Gamera

Like I say, the gospel is a rather short narrative, distinct from Jesus' teaching, which a kid can learn and recite in about two minutes. That appears to be what the Apostles and Paul preached for a good 50 years or so before written gospels started to circulate. And of course, streetcorner preachers have been telling and retelling the narrative for 2000 without the need of crib notes.

I think you're confusing the narrative of Jesus, which is very short, with the teachings and the commentary in the NT. We don't need the latter, as the latter are not the gospel.

Gamera

Aristotle and Plato and Aeschylus didn't write texts that made special claims to inspiration or soteriological effect, but rather have subject matters on their own accord, which more or less speak to us today.

But of course very few people do in fact read Aristotle any more, except for his Poetics. His scientific work has been reduced to an historical oddity, for other reasons.

My point is the Christian and Hebrew scriptures do make such claims (or at least such claims are attributed to them), which accounts for most of the interest most people show in them. Take away the claim, and it seems inevitable interest would wane.