In order to answer questions like “why are there four gospels” and “why are there only four gospels,” we need to know the type of literature we’re dealing with. A novel is a story, and we know it’s fiction the moment we begin reading.When we pick up a tabloid, we expect gossip.When we pick up the newspaper, we expect to read news.How we classify a text determines how we read it and what we can expect from it: These weren’t dry historical accounts of the life of Christ, but written versions of the greatest news ever shared. The term “gospel” tells us how the early church viewed these works.
The church eventually came to call all four of these accounts gospels. Mark introduces his work with the words, “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1, emphasis added). In 1 Thessalonians 1:5, Paul writes that “our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.” This is one of the earliest New Testament letters, and Paul uses euangelion for the oral proclamation of the good news about Jesus Christ.Įventually, euangelion was used to describe the written versions of the good news about Jesus Christ. “Sing to the Lord, praise his name proclaim his salvation day after day.’” -Psalm 96:2.Įuangelion soon became a technical term for the good news about Jesus Christ.“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.’” -Isaiah 61:1.You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”’” -Isaiah 40:9 “‘You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” -Isaiah 52:7 NIV “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.
In the Old Testament, “good news” sometimes referred to God’s deliverance of his people: An inscription for the birthday of the Roman emperor Augustus reads, “Good news to the world!” In the New Testament world, this term accompanied announcements about victory in battle, or the enthronement of a Roman ruler. The English term gospel comes from the Old English godspell, a translation of the Greek noun euangelion.Įuangelion means “good tidings” or “good news,” and it eventually became a term for the good news about Jesus Christ. While Jesus probably spoke Aramaic, the New Testament was written in Greek. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at What does the term “gospel” mean? You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time.
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