biography is the literary genre that best describes the gospels.
the literary genre that best describes the gospels is?
biography
one important aspect of the study of the gospels is the literary genre under which they fall. genre "is a key convention guiding both the composition and the interpretation of writings". whether the gospel authors set out to write novels, myths, histories, or biographies has a tremendous impact on how they ought to be interpreted. some recent studies suggest that the genre of the gospels ought to be situated within the realm of ancient biography. although not without critics, the position that the gospels are a type of ancient biography is the consensus among scholars today.
jesus
the genre of the gospels is essential in understanding the intentions of the authors regarding the historical value of the texts. new testament scholar graham stanton states that "the gospels are now widely considered to be a sub-set of the broad ancient literary genre of biographies." charles h. talbert agrees that the gospels should be grouped with the graeco-roman biographies, but adds that such biographies included an element of mythology, and that the synoptic gospels also included elements of mythology. e.p. sanders states that "these gospels were written with the intention of glorifying jesus and are not strictly biographical in nature." ingrid maisch and anton vögtle writing for karl rahner in his encyclopedia of theological terms indicate that the gospels were written primarily as theological, not historical items. erasmo leiva-merikakis notes that "we must conclude, then, that the genre of the gospel is not that of pure 'history'; but neither is it that of myth, fairy tale, or legend. in fact, 'gospel' constitutes a genre all its own, a surprising novelty in the literature of the ancient world." some critics have maintained that christianity is not founded on a historical figure, but rather on a mythical creation. this view proposes that the idea of jesus was the jewish manifestation of a pan-hellenic cult, known as osiris-dionysus, which acknowledged the non-historic nature of the figure, using it instead as a teaching device.
historical reliability of the gospels