Which stage involves preaching and sharing stories about Jesus before the written gospels existed?

• A. The Oral Tradition.
• B. The Life of Jesus.
• C. The Written Tradition.
• D. The Canonical Process.

Answer: (A)

The stage being tested is the oral tradition, the period when Jesus' story and message were shared by spoken preaching and storytelling before the gospels were written down. In the earliest Christian communities, eyewitnesses and early followers proclaimed Jesus’ deeds and teachings, passing along testimonies, parables, and sayings by word of mouth. This living transmission formed the memory and faith of the communities and set the foundation for the later written gospels, which began to appear and be shaped from those oral accounts. The other options point to different phases: the Life of Jesus refers to his earthly ministry itself, the Written Tradition to material recorded in writing after the fact, and the Canonical Process to how certain writings were later recognized as authoritative. The essential idea here is the pre-written sharing of Jesus’ story through oral preaching.