List of gospels

For gospel as the Christian message, see The Gospel.

Gospels (Greek: εὐαγγέλιον; Latin: evangelium) are written records detailing the life and teachings of Jesus.^[1] The term originally referred to the Christian message itself but later came to refer to the books in which the message was written.^[2]

The canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John can be found in most Christian Bibles

Gospels are a genre of ancient biography in early Christian literature. The New Testament includes four canonical gospels, but there are many gospels not included in the biblical canon.^[3] These additional gospels are referred to as either New Testament apocrypha or pseudepigrapha. Some of these texts have impacted Christian traditions, including many forms of iconography.^[4]

Canonical gospels

Main article: Canonical gospels

See also: New Testament, Christian biblical canons, and Development of the New Testament canon

• Synoptic gospels:
  • Gospel of Matthew
  • Gospel of Mark
  • Gospel of Luke
• Longer ending of Mark (see also the Freer Logion)
• Gospel of John

Hypothesized sources of the synoptic gospels

Main articles: Two-source hypothesis and Four-document hypothesis

• Q source – Q is a material common to Matthew and Luke, but not found in Mark
• M source – M is a material unique to Matthew
• L source – L is a material unique to Luke

Hypothesized sources of the Gospel of John

• Signs Gospel – narrative of the Seven Signs
• Discourses Gospel – source of the discourse material

Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha

Main articles: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha

Closely related to the Canonical Gospels

• Gospel of Marcion – 2nd century, closely related to the Gospel of Luke with modifications to suit Marcionism.^[5]

Gnostic gospels

Main article: Gnostic Gospels

• Gospel of Thomas – The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is a non-canonical sayings gospel.^[3]
• Gospel of Basilides – composed in Egypt around 120-140 AD, thought to be a Gnostic gospel harmony of the canonical gospels.^[4]
• Gospel of Truth (Valentinian) – mid-2nd century, departed from earlier Gnostic works by admitting and defending the physicality of Christ and his resurrection.^[6]
• Gospel of the Four Heavenly Realms – mid-2nd century, thought to be a Gnostic cosmology, most likely in the form of a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples.^[6]
• Gospel of Mary – 2nd century Gnostic text.^[6]
• Gospel of Judas – 2nd century, documents Gnostic teachings in the form of a dialogue between Jesus and Judas.^[6]
• Greek Gospel of the Egyptians – second quarter of the 2nd century.^[4]
• Gospel of Philip – 3rd-century non-canonical sayings gospel.^[6]
• Gospel of the Twelve Apostles – a Syriac language gospel titled the Gospel of the Twelve, this work is shorter than the regular gospels and seems to be different from the lost Gospel of the Twelve.^[7]
• Gospel of Perfection – 4th century, an Ophite poem that is only mentioned once by a single patristic source, Epiphanius,^[8] and is referred to once in the 6th century Syriac Infancy Gospel.
• Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians – also called Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit.^[6]

Jewish-Christian gospels

Main article: Jewish-Christian gospels

• Gospel of the Hebrews – consisting of seven citations by Epiphanius, GE-1 to GE-7.^[6]
• Gospel of the Nazarenes – consisting of citations and marginal notes by Jerome and others (GN-1 to GN-36).^[6]
• Gospel of the Ebionites – a fragmented gospel harmony of the Synoptic Gospels, modified to reflect the theology of the writer.^[6]
• Gospel of the Twelve – a lost gospel mentioned by Origen as part of a list of heretical works.^[4]

Infancy gospels

• Armenian Infancy Gospel^[9]
• Protoevangelium of James^[6]
• Libellus de Nativitate Sanctae Mariae (Gospel of the Nativity of Mary)^[6]
• Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew^[6]
• History of Joseph the Carpenter^[6]
• Infancy Gospel of Thomas^[6]
• Latin Infancy Gospel (also known as the "J Composition")^[6]
• Syriac Infancy Gospel^[6]

Other gospels

• Gospel of the Lots of Mary (Coptic collection of 37 oracles; around 500 AD)^[10]

References

1. Tuckett 2000, p. 522. sfn error: no target: CITEREFTuckett2000 (help)
2. Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 697.
3. "The Story Of The Storytellers - What Are The Gospels? | From Jesus To Christ | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
4. "Lost Christianities". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
5. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A. (2005). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
6. Ehrman, Bart; Pleše, Zlatko (December 18, 2013). Ehrman, Bart (ed.). The Other Gospels: Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament. USA: Oxford University Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780199335220.
7. Harris, J. R., ed. The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles Together with the Apocalypses of Each One of Them (Cambridge, 1900).
8. Pan. Hæres. 26. § 2
9. Wilson, Robert (1975). Tenney, Merrill (ed.). The Zondervan pictorial encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. p. 311. ISBN 0310331889. Retrieved 13 February 2023. A late and secondary compilation, ultimately dependent on the Protevangelium of James and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, but greatly amplified. It derives from a Syr. original, but the date of this source is doubtful.
   
   Also available on BibleGateway.com's Encyclopedia of the Bible (which is derived from the Zondervan work)
10. Jarus, Owen (February 3, 2015). "Newfound 'Gospel of the Lots of Mary' Discovered in Ancient Text". Live Science. Retrieved February 8, 2015.