the word by oral means alone. Within forty years—and by this time at least three of the four Gospels had been written—the Word of God had spread across the vast Roman Empire, and many thousands had believed. It was impossible for the apostles or accredited teachers to travel across that whole area to all the remote corners where believers could be found and there speak the word personally. The written story of Jesus could be sent to be read to groups and by individuals. It could be read repeatedly,