Gospel

Gospel refers to good news and, more specifically, the canonical narratives of Jesus’ life and teaching in Christianity, though its meaning depends heavily on context and interpretation.

Back to Glossary Explore traditions Compare traditions

Etymology

Gospel is from the Old English god-spell, literally good news or good message[1]. It translates the Greek euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον), meaning good news, glad tidings, or proclamation of victory[2]. In the New Testament context, euangelion names the announcement of God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ[3]. The same Greek root gives us the words evangelist (one who announces good news) and evangelical[1].

A common misunderstanding

gospel can refer both to message and to literary genre.

In Practice

Gospel has at least two meanings in Christian usage[2]. First, it refers to the message itself: the core proclamation of the death, resurrection, and saving work of Jesus Christ[4]. In this sense Paul speaks of preaching the gospel in his letters, decades before any of the canonical Gospels were written[4]. Second, it refers to a literary genre and to four specific books in the New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each presenting the life and teaching of Jesus[5].

The four canonical Gospels date from roughly 70-100 CE in standard academic dating (the dates are debated)[5]. They share much of the same material in different arrangements: Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels for their similar perspective; John develops a distinct theological style[5]. Other gospels (the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Judas, and others) are early Christian writings that were not included in the canonical New Testament[5]. These non-canonical gospels are studied for what they reveal about diverse early Christian communities[5].

Within Christian preaching and devotion, Gospel often refers to the saving message at the heart of the Christian proclamation, distinguished from law (the moral demands of God) in many Lutheran and Reformed traditions[6]. The relationship between gospel and law is one of the major theological themes in Protestant thought[6].

Scholarly Context

New Testament scholarship on the Gospels is one of the most extensively developed areas in religious studies[5]. Source criticism (the synoptic problem, the Q hypothesis), form criticism, redaction criticism, and narrative criticism have all generated substantial literature[5]. Scholars debate the historical reliability of the Gospels, their relationship to oral tradition, their literary genre, and their theological perspectives[7]. Major figures include James D.G. Dunn, N.T. Wright, Bart Ehrman, John Meier, and many others, with sharp disagreements among them[5][7].

Common Misconceptions

Misconception: The Gospels are objective biographies of Jesus.

Correction: Each of the four canonical Gospels is a theological proclamation written for a specific community with specific concerns. They are sources for the historical Jesus but are not modern biographies; reading them as if they were misses much of what they are doing[5].

Misconception: Christians have always had exactly four Gospels.

Correction: Multiple gospels circulated in early Christianity. The four-gospel canon was recognized by the late second century and definitively established later. The non-canonical gospels (Thomas, Peter, Mary, and others) represent diverse early Christian voices that the church did not include in its scripture[5][8].

Sources

[1]Online Etymology Dictionary, "gospel"↩
[2]Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Gospel"↩
[3]Mark 1:1, Romans 1:1-4, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (Pauline summaries of the gospel message)primary↩
[4]James D. G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003)↩
[5]Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings (New York: Oxford University Press, multiple editions from 1997 onward)↩
[6]Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition, vol. 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984)↩
[7]Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006)↩
[8]Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987)↩

Sources & Further Reading

Encyclopaedia Britannica entries on religion and key doctrinal terms.https://www.britannica.com/topic/religion
Oxford Reference entries on comparative religion vocabulary.oxfordreference.com (publisher site)
ReligionCompare reading lists and religion profiles for contextual study.https://www.religioncompare.com/recommended-reading