The Literary Genre of the Gospels

Which section of the library?

In his Introduction to the New Testament, David deSilva asks, "How would the first-century librarian have classified the Gospels?" (2018, 117).

We approach books differently depending what type of literature (aka literary genre) we think it is.

If we are reading a fiction book, we look at the plot and tension. If we're reading a comic book, we expect humor. If we read a historical account of World War II, we expect accurate details and explanations.

Understanding a book's genre influences the way we read it.

The same is true with ancient literature. How we approach the gospels is affected by the type of literature we understand it to be.

The "Gospel" Section?

The word "gospel" means good news. That's a good description of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but it doesn't identify the literary genre.

Instead, deSilva argues that the gospel accounts should be understood as a type of ancient biography.

He writes: "Justin Martyr (d. 164 CE) called the Gospels “memorabilia” (apomnēmoneumata), the “memoirs of the apostles,” recalling Xenophon’s Memorabilia, a kind of biography of Socrates" (20018, 118).

In Greek literature, stories about important figures were often referred to as bios.

Defining Features of Bios.

Ancient biographies differed in important ways from modern biographies.

Modern biographies are often interested in the chronology of a person's life, important events, and the development of his or her thoughts.

Ancient biographies were often more concerned with demonstrating the main character's virtue and persuading the reader to imitate the subject's life.

Rather than following a strictly chronological framework, ancient biographies often followed thematic patterns. Additionally, these biographies spent significant time discussing the person's death and the virtue with which he faced it.

The rationale behind the thematic arrangement and focus on virtuous death is tied to the ancient biographies purpose. As deSilva writes, "The ancient biography, the bios, had thus a deeply moral and exemplary character" (2018, 119).

How to Read the Gospels as Ancient Biographies

If the Gospels are ancient biographies, how should we read them?

While that is a huge question that deserves much more space, we can make a few helpful observations.

1) Don't expect chronological accuracy.

The Gospel authors were not concerned with the chronology of Jesus's life. In general they often present Jesus's life in a chronological order, but they abandon that framework as often as they deem necessary.

2) Expect persuasive writing.

A defining feature of ancient biographies was persuasion. Authors told stories about a virtuous person hoping to convince the reader that they should imitate the subject of the biography.

The Gospel authors want their readers to imitate Jesus.

3) Examine the way Jesus approached death.

Ancient biographers often spent considerable time explaining how the subject of the biography approached death virtuously.

The Gospels spend significant space exploring the events surrounding Jesus's death and his resurrection.

These events are critical to understanding the Gospel message.

That's all for this post!

I'd love to hear what you found most interesting about the Gospels' literary genre.

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Sources:

David A. deSilva, An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation, Second Edition. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2018).

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