What are the gospels?

The word “gospel" is from the Greek word euangélion, which is also also translated as "glad tidings." It commonly refers to the gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark and John, which focus on the message of Jesus, the final days leading to the crucifixion and the resurrection. While they do contain information about history and the biography of Jesus, they are neither intended as a historical account or a biography. In fact, it is difficult to construct a total and accurate history of Jesus from the gospels since they lack a lot of information about the birth and life of Jesus prior to the final years of his life. At least 40 years had passed between the resurrection and the writing of the first gospel. Much of the material in the gospels was passed on by oral tradition. Many scholars believe that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source. John, the gospel written last, was dependent on the the first three. The gospels were written from the point of view from the faithful evanglists of early Christianity to the masses.

References:
The Birth of Christianity by John Doominic