Gospels. The first four books of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. They give accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The word gospel comes from an Old English word meaning 'Good News'. In the Catholic liturgy, they are central, the rest of the Bible having a lesser significance. The reformed church extended this significance to the whole Bible.

The four Gospel books are usually known by the names of the authors traditionally ascribed to them: Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These saints are widely represented in Norfolk churches on fonts and screens, often in the form of their Evangelistic symbols. They were severely censored by the puritans in the 17th century, but the Victorians were equally enthusiastic about replacing them 200 years later.