'Poetics', the study of making literary works, regards the gospels as literature. Petri Merenlahti makes the case that poetics offer a vital critical tool to interpreting the gospels. He argues that poetics must also be historical, as perceptions of literary form and value are not fixed, but evolve and develop from one time and culture to another. He provides a comprehensive account of the development and current state of poetics and narrative criticism. Through scrupulous methodological discussion and detailed analysis of gospel narratives, Merenlahti offers a highly productive future program for historical poetics in gospel studies.