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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]
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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]
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- Synoptic gospels:
- Longer ending of Mark (see also the Freer Logion)
- Gospel of John
Hypothesized sources of the synoptic gospels
Hypothesized sources of the Gospel of John
- Signs Gospel – narrative of the Seven Signs
- Discourses Gospel – source of the discourse material
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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
- 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
- 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]
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