Final answer:
The four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are not biographies in the modern sense but religious texts intended to convey the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from a faith perspective.
They differ from modern biographies by their theological intent, use of oral traditions, and context of composition in first-century Jerusalem.
Step-by-step explanation:
Are the four accounts of the Gospel biographies of Jesus, as we understand that literary genre today? The Gospels—the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John from the Christian New Testament—record the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. However, they are not biographies in the modern sense of the term.
While they provide accounts of Jesus' life, actions, and sayings, they were written with the intent to convey religious truth and to provide a testimony of faith, rather than to give an objective historical account of his life.
The Gospels were composed after Jesus' death based on oral traditions and the memories of his apostles and early Christian leaders, and they were finalized around 90 CE, roughly sixty years after Jesus' death.
This means that each Gospel reflects the perspective and intention of its author and the early Christian community it was written for, which can affect the interpretation of the events described. As such, they serve more as theological documents than strictly historical ones.
Moreover, they were written in a time and context—first-century Jerusalem, during complex cultural and political circumstances—that are quite different from today's standards for biographical writing.
Given the differences in literary style, historical context, use of oral traditions, and theological intent, the Gospels are not considered biographies in the modern sense but are instead religious texts that aim to convey the significance and teachings of Jesus within the context of Christian faith.
The authors, as followers of Jesus, sought to share his message and affirm his status as the Messiah, rather than provide a detached historical record.
In Armenian tradition, for instance, the reverence for Gospel Books was akin to that held for icons or reliquaries in other traditions, underscoring their sacred nature rather than their role as historical documents.