Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This seventh lecture in the series traces the origin of the authoritative four-fold Gospels to about 150 of the Common Era when they are amply attested together. Positing a three-stage evolution to the canonical Gospels, Burkitt notes that other Gospels did not measure up to the same standard. Thus a two-tiered set of Gospels emerged, canonical and non-canonical. The Gospel of Mark, a one-time single, tattered manuscript, starts Burkitt’s discussion of the growth of the canonical Gospel tradition. A discussion of the use of the Gospels in the early church, the Didache, and the early church fathers leads to a discussion of Gospel ethics that ties back once again to the humanity of Jesus.

Francis Crawford Burkitt (1864-1935) began his academic career as a student of mathematics. While at Cambridge University he moved to Divinity, becoming the Norrisian Professor. His interest in the text of the New Testament led him to study Syriac manuscripts and to publish widely in the field. He was a fellow of the British Academy.