Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to the four Gospels. What are the Gospels? -- Exploring the origin and nature of the Gospels: Historical-critical methods of Gospel research -- Reading and hearing the Gospel stories: Literary-critical methods of Gospel Research -- The setting of the Gospels. The historical setting of the Gospels -- The religious setting: first-century Judaism -- The social and cultural setting of the Gospels -- The four Gospels: Proclaiming and interpreting the story of Jesus. Mark: The Gospel of the suffering son of God -- Matthew: The Gospel of the Messiah -- Luke: The Gospel of the Savior of the world -- John: The Gospel of the Son who reveals the Father -- The historical Jesus. Searching for the real Jesus -- The historical reliability of the Gospels -- The contours and chronology of Jesus' ministry -- Jesus' birth and childhood -- The Beginning of Jesus' ministry -- The message of Jesus -- The miracles of Jesus -- The Messianic words and actions of Jesus -- The death of Jesus -- The resurrection of Jesus.