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gospel
gospel The English word means ‘news of joyful events’ and is used by Jesus as he proclaims the coming of the Kingdom (Mark 1: 15) and by Paul of God's work done through Jesus Christ (Rom. 1: 1–2). The NT takes up the theme already preached by the OT prophet, where it is the good news of the coming end of the Exile (Isa. 40: 9).
In writing to the Galatians (1: 6–7) Paul rounds on opponents who were distorting ‘his’ gospel and teaching ‘another’ which he regarded as nothing more than the old way of Judaism slightly improved or modified. It was the old legalism. ‘His’ gospel was the news that it is by Christ, through faith in him, that we are put right with God. Thus the content has been changed: for Jesus, it was the coming of the Kingdom: for Paul, it is Christ himself ‘the power of God for salvation’ (Rom. 1: 16). The content of the gospel has necessarily been changed by reason of the Church's belief about Jesus' death and resurrection. In the 2nd cent. ‘gospel’ came to be put as the title of certain Christian books. This followed the convention that a book should be known by its first word: thus, ‘Genesis’, the opening book of the OT, acquired its name from the LXX where the word means ‘beginning’ (Gen. 1: 1). Almost the first word in Mark is ‘gospel’; but before long there were three other accepted accounts of Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection; therefore to distinguish them their titles became ‘The gospel according to Matthew’ etc. The word ‘gospel’ had come to denote a kind of literature about Jesus, but it was not an entirely new genre of writing inasmuch as lives of political or military leaders (Agricola) and religious heroes (Moses) were published in the Graeco-Roman world. |
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "gospel." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "gospel." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-gospel.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "gospel." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-gospel.html |
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Gospel
Gospel [M.E.,=good news; evangel from Gr.,= good news], a written account of the life of Jesus. Though the Gospels of the New Testament are all anonymous, since the 2d cent. they have been named Matthew , Mark , Luke , and John . The first three are called Synoptic Gospels because they agree in much of their subject matter, wording, and narrative order and so appear to be written from a common vantage point. Some Pseudepigrapha —e.g., the Gospel of Thomas—partly resemble the canonical Gospels. The solemn reading of the day's Gospel is a special feature of the liturgy in many churches. Formerly the Gospel (i.e., a book of the Gospels) was used instead of the Bible for the oath in courts in Christian countries. This sort of honor paid to the book resulted in some outstanding examples of illumination —e.g., the Lindisfarne Gospels (see Holy Island ) and the Book of Kells (see under Ceanannus Mór ). Sometimes the term "gospel" is used in a broader sense to indicate the Christian message of salvation.
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"Gospel." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Gospel." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Gospel.html "Gospel." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Gospel.html |
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gospel
gospel the ‘good tidings’ proclaimed by Jesus Christ; any of the four books written by the Evangelists; portion of any of these read at the Eucharist OE.; something ‘as true as the gospel’ XIII; something ‘to swear by’ as doctrine to be believed XVII. OE. gōdspel, i.e. gōd GOOD, spel news, tidings (SPELL1 ), rendering of ecclL. bona annuntiatio, bonus nuntius, used as literal renderings of ecclL. evangelium, Gr. euaggélion EVANGEL. Identification of the first syll. with God in Eng. is reflected in forms adopted in the Gmc. langs. of peoples evangelized from England, viz. OS. godspell, OHG. gotspell, ON. guð-, goðspjall.
