--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am perfectly convinced that whatever…" description: "\"I am perfectly convinced that whatever the gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear they are not that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/c-s-lewis-2-132_art_i-am-perfectly-convinced-that-whatever-t_1987609.png" --- # I am perfectly convinced that whatever the gospels are… ![“I am perfectly convinced that whatever the gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear they are not that sort of thing…Christ bent down and scribbled in the dust with His finger. Nothing comes of this. No one has based any doctrine on it. And the act…” quote by C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/c-s-lewis-2-132_art_i-am-perfectly-convinced-that-whatever-t_1987609.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/c-s-lewis-2-132_art_i-am-perfectly-convinced-that-whatever-t_1987609.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/c-s-lewis-2-132_art_i-am-perfectly-convinced-that-whatever-t_1987609.png) > “I am perfectly convinced that whatever the gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear they are not that sort of thing…Christ bent down and scribbled in the dust with His finger. Nothing comes of this. No one has based any doctrine on it. And the act of inventing little irrelevant details to make an imaginary scene more convincing is purely a modern art.” [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lewis argues that gospel accounts are historical, not mythic legends, and that adding fictional details is a modern tendency. **In simple terms:** Gospels are factual, not legends. Key Takeaway Recognize the difference between history and myth. Themes faith history mythology Mood thoughtful critical Type theoretical analytical When to use this quote - Bible study - academic research - religious education Key Concepts Christianity historicity literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - How do we differentiate historical fact from later embellishment? - What impact does mythologizing have on belief? A Different Perspective Modern embellishment can distort original meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Bent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bent/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Convinced Gospels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced-gospels-3428503/) [Convincing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convincing/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Gospels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gospels/) [Gospels Legends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gospels-legends-428731/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Inventing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventing/) [Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant/) [Legends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legends/) [Legends Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legends-read-3428504/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-art/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Thing Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-christ-3135277/) ## Related quotes > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Every day we may see some new thing in Christ. His love hath neither brim nor bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/every-day-we-may-see-some-new-thing-in-christ-his-love-hath-neither/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [“The only good thing in me is Christ. Without being spiritual in my life... I am and have nothing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/the-only-good-thing-in-me-is-christ-without-being-spiritual-in-my/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [“The Gospels fall apart without miracles. Today's discomfort with the miraculous reflects a fundamental unwillingness to believe God can do anything. 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