Abstract
The aim of the study is to present a conception of ancient biography that does not only understand the genre as a means of literary classification, but also emphasizes its social dimension, namely as a concrete social action. In my view, the emphasis on social action makes it possible to understand, above all, the literary plurality of ancient biographies - whether in the selective procedure of their authors, the arrangement of the material, the chosen section of life, or their historicity.
At the same time, such a conception makes it possible to better understand the canonical Gospels in their wider literary context, especially the question of why the Gospels were written, which is rarely linked to the question of the genre of the Gospels.