The Gospel, Part 2

[Note: this is the second article of a five-part series about the historical context of the gospel]

In ancient times, the word we translate as “gospel” had a broad context. In fact, the Greek term euangelion was commonly used to describe any good news that involved a kingdom or empire. This was how the original writers of the Bible and early church understood it, and our goal in this five-part series is to understand it the same way.

In Part 1, we looked at the legend of a young messenger from Athens who gave his life for the gospel, that is, the good news for the people of Greece. In this second part, we’ll dive deep into the terminology used in ancient languages, specifically Greek and Hebrew, the primary languages of the Bible. Two books of the Bible - Daniel and Ezra - include portions in Aramaic, but the terminology so similar to Hebrew that we won’t focus on it here. Instead, we’ll stick with the big picture: how the Bible, and other ancient manuscripts, talk about gospel.

Sometimes etymology - the study of words and how their meanings change throughout history - can be dull. I mean, most of us aren't professional biblical scholars. However, understanding the concept of gospel - a pivotal concept in the Bible - is integral to understanding the news of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection, and the subsequent rise of the global church. Indeed, the context of the original Greek and Hebrew words for proclaiming good news will be foundational to appreciating the messenger systems that carried gospel around the empires of antiquity (which we’ll explore in Part 3), how emperor worship and imperial cults reflect the customs and practices of Christianity throughout the ages (Part 4), and how virtually every aspect of “gospel” in ancient times have direct applications for Bible-based theology today (Part 5). 

It can be tricky to fully understand the Word of God, which was originally transcribed into Greek and Hebrew, without some basic understanding of these ancient languages. Thus, without further ado, let’s get into our study of gospel terminology so we can better understand how Jesus’ Gospel applies to the church today.

Euangelion (Greek)

Greek is the language of the New Testament and euangelion is the Greek term we traditionally translate to “gospel”. The prefix eu means “good” or “well”. We see this it English words like eulogy (“good word”) and euphemism (“good speaking”) - both have Greek origins. Angelos means “messenger” or “herald”. It’s where the word “angel” comes from, which was understood in Bible times to be a heavenly messenger from God. Thus, euangelion (noun) literally means “good message”. The English word “gospel” comes from the Old English “godspell”, meaning “good news” or “glad tidings”. Euangelizō (verb) is the equivalent action of proclaiming such news, which is where “evangelize” comes from. 

The angel (angelos) answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you (euangelizō) this good news (euangelion). (Lk 1:19, ESV)

Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel (euangelion) to the whole creation. (Mk 16:15, ESV)

I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel (euangelion) to proclaim (euangelizō) to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. (Rev 14:6, ESV)

Nowadays, particularly within Christian culture, the Gospel (capital “G”) refers to the story and message of Jesus’ life. Although “Gospel” and “Good News” aren’t typically capitalized in the Bible, we’ll capitalize them here to distinguish them from other gospels that don’t relate to Jesus or his message. 

The Gospel of Christ is mentioned many times in the Bible. However, before euangelion was included in the Christian literature in the first century, it had a broader meaning throughout the ancient world. Simply put, the gospel (lowercase “g”) represented good news for an ancient kingdom. Also, because receiving good news naturally elicited celebration, euangelion could also refer to the reward paid to the messengers upon delivery, or even to sacrifices to the gods in thanksgiving for good fortune. We don't see this meaning in the Bible, but it certainly occurs in ancient Greek literature.

Homer's Odyssey , written 800 years before the time of Christ, tells the story of Ulysses, whose estate was being consumed in his lengthy absence from home by would-be suitors to his wife. He secretly arrives in his home country and disguises himself as an old man, then visits the keeper of his pigs, who doesn’t recognize him as his long-lost master. Upon hearing of the hardship his wife and son are experiencing at the hands of greedy men, Ulysses tells the pig herder that his master will soon return and take vengeance on those mistreating his family. The herder, distraught, replies, 

Old man, you will neither get paid for bringing good news (euangelion), nor will Ulysses ever come home; drink your wine in peace, and let us talk about something else.” (1)

Thus, gospel wasn’t only reserved for royal proclamations. In ancient Greece, any good news was gospel. And, as the pig herder mentioned, it was common practice to pay those who delivered it. Similarly, sacrifices of thanksgiving to the gods were also commonplace. The ancient Greek writers Xenophon, Aristophanes, Lucian, and Plutarch all mention this in their writings (2). This is a context of gospel that doesn't get used in the Bible - the double meaning of euangelion. Gospel could mean the news itself or the displays of gratitude in response to the good news.

