Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term euangélion (Koine Greek: εὐαγγέλιον, lit. 'good news', from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words and deeds of Jesus Christ, culminating in his trial and death, and concluding with various reports of his post-resurrection appearances.
The Gospels are widely considered to represent a variation of Greco-Roman biography. They are meant to convince people that Jesus was a charismatic miracle-working holy man, providing examples for readers to emulate. As such, they present the Christian message of the second half of the first century AD. Modern biblical scholars are therefore cautious of relying on the gospels uncritically as historical documents, and although they afford a good idea of Jesus' public career, critical study has largely failed to distinguish his original ideas from those of the later Christian authors, and the focus of research has therefore shifted to Jesus as remembered by his followers, and understanding the Gospels themselves.
The canonical gospels are the four which appear in the New Testament. They were written between AD 66 and 110, which puts their composition likely within the lifetimes of various eyewitnesses. The texts are anonymous and generally not viewed as eyewitness accounts, though this may be partly the result of dubious form-critical assumptions. The gospels are products of literarily creative authors (which did involve claiming consulting eyewitnesses). Mark was the first to be written, followed by Matthew and Luke, which in the two-source hypothesis independently used Mark and a hypothetical source Q, though alternative hypotheses that posit the direct use of Matthew by Luke or vice versa without Q are rising. Scholars differ on the reliability of the traditions found in the gospels. The author of John may have been aware of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and the gospel's historical context remains debated. The synoptic gospels are the primary sources for reconstructing Christ's ministry, while John is used less since it differs from the synoptics. According to the manuscript evidence and citation frequency by the early Church Fathers, Matthew and John were the most popular gospels while Luke and Mark were less popular in the early centuries of the Church.
Many non-canonical gospels were also written after the four canonical gospels, and like them advocate for the theological views of their authors. Important examples include the gospels of Thomas, Peter, Judas, and Mary; infancy gospels such as that of James (the first to introduce the perpetual virginity of Mary); and gospel harmonies such as the Diatessaron.
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