same events in similar order and wording, so that they can be set side by side and compared. The Gospel of John differs markedly from them in structure and style and contains many of Jesus' discourses (extended, continuous teachings).

Biblical and Historical Background

A widely held view is that the Gospels were written in the latter part of the first century. None of the four books names its author in the text. Early church tradition attributed them to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The question of why the Synoptic Gospels are at once so similar and yet different is known in scholarship as the "Synoptic problem." The view that Mark was written first and that Matthew and Luke drew on it is widely known, though some scholars offer other explanations. Luke and Acts are regarded as a two-volume work by the same author.

Denominations and seminaries differ in how they approach such research. Conservative denominations and seminaries that emphasize biblical inerrancy stress the traditional views of authorship and the historical reliability of the accounts. Those who more fully embrace historical-critical scholarship focus on the community for which each Gospel was edited and the theological perspective that shaped it.

Practice in the Korean Church

In the early Protestant mission to Korea, the Gospels were the starting point for Bible translation and distribution. In 1882, John Ross and his colleagues in Manchuria translated the Gospel of Luke into Korean and published it, and in 1885 missionaries are reported to have entered Korea carrying the Gospel of Mark translated by Yi Su-jeong in Japan. Individual Gospels printed as separate booklets, known as "portion Gospels" (jjokbogeum), were long used in evangelism.

Today many churches encourage new believers to begin reading the Bible with the Gospels, especially the Gospel of John. The Gospels also figure prominently in materials for reading through the Bible and for quiet time (QT). During Holy Week, many churches read the Passion narratives of the Gospels in sequence.

In churches that follow the liturgical calendar, the reading of the Gospel is a central element of worship. The Anglican Church of Korea and some Methodist and Presbyterian churches that use a lectionary (a list of Scripture passages appointed for reading each year according to the church calendar) read Matthew, Mark, and Luke in turn over a three-year cycle, with John read alongside them during particular seasons. In the Anglican tradition, the congregation customarily stands for the reading of the Gospel. In churches that do not use a lectionary, the preacher selects the text.