ABSTRACT
We often approach the Bible as though we know the gospel stories. This is especially true of those who were raised in the church. I find, however, that – when I am lecturing on the gospels or discussing a specific actor in a gospel narrative – students often attribute to one gospel details that are actually found in another. They combine the narratives, intermingling details and emerging with a picture that cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. I think this is a result of the way the Bible is approached and taught: by and large Christian sermons are based on proof texts, that is, bits and pieces of disparate writings that are treated as though they were intended to be part of a cohesive whole.
