Gospels (Greek: εὐαγγέλιον, lit. 'good news'; Latin: evangelia) are the written accounts of Jesus Christ's life and teachings. The term originally referred to the central message of Christianity –the “good news”– before coming to denote the books in which the message was recorded.

The term "gospel" refers to a genre of ancient biography found in early Christian literature. The mainstream biblical canon is the New Testament, which includes four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Other gospels exist but are not included in modern mainstream biblical canons. These additional gospels are referred to as New Testament apocrypha or non-canonical gospels. Some of these texts have had an impact on Christian traditions, including various forms of iconography, by providing alternative narratives and perspectives on the life and teachings of Jesus.^{[citation needed]} This then influenced artistic representations and theological interpretations.

Fragmentary gospels are those preserved from primary sources.

Reconstructed gospels are those preserved from secondary sources and commentaries.

Text known only by their mentions in other sources.

These are fragmentary texts whose origins are uncertain or unknown, preserved from primary sources.