The Gospel Truth: What Are the Gospels of the New Testament?

Episode Outline:
0:00 What are the canonical Gospels and why do they matter?
0:37 Bart and Megan talk dinner plans before diving in
1:41 Why the Gospels are central for both Christianity and history
2:43 What the word “gospel” originally meant
4:15 Were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John actually written by those figures?
5:59 When and where were the Gospels written?
12:27 How widely did the Gospels circulate in the early church?
15:10 What genre are the Gospels? Biography, preaching, or something else?
20:17 Why were the Gospels written in the first place?
23:53 Oral tradition, memory, and why the Gospel stories differ
30:46 The Nativity as a case study in Gospel contradictions
35:17 Are the Gospel writers shaping Jesus for theological reasons?
37:57 How non-canonical gospels compare to the canonical four
42:35 Bart’s Weekly Update: other virgin births in antiquity
44:44 Listener Q&A: Jesus’ death predictions, slavery, and Acts as gospel

Episode Description

While our four gospels eventually were named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, did you know they're actually anonymously written? So, who actually wrote the gospels? And when were they written? Do we know where the writers were when they were writing? And much more!

Also watch these episodes:

Missing Manuscripts: Uncovering the Original Gospels' Text
Missing Manuscripts: Uncovering the Original Gospels' Text

How Did Scribes Change the Gospel of Mark?
How Did Scribes Change the Gospel of Mark?