Overview

A robust scholarly defence of the distinctiveness of the canonical Gospels. Do the four New Testament gospels share some essence that distinguishes them from noncanonical early Gospels? The tendency among biblical scholars of late has been to declare the answer to this question no—that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were grouped together by happenstance and are defended as canonical today despite there being no essential commonalities between them.  Simon Gathercole challenges this prevailing view and argues that in fact the theological content of the New Testament Gospels distinguishes them substantially from noncanonical Gospels. Gathercole shows how the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each include four key points that also formed the core of early Christian preaching and teaching: Jesus’s identity as messiah, the saving death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and Scripture’s foretelling of the Christ event. In contrast, most noncanonical Gospels—like the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Truth, and Marcion’s Gospel—only selectively appropriated these central concerns of early Christian proclamation.

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"""Simon Gathercole has written a splendid book on a topic debated by scholars and of interest to the wider reading public. Well-known for his extensive work on noncanonical gospels as well as the New Testament, he makes a compelling case that theological content distinguishes noncanonical gospels from the four canonical gospels. From beginning to end, his approach is clear and his arguments are nuanced. This is a major contribution to the study of these early Christian texts."" -- Craig R. Koester Luther Seminary ""This is a book with a bold thesis. It argues that the four gospels of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--are theologically distinctive from other early Christian gospels in that they alone present the full message of Jesus's teaching, death, and resurrection, which are elements that are understood to be central to salvation. The case is prosecuted with great care, and all the relevant sources are meticulously sifted. The book's argument will be hotly debated, and it must be read by anybody with a serious interest in the gospels and the message of Jesus."" -- Paul Foster University of Edinburgh ""In this magisterial monograph, the Cambridge scholar sums up his research from more than twenty years. In presenting the theological content of the various gospels, canonical and noncanonical, Gathercole provides a thorough contribution for distinguishing canonical from noncanonical gospels. Referring to the kerygma of the early period, he also gives an important clue for understanding the making of our gospels. Gathercole, thus, provides an indispensable contribution for further gospels research."" -- Jörg Frey University of Zurich ""A fascinating and insightful journey into the world of emerging Christianity. Anyone interested in the gospels, early Christian identity construction and canonical questions will hugely enjoy Gathercole's learned study."" -- Sandra Huebenthal University of Passau, Germany ""This splendid volume goes against the tide of recent scholarship by claiming that all four of the New Testament gospels possess a distinctive theological profile that is not shared by most of the apocryphal gospels. This wide-ranging and insightful study stands as yet another significant contribution by one of the leading voices today in the study of the New Testament and early Christianity."" -- Catrin H. Williams University of Wales Trinity Saint David ""In a stimulating and provocative way, Gathercole argues that the early Christian kerygma from 1 Cor 15 is the appropriate criterion for a comparison of early Christian gospels. This study is invaluable for further study of the relationship between canonical and apocryphal gospels and the formation of the four-gospel collection of the New Testament. It is a must-read for all who are interested in this debate."" -- Jens Schröter Humboldt University of Berlin ""In a stimulating and provocative way, Gathercole argues that the early Christian kerygma from 1 Cor 15 is the appropriate criterion for a comparison of early Christian gospels. This study is invaluable for further study of the relationship between canonical and apocryphal gospels and the formation of the four-gospel collection of the New Testament. It is a must-read for all who are interested in this debate."" -- Jens Schröter Humboldt University of Berlin ""Gathercole's work is informed by the extensive work on 'apocryphal' gospels for which he is already well known. His treatment of them is not at all disparaging. He is interested in understanding rather than evaluating. As a result, this book has wide-ranging significance for our understanding of how 'gospel writing'--one of the defining features of early Christianity--developed."" -- Richard Bauckham University of St. Andrews"

