Which gospel is the shortest?

Which gospel is the shortest? Mark is the shortest of the four canonical Gospels.

The Gospel of Mark contains 16 chapters and about 11,000 Greek words, making it substantially shorter than Matthew, Luke, and John. Its narrative moves quickly from one episode to the next, often using transitions equivalent to “immediately.” Mark begins with John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism rather than a birth narrative, and it ends in its earliest form with the discovery of the empty tomb.

Mark is also widely regarded by scholars as the earliest canonical Gospel, probably written around 65–75 CE. Matthew and Luke appear to have used Mark as one of their sources, which helps explain why many stories and sayings overlap among the Synoptic Gospels. John has a different structure and style and is not usually grouped with them in the same way.

A common mix-up is confusing shortest with least important. Mark’s compact account strongly influenced the other Synoptic Gospels and contains distinctive details, including the vivid description of Jesus’ emotions and the enigmatic young man at the tomb.