New Testament

===The Gospels===
{{Main|Canonical gospels}}
{{further|List of Gospels}}
Each of the four [[gospels]] in the New Testament narrates the life, death, and resurrection of [[Jesus of Nazareth]] (the gospel of Mark in the original text ends with the empty tomb and has no account of the post-resurrection appearances, but the emptiness of the tomb implies a resurrection). The word "gospel" derives from the [[Old English language|Old English]] ''gōd-spell''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gospel |title=Gospel |publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary |access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref> (rarely ''godspel''), meaning "good news" or "glad tidings". Its Hebrew equivalent being "besorah" (בְּשׂוֹרָה). The gospel was considered the "good news" of the coming [[Messiah#Christianity|Kingdom of Messiah]], and the redemption through the life and death of Jesus, the central Christian message.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|loc="Gospel"}} Gospel is a [[calque]] (word-for-word translation) of the [[Koine Greek|Greek]] word {{lang|grc|εὐαγγέλιον}}, ''euangelion'' (''eu-'' "good", ''-angelion'' "message"). They were written between approximately 70 and 100 AD, and were the end-products of a long process of development; However, many scholars believe they may have been written before the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. Matthew and John claim to be eyewitness acounts, and Luke and Mark are accepted by most scholars as having been influenced by the testimonies of eyewitnesses.

Starting in the late second century, the four narrative accounts of the life and work of Jesus Christ have been referred to as "The Gospel of ..." or "The Gospel according to ..." followed by the name of the supposed author. The first author to explicitly name the canonical gospels is [[Irenaeus of Lyon]],<ref name="trobisch-2012"/><ref>[[Irenaeus]], ''[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103311.htm Against Heresies]'' III.11</ref> who promoted the four canonical gospels in his book ''[[Against Heresies (Irenaeus)|Against Heresies]]'', written around 180.<ref>Due to its reference to [[Eleutherus]] as the current [[bishop of Rome]], the work is usually dated {{circa|lk=no|180}}. [[Philip Schaff|Schaff, Philip]] (2001) [{{circa|lk=no|1885}}] "[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.i.html Introductory Note to Irenæus Against Heresies]", ''[[Ante-Nicene Fathers (book)|Ante-Nicene Fathers]]'', Volume I, ''Against Heresies'', [[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]].</ref> Whatever these early ascriptions may imply about the sources behind or the perception of these gospels, they are anonymous compositions.
* The [[Gospel of Matthew]], ascribed to the [[Matthew the Evangelist|Apostle Matthew]]. This gospel begins with a [[genealogy of Jesus]] and a story of his birth that includes a visit from [[Biblical Magi|magi]] and a [[flight into Egypt]], and it ends with the [[Great Commission|commissioning of the disciples]] by the resurrected Jesus.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gil |first1=Jesus |title=Bible Portico |last2=Dominguez |first2=Joseangel |publisher=Saxum International Foundation |year=2022 |isbn=979-12-80113-17-7 |pages=103 |translator-last=Scott |translator-first=Helena}}</ref>
* The [[Gospel of Mark]], ascribed to [[Mark the Evangelist]]. This gospel begins with the preaching of [[John the Baptist]] and the [[baptism of Jesus]] and ends with the [[Ascension of Jesus]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gil |first1=Jesus |title=Bible Portico |last2=Dominguez |first2=Joseangel |publisher=Saxum International Foundation |year=2022 |isbn=979-12-80113-17-7 |pages=104 |translator-last=Scott |translator-first=Helena}}</ref> Two different secondary endings were affixed to this gospel in the 2nd century.
* The [[Gospel of Luke]], ascribed to [[Luke the Evangelist]], who was not one of [[Twelve Disciples#The Twelve Apostles|the Twelve Apostles]], but was mentioned as a companion of the [[Paul of Tarsus|Apostle Paul]] and as a physician.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fitzmyer |first=Joseph A. |author-link=Joseph Fitzmyer |date=1981 |title=The Gospel according to Luke (I–IX) |edition=2nd|series=Anchor Bible |volume=28 |url=https://archive.org/details/gospelaccordingt0028unse_x9n6 |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |pages=35–53 |isbn=0-385-00515-6}}</ref> This gospel begins with parallel stories of the birth and childhood of John the Baptist and Jesus and ends with appearances of the resurrected Jesus and his ascension into heaven.
* The [[Gospel of John]], ascribed to [[John the Evangelist]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Gil |first1=Jesus |title=Bible Portico |last2=Dominguez |first2=Joseangel |publisher=Saxum International Foundation |year=2022 |isbn=979-12-80113-17-7 |pages=106 |translator-last=Scott |translator-first=Helena}}</ref> This gospel begins with a philosophical prologue and ends with appearances of the resurrected Jesus.<ref name=":1" />

The first three gospels listed above are classified as the [[Synoptic Gospels]]. They contain similar accounts of the events in Jesus's life and his teaching, due to their literary interdependence. The Gospel of John is structured differently and includes stories of several miracles of Jesus and sayings not found in the other three.

These four gospels that were eventually included in the New Testament were only a few among many other early Christian gospels. The existence of such texts is even mentioned at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke.<ref>{{Bibleref2|Luke|1:1–4}}</ref> Other early Christian gospels, such as the so-called "[[Jewish-Christian Gospels]]" or the [[Gospel of Thomas]], also offer both a window into the context of [[early Christianity]] and may provide some assistance in the reconstruction of the [[historical Jesus]].