"Southeastern Theological Review ""Gathercole's work is a rigorous and refreshing treatment of the distinctiveness of the canonical Gospels. Because his central claims are straightforward and meticulously supported, he has carved out a scholarly space in biblical studies for the assumption that the preaching of the apostles is coherent and organically connected to the texts of the New Testament."" ""Simon Gathercole has written a splendid book on a topic debated by scholars and of interest to the wider reading public. Well-known for his extensive work on noncanonical gospels as well as the New Testament, he makes a compelling case that theological content distinguishes noncanonical gospels from the four canonical gospels. From beginning to end, his approach is clear and his arguments are nuanced. This is a major contribution to the study of these early Christian texts."" -- Craig R. Koester Luther Seminary ""This is a book with a bold thesis. It argues that the four gospels of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--are theologically distinctive from other early Christian gospels in that they alone present the full message of Jesus's teaching, death, and resurrection, which are elements that are understood to be central to salvation. The case is prosecuted with great care, and all the relevant sources are meticulously sifted. The book's argument will be hotly debated, and it must be read by anybody with a serious interest in the gospels and the message of Jesus."" -- Paul Foster University of Edinburgh ""In this magisterial monograph, the Cambridge scholar sums up his research from more than twenty years. In presenting the theological content of the various gospels, canonical and noncanonical, Gathercole provides a thorough contribution for distinguishing canonical from noncanonical gospels. Referring to the kerygma of the early period, he also gives an important clue for understanding the making of our gospels. Gathercole, thus, provides an indispensable contribution for further gospels research."" -- Jörg Frey University of Zurich ""A fascinating and insightful journey into the world of emerging Christianity. Anyone interested in the gospels, early Christian identity construction and canonical questions will hugely enjoy Gathercole's learned study."" -- Sandra Huebenthal University of Passau, Germany ""This splendid volume goes against the tide of recent scholarship by claiming that all four of the New Testament gospels possess a distinctive theological profile that is not shared by most of the apocryphal gospels. This wide-ranging and insightful study stands as yet another significant contribution by one of the leading voices today in the study of the New Testament and early Christianity."" -- Catrin H. Williams University of Wales Trinity Saint David ""In a stimulating and provocative way, Gathercole argues that the early Christian kerygma from 1 Cor 15 is the appropriate criterion for a comparison of early Christian gospels. This study is invaluable for further study of the relationship between canonical and apocryphal gospels and the formation of the four-gospel collection of the New Testament. It is a must-read for all who are interested in this debate."" -- Jens Schröter Humboldt University of Berlin ""In a stimulating and provocative way, Gathercole argues that the early Christian kerygma from 1 Cor 15 is the appropriate criterion for a comparison of early Christian gospels. This study is invaluable for further study of the relationship between canonical and apocryphal gospels and the formation of the four-gospel collection of the New Testament. It is a must-read for all who are interested in this debate."" -- Jens Schröter Humboldt University of Berlin ""Gathercole's work is informed by the extensive work on 'apocryphal' gospels for which he is already well known. His treatment of them is not at all disparaging. He is interested in understanding rather than evaluating. As a result, this book has wide-ranging significance for our understanding of how 'gospel writing'--one of the defining features of early Christianity--developed."" -- Richard Bauckham University of St. Andrews"

Simon Gathercole has written a splendid book on a topic debated by scholars and of interest to the wider reading public. Well-known for his extensive work on noncanonical gospels as well as the New Testament, he makes a compelling case that theological content distinguishes noncanonical gospels from the four canonical gospels. From beginning to end, his approach is clear and his arguments are nuanced. This is a major contribution to the study of these early Christian texts. -- Craig R. Koester Luther Seminary This is a book with a bold thesis. It argues that the four gospels of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--are theologically distinctive from other early Christian gospels in that they alone present the full message of Jesus's teaching, death, and resurrection, which are elements that are understood to be central to salvation. The case is prosecuted with great care, and all the relevant sources are meticulously sifted. The book's argument will be hotly debated, and it must be read by anybody with a serious interest in the gospels and the message of Jesus. -- Paul Foster University of Edinburgh In this magisterial monograph, the Cambridge scholar sums up his research from more than twenty years. In presenting the theological content of the various gospels, canonical and noncanonical, Gathercole provides a thorough contribution for distinguishing canonical from noncanonical gospels. Referring to the kerygma of the early period, he also gives an important clue for understanding the making of our gospels. Gathercole, thus, provides an indispensable contribution for further gospels research. -- Joerg Frey University of Zurich A fascinating and insightful journey into the world of emerging Christianity. Anyone interested in the gospels, early Christian identity construction and canonical questions will hugely enjoy Gathercole's learned study. -- Sandra Huebenthal University of Passau, Germany This splendid volume goes against the tide of recent scholarship by claiming that all four of the New Testament gospels possess a distinctive theological profile that is not shared by most of the apocryphal gospels. This wide-ranging and insightful study stands as yet another significant contribution by one of the leading voices today in the study of the New Testament and early Christianity. -- Catrin H. Williams University of Wales Trinity Saint David In a stimulating and provocative way, Gathercole argues that the early Christian kerygma from 1 Cor 15 is the appropriate criterion for a comparison of early Christian gospels. This study is invaluable for further study of the relationship between canonical and apocryphal gospels and the formation of the four-gospel collection of the New Testament. It is a must-read for all who are interested in this debate. -- Jens Schroeter Humboldt University of Berlin In a stimulating and provocative way, Gathercole argues that the early Christian kerygma from 1 Cor 15 is the appropriate criterion for a comparison of early Christian gospels. This study is invaluable for further study of the relationship between canonical and apocryphal gospels and the formation of the four-gospel collection of the New Testament. It is a must-read for all who are interested in this debate. -- Jens Schroeter Humboldt University of Berlin Gathercole's work is informed by the extensive work on 'apocryphal' gospels for which he is already well known. His treatment of them is not at all disparaging. He is interested in understanding rather than evaluating. As a result, this book has wide-ranging significance for our understanding of how 'gospel writing'--one of the defining features of early Christianity--developed. -- Richard Bauckham University of St. Andrews

Author Information

Simon Gathercole is professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Cambridge, where he is also the director of studies in theology at Fitzwilliam College. He is editor of New Testament Studies, coeditor of Early Christianity, and a contributor to numerous publications, including Christianity Today and The Guardian. His other books include The Preexistent Son: Recovering the Christologies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; What Did the Cross Accomplish? A Conversation about the Atonement, which he coauthored with N. T. Wright and Robert B. Stewart; and a translation of the apocryphal gospels for Penguin Classics.

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