On the flip side, there doesn’t seem to be a specific Greek term for bad news. A word like malangelion (mal means “bad”) doesn’t occur in the Bible, or elsewhere in ancient Greek literature. It seems that only good news, or news in general, warranted a special term.

Bᵊśôrâ (Hebrew)

The primary language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, and here we find similar gospel-related terms. The word bᵊśôrâ (noun) refers to news, while it’s related word bāśar (verb) refers to delivering news. 

We are not doing right [by keeping this news to ourselves]. This day is a day of good news (bᵊśôrâ). If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household. (2 Ki 7:9, ESV)

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news (bāśar), who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Is 52:7, ESV)

These terms are most often used in the context of good news for the people of God (i.e. Israel), but could also be applied more broadly. When the Philistines defeated Israel in battle, they discovered the bodies of Israel’s King Saul and his sons on the battlefield. 

[The Philistines] cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news (bāśar) to the house of their idols and to the people” (1 Sam 31:9, NIV). 

Thus we see that these Hebrew words in Hebrew-centered scriptures could also be applied to the good news for other nations. That is, they are used here to describe the gospel of the Philistines.

Bᵊśôrâ and bāśar can also be used generically, neither good nor bad. We see this when King David was awaiting news from battle. 

The watchman called out and told the king [he saw a man running alone]. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news (bᵊśôrâ) in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news (bāśar).” The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news (bᵊśôrâ).” (2 Sam 18:25-27, ESV)

David didn’t know the nature of the news he was going to receive. Indeed, he specifically adds the Hebrew word for “good” (ṭôḇ) to describe the second messenger and the news he carried: “He is a good (ṭôḇ) man and comes with good (ṭôḇ) news (bᵊśôrâ)” (2 Sam 18:27, ESV).

Furthermore, these terms could also refer to bad news. In the early days of Samuel, the army of Israel was defeated by the Philistine. During the battle, “the ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died” (1 Sam 4:11, NIV). The old priest Eli anxiously sat by the gates of Shiloh, waiting for news. Eventually, a messenger arrived with “clothes torn and dust on his head” (1 Sam 4:12, NIV). When he told of Israel’s defeat (bāśar), the whole city was sent into an uproar. Eli himself fell backward off his chair, broke his neck, and died (v. 18), while Phinehas’ pregnant wife was so distraught she went into labor and died while delivering a son (v. 19). Definitely bad news. Thus, bᵊśôrâ and bāśar usually referred to good news in the Old Testament, but not always.

Summary

The overall meaning for gospel terms in ancient literature is a reference to news, as biblical scholars have confirmed. 

[The apostle] Paul’s gospel language never refers to ongoing Christian instruction and only ever connotes announcements which are news to those who hear them. This conclusion… is shown to conform to the wholly consistent usage of gospel terminology throughout Graeco-Roman, Jewish and early Christian literature: ‘gospel’ is news. (3) 

The Greek words in the New Testament (euangelion, euangelizō) were always used in a positive context. After all, they have “good” (eu) embedded within them. However, the Hebrew terms in the Old Testament (bᵊśôrâ, bāśar) weren’t necessarily good or bad - they were just about delivering news in general. 

English translations of the Bible do a wonderful job of painting the picture of the Gospel of Christ as a whole, but the specific gospel-related words often require careful study of the language and historical context to be fully understood. In today’s world, the word Gospel (capital "G") has evolved to refer specifically to Jesus and his message of salvation, but that wasn’t its original meaning. 

The gospel in ancient times was just news. That was how the early church would have understood these words in their sacred writings, and it's how we should understand them when we read the Bible today.

Footnotes:

1. Butler, Samuel (translator). The Odyssey by Homer. The Project Gutenberg, 1999. “Book XIV: Ulysses in the hut with Eumaeus”. 

2. Burrows, Millar. “The Origin of the Term ‘Gospel’”. Journal of Biblical Literature, 1925. 44 (1-2): 21-33. 

3. Dickson, John P. “Gospel as news: εὐαγγέλ- from Aristophanes to the Apostle Paul”. New Testament Studies, 2005. 51, pp.212-230. 

© D. B. Ryen Incorporated, September 2024.