This is an introductory guide to the four New Testament Gospels as overlapping accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, each with their own distinctive emphases and concerns. Part One deals first with the fact that there are four Gospels in the canon and looks at how the fourfold Gospel emerged. The literary relationships between the Gospels are dealt with next, followed by the composition of the Gospels. Part Two looks at each Gospel, its structure, contents, style and narrative technique, its presentation of Jesus and its particular interests and themes. Part Three, the main section of the book, takes six key events in the life of Jesus, most of which are found in all four Gospels, and examines the parallel versions. The book ends with reflections on the fourfold Gospel and the singular Jesus, including a discussion of key issues relating to the 'historical Jesus'.

Parallel Lives of Jesus and Four Gospels, One Jesus?

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How do we make sense of the four gospels that are at once both so similar and yet so distinctive? In this wonderfully accessible yet academically rigorous book, Edward Adams sets out to demonstrate how we can read the gospels as a single story through four distinctive lenses. The title comes from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives of Greeks and Romans and Adams’ approach is inspired by Richard Burridge’s studies that have revealed the gospels as being written in a style consistent with ancient biographical writings. Divided into three sections, the first part of the book covers swiftly and comprehensively a comparison of the four gospels as traditionally understood. For succinctness this one third of the book alone is recommended reading for everyone interested in New Testament studies from preachers to undergraduates. The second section of the book studies each gospel in turn in the light of its narrative structure and style, whilst the final section of the book comprises a parallel study of six events in Jesus’ ministry. Adams’ work is important for it demonstrates how the differences between the gospels can help us to understand the core truth that runs through them all. I hope he will be encouraged by the response to this study to extend his approach so we may access a rich parallel commentary on the fourfold gospel, verse by verse.

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