Jesus and the Gospel Four
An examination of the diverse representations and interpretations of Jesus in the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament.
Class Information
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Click on any week number to reveal the resources for that week's lesson.
The four Gospels will be studied in eight weekly lessons with an optional and "on demand" ninth week review of the Jesus portrayed in the four Gospels. Click here for a viewable, printable, and downloadable class schedule.
The reference material for each weekly lesson are listed below. By clicking on a "Week Number" below, the links for the various resources will be revealed.
Besides the Scripture text itself, the primary study tools are the Prologue and the scripture Summaries written by Rev. Spence.
Click on the desired document listed below:
Prologue: Setting the Jewish and Roman Stage for the Gospels
(Once opened, the 'portable document' [pdf file] is presented for viewing, printing, or downloading.)
There are many versions or translations of the Bible. Students are encouraged to read and refer to their preferred translation. Each weekly lesson will cover selected chapters of the Bible. The online Scripture references use the services of BibleGateway. BibleGateway is an extremely useful online Bible with many versions and translations. BibleGateway also provides a parallel or side-by-side view of selected translations. Students are invited to explore the various translations.
For this study, Rev. Spence has selected the New International Version (NIV) as the default translation displayed in parallel with the Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE). Click here for information about the New International Version translation. Click here for information about the Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament.
An optional, but useful resource, are short videos that provide an overview of the books of the Bible from BibleProject. BibleProject is a nonprofit, crowdfunded organization that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, blogs, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone everywhere.
For each week of the in-person class session, Rev. Spence has recorded a video lecture presenting the information covered for that week. The links to view or download each video lecture are found by clicking on the desired week below.
If you have questions or problems accessing any resource on this site, click here to submit a support request.
Week 1
The Jewish & Roman Stage of the Jesus Story
Week 2
Gospel of Mark
The Shortest and the First Gospel
Week 3
Gospel of Matthew
The Longest and Most Jewish Gospel - Part 1
Week 4
Gospel of Matthew
The Longest and Most Jewish Gospel - Part 2
Week 5
Gospel of Luke
The Upside-Down World of the Kingdom of God - Part 1
Week 6
Gospel of Luke
The Upside-Down World of the Kingdom of God - Part 2
Week 7
Gospel of John
The Most Unique and Spiritual Gospel - Part 1
Week 8
Gospel of John
The Most Unique and Spiritual Gospel - Part 2