In approaching the Gospels, it is apparent that they are more than just chronologies about Jesus and his ministry. Each Gospel is presenting Jesus' story/life with a different purpose. In line with this purpose, the writer brings together individual stories about Jesus to communicate a central message. Each Gospel is coherent in its message and also unique from the other Gospels in its emphasis about Jesus. This observation has been reinforced by both literary and rhetorical criticism.
In line with this observation, I came across something interesting awhile ago in my readings of ancient rhetorical sources. According to Theon, narration and fable were two of the main literary exercises that help one learn how to write a history well.1 The importance of practicing narration is obvious in how it would help a person write history. However, how would writing fable help? This is answered by looking at Theon's discussion on fable. He says, "a fable (mythos) is a fictitious story giving an image of truth...".2 Fable would apparently help a person learn how to write a story, which is important for writing histories. Additionally, a person who practices fable would also learn to write/tell a story with the goal of communicating a central truth. Therefore, for Theon, it would appear that to write a history is more than just chronological narrations and facts about a person. It is to combine together narrations to drive home a central truth about that person, nation, etc.
All in all, the observations that scholars have made about the Gospels line up with Theon's view of what was involved in writing history. As he was writer of the ~first century, this observation has merit in helping inform our view of how ~first century histories were written and read.
1. Kennedy, George, Progymnasmata: Greek Textbooks of Prose Composition and Rhetoric (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003), p. 4.
2. Ibid. p. 23.
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