THE GOSPEL STORY

ABOUT GOD THE SON

INCARNATE FOR OUR SALVATION, SET FORTH IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER IN THE WORDS OF THE HOLY EVANGELISTS

"The Gospel Story of God the Son" is one of the most important interpretive works of St. Theophan the Recluse, which occupies a special place in Russian spiritual literature.

It gives us an amazing guide to the Holy Gospel – the main book that leads a person to salvation. The entire earthly life of our Saviour is set forth in detail by the author in the words of the holy Evangelists in chronological order. The reader can easily find a description of the event of the Gospel story that interests him by the titles of the parts and paragraphs, which indicate their content. Those who want to know the place of any event in the general flow of other legends of the Gospel history will be helped by an alphabetical index and a detailed chronological table. In an extensive address to his readers, the saint explains the principles and rules adopted by him to establish the order of the Gospel events, offers a corresponding synopsis of the Gospel history with the designation of its main parts and all subdivisions, and a detailed table of contents of the Gospels.

The book is addressed to a wide range of readers, both to those who still perceive only the first words of the Holy Gospel, and to those who strive for a deeper knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and their grace-filled power, "unto life and godliness."

When working on the text of "The Gospel Story of God the Son", the Bible published by the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1990 was used.

Three Introductions to the Gospel Story

1. Historiographical introduction.

The Authenticity of the Gospel Stories

Luke 1:1-4

As many have already begun to compose narratives of events that are perfectly known among us, as those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word from the beginning have handed down to us, so it has been decided that I, after a careful examination of everything from the beginning, shall describe to you in order, venerable Theophilus, so that you may know the firm foundation of the doctrine in which you have been instructed.