Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Philosophy

First Advisor

Channing L Crisler

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover the implied hermeneutic of the Gospels as βίοι and to propose a congruent homiletic. The study addressed the following research questions: What is the genre of the Gospels and the resulting hermeneutic? Does current Christ-centered preaching account for his hermeneutic? Does Christological research account for intrinsic characteristics? What is the intrinsic Christology of Mark’s Gospel? What homiletical process is needed to align with the genre-based hermeneutic of the Gospels? The methodology of this study followed a four-step process: Genre research confirming the Gospels as βίοι, Christological research including the development of an intrinsic Christology from Mark’s Gospel, Christ-centered preaching research to discover its hermeneutic and methodology, and the development of a homiletic that is consistent with the genre-based hermeneutic of the Gospels. Results demonstrated that the Gospels are βίοι and the biographical aims of the gospel writers lead to a Christological hermeneutic. Extant Christ-centered preaching models do not account for this hermeneutic. The intrinsic Christology of Mark includes fifteen characteristics that may be used to enhance Christological research. Christological questions, with which to interrogate the text, have been developed and integrated into a homiletical template, ensuring that the hermeneutical priority established by the Gospels as βίοι leads to the development of the sermon. The genre of the Gospels leads to a hermeneutic, which leads to a homiletic. Βίοι leads to Christology, which leads to Jesus-centered preaching.

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