Church Times Study Guide: The Same But Different

Exploring the Gospels

Author: John Holdsworth

The aim of the Church Times Study Guides is to inform Christians about aspects of belief and practice in a systematic way so they may think, act and respond to the intellectual challenges of the day with greater confidence.

This booklet focuses on the part of the Bible everyone knows best: the Gospels. Or are they as well known as we think? Why are there four accounts of Jesus life and why do they sometimes give quite different accounts of the same events? This very accessible and enjoyable study will help readers gain a greater understanding of the Gospel writers intentions and introduces some key concepts in biblical studies including

- Exploring original sources (source criticism)

- Discovering how the texts actually came together (form criticism)

- Examining the differences between each Gospel (redaction criticism)

- Reflecting on their message for us today (exegesis /practical theology)