View source for The Four Gospels with introductions by A N Wilson, Nick Cave, Richard Holloway and Blake Morrison

{{infobox1
|title=The Four Gospels with introductions by
|sort= Four Gospels
|author=A N Wilson, Nick Cave, Richard Holloway and Blake Morrison
|reviewer=Sue Fairhead
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Authorised Version (King James) text of the four Biblical Gospels, in paperback format, with modern - and varied - introductions.
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Maybe
|pages=400
|publisher=Canongate Books Ltd
|date=April 2010
|isbn=978-1847678355
|cover=1847678351
|aznuk=1847678351
|aznus=1847678351
}}

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book.  I only skimmed
through the description on Amazon, and understood that four modern
writers were introducing the four Gospels.  What I hadn't really taken
in was that the introductions are brief - a few pages each - and that
the bulk of the book consists of the Authorised Version (known as the
King James Version in the USA) of the Gospels.  The whole is published
in a fairly trendy looking paperback format, with the idea of
appealing to people who are not particularly religious, but who see
the Bible as valuable ancient literature.

I've read the Gospels many times, in various translations, but not -
as far as I know - in the Authorised Version (which henceforth I shall
abbreviate to AV).  I can appreciate that some people find beauty in
the ancient language; indeed, I have some fond, albeit vague memories
of school services using the AV translation of some passages.  But I
grew up with the less ancient Revised Standard Version, used the Good
News Bible as a teenager, and as an adult use almost exclusively the
New International Version.  I prefer to read the Bible in everyday
language, which was how it was originally written.  I took Ancient
Greek as an A-level, rather more years ago than I wish to remember,
and was surprised to discover just how simple the original language of
the New Testament was, compared to most Ancient Greek writers.

Still, I was interested to read the AV text again, wondering if, after
all these years, I would find new inspiration in the old language.
But I didn't.  I'm not a poet, nor a big fan of historical language
out of context. The events described did not take place in the early
17th century; yet the language of the AV translation is more like the
language of Shakespeare than that of other first century authors.  The
passages were familiar to me, so I had no trouble understanding the
archaic language; but much of the construction is clumsy to modern
eyes, and many of the words no longer in current usage.

I read the four introductions with considerable interest.  I was not
familiar with any of the writers (A N Wilson, Nick Cave, Richard
Holloway and Blake Morrison) but the blurb on the back of the book
stated that they had written 'revelatory essays' with 'piercing,
moving....responses' to the life of Jesus.  I enjoyed reading them,
but did not find any revelations, nor was I moved.  To someone
familiar with the Gospels, they said nothing new.  They asked
questions about the accuracy of the stories and anecdotes, pointing
out that - for instance - John's Gospel uses a significant amount of
metaphor, and that each of the Gospel writers had a particular
audience in mind, and adapted his writing to suit them.  I accept that
each of these introductions gives a personal viewpoint, which wasn't
necessarily Christian, and the writing was good; but little was said
that I found of any value.

At the same time, these four introductions assume a basic familiarity
with the stories of Jesus; something that in today's postmodern
multi-faith environment is no longer the case for a significant number
of people.  Anyone picking up this book without a background knowledge
of the Bible would be none the wiser (quite apart from being confused
by the AV language).  So I'm a little at a loss to know who exactly
this book is intended for.  The few people I know of who are big fans
of the AV are, after all, those who are highly unlikely to buy a
paperback translation with introductions that cast doubt on the
veracity of some of the text.

Still, the AV was a radical translation in its day, even if some of
its accuracy is now contested.  So this book may well appeal to those
who remember it from their childhood but have not opened a Bible
since, and who don't want to be bogged down with an entire New
Testament.  I suppose it should also appeal to those who are
interested in the language of the 17th century, or who wish to study
the Gospels as literature; although I would expect them to be more
inclined to buy a full copy of the AV and a good commentary.  Serious
students of Shakespeare do not, after all, tend to pick up inexpensive
paperbacks with casual introductions of just one or two plays.

Despite all my reservations I'm giving this four stars because the
Bible in any format is worth reading, in my view.  And it's a nicely
produced paperback.

Thanks to the publishers for sending it.

If you did enjoy reading this, I'd suggest you invest in a modern
edition of the New Testament (or perhaps the four Gospels).  You might
also be interested in [[The God I Don't Understand by Christopher J H Wright]], which addresses general issues about God and faith from a more philosophical background.

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[[Category:A N Wilson]]
[[Category:Nick Cave]]
[[Category:Richard Holloway]]
[[Category:Blake Morrison]]