Wilfred L. Knox (1886 1950) was a theologian and fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Volume I of his Sources of the Synoptic Gospels was published posthumously in 1953. The gospels were written to preach Christ and not to satisfy the curiosities of the modern scholar; but they do contain important historical material of the first importance. That is Dr Knox's contention: and these volumes seek to take Gospel criticism a stage beyond Form-criticism. The result of many years' work, this volume focuses on the Gospel of St Mark, whilst the 1957 Volume II is concerned with St Luke and St Matthew. Following Knox's death. The manuscripts for both of these volumes were edited by the Rev. Henry Chadwick and published in their present form.

The gospels were written to preach Christ and not to satisfy the curiosities of the modern scholar, but they do contain important historical material of the first importance. That is Dr Knox's contention, and this book, which was originally published in 1957, seeks to take Gospel criticism a stage beyond Form-criticism. By acute detective work Dr Knox traces the use of primitive tracts incorporated by the Synoptic evangelists, delicately disentangling the virtually intact. The study of the Lucan material in this second volume carries much of the argument of the entire work, which attempts to show that the Synoptic gospels are compilations of sources first written down some thirty years closer to the time of the events than is commonly supposed. If this is established, the historical reliability of the account is correspondingly increased.

The late Canon Knox's book was first published in 1939. In it he examines the religions and philosophical movements forming the contemporary background against which St Paul had to preach.