There is a temptation, when preaching on one of the gospels, either to focus on that one alone or to harmonize it with the others. But both these approaches fail to recognize the complex unity of the fourfold Gospel.This study reflects on the fourfold Gospel, the Church’s response to the fact that there were many different written gospels circulating as early as the second century. The booklet compares the adoption of the fourfold Gospel with competing reactions to the plurality of writings about Jesus, and notes the challenges and opportunities that it continues to present today.A final chapter, written by Philip Jenson, offers practical considerations of how to preach with integrity not just about each gospel but about the one Jesus whom all four gospels portray.
