Gospels refer to the sacred texts of Christians, written by the holy apostles, about the life, teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ. The four gospels are included in the canon of the books of the New Testament and represent some of the most important God-inspired books of the entire Bible.
For the Christian, the gospel is not only a historical document that tells about the life and work of Jesus Christ. This is, first of all, Holy Scripture, which was written through the transfer of divine grace to the holy apostles so that people would learn more about God. The Gospel is not just literature, it is the very Divine Revelation of God to people.
Therefore, for a Christian, the reading of the gospel should be carried out with a sense of spiritual awe and awe. It is useful before reading the gospel to turn to God with a prayer for understanding the text being read. The perception of the Gospel text for the mind of a Christian should pass through the general prism of the Church's teaching about God as Savior, Redeemer, Sanctifier and Creator.
Gospel stories do not always need to be understood literally. Jesus Christ himself often spoke to his disciples in parables, with which he figuratively tried to convey to the consciousness of people the basic moral and doctrinal truths.
It is useful to have the interpretation of the Holy Fathers of the Church on the gospel. For example, Feofilakta Bulgarian. It is necessary to understand that the gospel was written by the apostles after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them. The Orthodox believe that some difficult-to-understand passages from the Gospels do not open up to a person's consciousness because of a certain sinfulness of the person or a banal ignorance of the basic truths of the Church's doctrine.
In order to understand the gospel, it is necessary not only to seek answers from the holy fathers of the Church in the interpretation of various narratives, but also to try to live a spiritual life, showing a striving for God. Otherwise, the gospel will be exclusively a book about the myths and legends of ancient Israel for a specific person. However, it should be understood that the main purpose of the apostles when writing the texts was to proclaim the truth about the real coming to Earth of God.
