The New Testament starts with the three Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three are known as the Synoptic Gospels. Gospel means “Good News,” and Synoptic refers to the fact that all three give an account of the same general events from the same point of view. The fourth book, John, is distinctly different from the three Synoptic Gospels and includes much information not in the other three Gospels. The four Gospels differ in what stories they include and how the stories are told. None of the four Gospels are meant to be a complete, detailed life of Jesus. Rather, as John wrote, “Jesus truly did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that by believing you might have life through his name.” “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should all be written, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” Together, the four Gospels comprise the vast majority of the direct information we have about the life and teachings of Jesus.
