The Gospels and Acts

This chapter outlines the features of the four New Testament gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, and engages with key issues in the contemporary scholarly discussion about these texts. It begins by treating general topics that are important for interpreting these narratives about the life of Jesus and his immediate followers, including questions of purpose, audience, genre, historical context, and the literary relationships between the texts. For instance, setting out the contested debates about genre, the chapter argues for the importance of attending to genre in relation both to the texts that precede Mark (the earliest gospel) and to those non-canonical ‘gospels’ and ‘acts’ which appear to draw on literary traditions sparked by these biblical texts. The discussion outlines the significance of assumptions made about the relationships between the first three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), as well as those between these gospels and John, Luke and Acts, and these New Testament texts and gospels and acts beyond the biblical canon. Having examined these general issues, the chapter goes on to outline the content and themes of each of the gospels and Acts, in addition to the key topics of scholarly discussion in relation to each.