Gospel (noun) derives from the Old English word god-spell, meaning "good news"

The term Gospel usually refers to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which are included in the New Testament, but the term is also used to refer to other ancient Jewish-Christian and Gnostic writings containing accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings.

      Christians are taught that the Gospels were written by the men whose names they bear. All four Gospels were originally anonymous and none claim to be written by eyewitnesses, The truth is that putting a name to any Gospel is sheer guesswork. The titles “According to Matthew,” etc., were not added until late in the second century—nearly a 100 years after they were supposed to have been written.

      Christianity considers the four gospels to be a revelation from God and central to its belief system. Many scholars and historians, as well as liberal churches, note that much of that which is contained in these gospels is not historically accurate. Professor of religion Linda Woodhead notes that it is a popular idea among scholars that the gospel narratives are simply attempts to fit Jesus’s life into the Jewish ideas of the expected messiah.. On the other hand, orthodox New Testament scholars hold firmly that the gospels are historically accurate. Some extremists go so far as to claim that the Gosples have the most overwhelming historical evidence.of any book in the Bible.

      The Gospel of Mark There is an outside possibilty that it actually was written by Mark. It was written before any of the other canonical gospels and is thought to have been was written around 70 AD.  It is notable in that the oldest copy mentions no miraculous birth or resurrection.

      Gospel of Matthew combines selections from The Gospel of the Hebrews, lost until 1870, a genealogy of Jesus, and the logia from The Gospel of Mark.

      The Gospel of Luke was written to Theophilus who was the Bishop of Antioch. Theophilus lived around 150 BC. So it is reasonable to assume that Luke was written at that time, not a hundred years earlier as claimed. Incidentally. in Theophilus’ own writings we find mention of the Gospel of John. This Gospel is thought to have been written about 125 AD, again many years after Christian tradition says the Gospel of Luke was written.The author says he is relating accounts of the general beliefs of other followers and adds what may be his own personal experiences with Paul.

      Gospel of John tradition says it was written by the Apostle John "beloved disciple" mentioned in John 21:24. If this were true, it would have to have been written 90-125 AD. The majority of modern scholars believe that the text was edited and re-edited two to three times before reaching its current form. It is regarded separately from the other gospels because does not seem to be derived from the same sources.  In nature, it is Gnostic and anti-Jewish.  according to a near-consensus of scholars, had its origins as a "signs" source that circulated within the Johannine community.     

      It is clear that the Gospels were written decades after the events they relate, by well-educated, Greek-speaking theologians. When you look through the writing of the earliest Christians, you will find no mention of the Gospels, nor one verse or quotation from them. In other words, the four gospels were unknown to the early Christian Fathers.

        Justin Martyr, the most eminent of the early Fathers, wrote about the middle of the second century. If any Gospels had existed at that time, he would have mentioned them.  He makes more than three hundred quotations from the books of the Old Testament, and nearly one hundred from the Apocryphal books of the New Testament; but none from the Four Gospels. 

        Irenaeus, who wrote a little later, mentions all of the Gospels, and makes numerous quotations from them. The Four Gospels were undoubtedly written or compiled about this time (the second century). The four canonical gospels are the end-products of long oral and written transmission. 

       Many non-canonical gospels were also written, all later than the four canonical gospels and, like them, advocating the particular theological views of their various authors. Important examples include:

     The Gospel of Thomas,(also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is an collection of non-canonical says of Jesus. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945. It is not included in the canon of the New Testament, but is regarded by most scholars as a legitimate gospel.  It is not a narrative but is a collection of  logia, or sayings, of Jesus. Scholars have proposed dates of composition as early as AD 60 and as late as AD 250.

     The Gospel of Peter, or the Gospel According to Peter, is an ancient text only partially known today. It was rejected as apocryphal by the Church's synods of Carthage and Rome, which established the New Testament canon. It was the first of the non-canonical gospels to be rediscovered, preserved in the dry sands of Egypt. A major focus of the surviving fragment of this Gospel is the passion narrative, which ascribes responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus to Herod Antipas rather than to Pontius Pilate.

      There are also the Gospel of Marcion (mid-2nd century), Gospel of Mani (3rd century) , Gospel of Apelles (mid–late 2nd century), Gospel of Bardesanes (late 2nd–early 3rd century), Gospel of Basilides (mid-2nd century), Thehigly controveral Gospel of Mary,the Gospel of Judas and many more