Hence gospeller (which illustrates various uses of -ER1), OE. gōdspellere, f. gōdspel or the corr. vb. gōdspellian, †one of the four evangelists (OE.-XVII); †gospel-book XV; one who recites the Gospel at the Eucharist; one who professes the faith of the gospel, esp. fanatically (hot-gospeller) XVI. |
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T. F. HOAD. "gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gospel.html T. F. HOAD. "gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gospel.html |
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Gospel
Gospel (‘good news’). (1) The central content of the Christian revelation, the glad tidings of redemption. St Paul's use of the word without explanation in writing to believers in Rome whom he did not know suggests that the Christian sense was already current. (2) The title of the books in which the Christian Gospel is set forth. This usage may derive from the title line of Mk. (1: 1). As there can be only one Gospel, 2nd-cent. superscriptions called the Church's books ‘The Gospel according to Matthew’, etc. The unique authority of Mt., Mk., Lk., and Jn. was becoming established in the second half of the 2nd cent. (3) The word is also used of the so-called apocryphal Gospels written in the 2nd cent. and later outside the Church. They are clearly historically inferior to the canonical Gospels, whose authority they never seriously challenged in the Church.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Gospel.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Gospel.html |
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Gospel
Gospel the record of Christ's life and teaching in the first four books of the New Testament; each of these books. The four Gospels ascribed to St Matthew, St Mark, St Luke, and St John all give an account of the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, though the Gospel of John differs greatly from the other three. There are also several apocryphal gospels of later date.
The word comes from Old English gōdspel ‘good news’, translating ecclesiastical Latin bona annuntiatio used to gloss evangelium, from Greek euangelion ‘good news’; after the vowel was shortened in Old English, the first syllable was mistaken for god ‘God’. Gospel side in a church, the north side of the altar, at which the Gospel is read, opposite to the Epistle side. gospel truth what is absolutely true (the related take something for gospel is also found). |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Gospel." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Gospel." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Gospel.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Gospel." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Gospel.html |
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gospel
gos·pel / ˈgäspəl/ • n. 1. the teaching or revelation of Christ: it is the Church's mission to preach the gospel. ∎ (also gospel truth) a thing that is absolutely true: they say it's sold out, but don't take that as gospel. ∎ a set of principles or beliefs: the new economics unit has produced what it reckons to be the approved gospel. 2. (Gospel) the record of Jesus' life and teaching in the first four books of the New Testament. ∎ each of these books. ∎ a portion from one of these read at a church service. 3. (also gospel music) a fervent style of black American evangelical religious singing, developed from spirituals sung in Southern Baptist and Pentecostal churches: [as adj.] gospel singers. |
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"gospel." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gospel." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-gospel.html "gospel." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-gospel.html |
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Gospel
Gospel (Gk., euangelion; OE, godspel, ‘good news’).
1. The content of Christian preaching. 2. A book containing sayings and stories of Jesus. Since there was only one Good News, the four separate gospels in the New Testament were distinguished as ‘according to’ Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 3. The reading from the gospels in the Christian eucharist. |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Gospel.html JOHN BOWKER. "Gospel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Gospel.html |
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Gospel (in the Liturgy)
Gospel (in the Liturgy). In the Eucharistic rite the reading from the Gospel proper to each Mass. It always occupies the last place (i.e. after the Epistle and other readings, if any) as the position of honour. In the Orthodox Church Gospels are also solemnly chanted at various other services.
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Cite this article
E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gospel (in the Liturgy)." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gospel (in the Liturgy)." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-GospelintheLiturgy.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gospel (in the Liturgy)." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-GospelintheLiturgy.html |
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gospel
gospel Central content of the Christian faith, the good news (god spell in Old English) that human sins are forgiven and that all sinners are redeemed. The first four books of the New Testament, ascribed to the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are known as the four Gospels.
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"gospel." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gospel." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-gospel.html "gospel." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-gospel.html |
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gospel
gospel
•apple, chapel, chappal, Chappell, dapple, grapple, scrapple
•scalpel
•ample, trample
•pineapple
•carpal, carpel
•example, sample
•sepal
•stemple, temple
•maple, papal, staple
•peepul, people, steeple
•tradespeople • sportspeople
•townspeople • workpeople
•cripple, fipple, nipple, ripple, stipple, tipple, triple
•dimple, pimple, simple, wimple
•Oedipal • maniple • manciple
•municipal
•principal, principle
•participle • multiple
•archetypal, disciple, typal
•prototypal
•hopple, popple, stopple, topple
•gospel
•Constantinople, copal, nopal, opal, Opel
•duple, pupal, pupil, scruple
•quadruple • septuple • sextuple
•quintuple • octuple
•couple, supple
•crumple, rumple, scrumple
•syncopal • episcopal • purple
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"gospel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gospel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-gospel.html "gospel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-gospel.html |
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