This course presents a compelling view of the way the Gospels of the New Testament were written , when they were written and why they were written, based on the most recent and reliable scholarly research on the Gospels. Using the Gospel of Matthew as a guide, Spong explores the Bible’s literary and liturgical roots—its grounding in Jewish culture, symbols, icons, and storytelling tradition—to explain how the events of Jesus’ life would have been understood by both the Jewish authors of the various gospels and by the Jewish audiences for which they were originally written.