This core course will enable students to engage in informed study of the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles; to understand the progress of critical scholarship over the past hundred years in relation to the study of these texts; and, through some thematic study, to relate material in the Gospels and Acts to its wider New Testament and theological context.

At the end of the double module a student should be able minimally to understand the genre, characteristics and some key themes of Gospel and be aware of varieties of approaches which have been applied to the study of them. Optimally a student should have a critical understanding of variations in canonical Gospels and the reasons for them, of diversity of scholarly approaches to Gospel study and an understanding of the insights such approaches have offered.

In particular students should be able to demonstrate:

·       An understanding of Gospel as a literary genre and of the factors which occasioned Gospels

·       A critical awareness of a number of scholarly approaches to the study of Gospels and Acts which have emerged in the 20^th -21^st centuries

·       Recognition and analysis of important theological, Christological, eschatological, ecclesiological and other themes of concern to each Evangelist.

·       Critical appreciation  of the distinctiveness of each Gospel and of factors which may have informed it

·       Understanding of elements common to the Gospels and of the factors which determined them

Sessions will usually be lecture based. Each lecture will be accompanied by a handout setting out the structure of the lecture, additional bibliography, and some relevant quotations. Handouts will not be an alternative to note taking but will be a useful checklist against notes and a help in organising revision. Students are encouraged to raise questions at any point in the lectures, and when appropriate, time will be given in the sessions to class discussion.