The Gospel, Part 3

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

There was a lot to celebrate in 1945. As World War II finally came to an end, citizens of the Allied nations were in a near-constant state of jubilation over the defeat of Axis nations, specifically Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.

After years of fighting, the Nazis had been pushed back into Germany by January 1945. All over Europe, concentration camps - full of starving Jews, racial minorities, political prisoners, and prisoners of war - were liberated. That spring, Italy’s fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, was captured (April 27) and executed (April 28), and the remaining Axis military units in Italy promptly surrendered. Facing inevitable defeat, Adolf Hitler killed himself on April 30. The city of Berlin surrendered May 2. Finally, with the continent in tatters, the Nazis surrendered just after midnight on May 8, which became Victory in Europe Day. 

On the other side of the world, Japan had steadily lost territory throughout the Pacific until the war came right up to their own shores. Nuclear bombs were dropped on two cities in Japan - Aug 6 on Hiroshima, Aug 9 on Nagasaki. The Soviet Union broke its neutrality pact with the Japanese and declared war on them on August 8, promptly invaded Manchuria, the Japanese-held region in mainland Asia. Japan unconditionally surrendered to the Allies days later.

With each of these progressive victories, newspapers in Allied countries proclaimed the “gospel” for the Allies. That is, they shared the good news far and wide. “Hitler Dead”, “Today V-E Day”, “Germany Beaten” “Nazis Quit!”, and “Peace At Last” - these headlines were all emblazoned in large, bold letters across publications worldwide. After victory was secured in Europe, Winston Churchill, Britain’s stalwart prime minister throughout the war, addressed the masses of cheering crowds in London. 

This is your victory, victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best. Everyone has tried, none have flinched. Neither the long years, nor the dangers, nor the fierce attacks of the enemy, have in any way weakened the unbending resolve of the British nation. God bless you all. (1)

Radios transmitted his words across the world. Glad tidings of victory - peace at long last - took the world by storm. Every form of communication was utilized to ensure every person everywhere heard the good news. 

When good things happen, we naturally want to tell the world. It might involve pivotal moments in world history - like the end of World War II - or it might be intimately personal, like when I first became a father. Our first child was born in the middle of my time in medical school. I was so elated that I emailed every one of my 256 classmates to tell them the good news. Whether they wanted to hear it or not, I had to tell the world! Other causes for celebration might involve the arts (awards shows), science (Nobel prizes), or athletics. When the Toronto Raptors, Canada’s only top-tier basketball team, won the NBA championship in 2019, fans across the country happily shared the news with their coworkers the next day and wore their Raptors jerseys for days afterward. Celebrating people don’t care if the news is well received or not. When good things happen, we have to share it.

This is the original meaning of the word “gospel”. It’s simply sharing happy news. Although the Gospel (capital “G”) nowadays has come to refer to the good news of Jesus Christ, the Greek word for “gospel” (euangelion) in ancient times referred to any good news for a particular people group. Nazi Germany’s surrender was gospel for the Allies. Japan’s defeat was gospel for those in the Pacific who had been held under their oppressive rule. The end of World War II was gospel for all the countless soldiers and families who would soon be reunited. 

The methods of communication have changed through the centuries, but the principle of sharing the gospel remains the same. Something good happens and the news must be disseminated. Therefore, to fully understand this prominent biblical term, we must dive into ancient history, specifically the complex messenger systems that delivered news to the masses. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus was not a new practice when Christianity first started in the province of Judea in the Roman Empire. It was simply an adaptation of the system of transmitting good news within a kingdom.

Messenger Systems

In the context of ancient cultures, gospel could represent any number of things. Some of the most common occasions for kingdom-wide proclamations were: (1) a new king had been crowned; (2) the king had defeated his enemies in battle or a war had been won; or (3) a new heir to the throne had been born. In today’s world, breaking news is immediately blasted over TV broadcasts, printed in bold across newspaper headlines, and shared and re-shared in social media. We can watch the coronation of royalty live from the comfort of our own homes. Mass media keeps us up to date with the details of armed conflict around the world. We see pictures and know the names of celebrity babies within moments of their birth. The transmission of news is nearly instantaneous today, but back in ancient times messages had to be delivered in person. Thus, societies of antiquity needed efficient, far-reaching networks of roads and couriers. Indeed, the health of any kingdom depended on its system of communication. 

Virtually every ancient empire had a messenger system. We already saw the foot-messengers of ancient Greece in action with the legendary runner Pheidippides, who ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The Persians also had professional messengers called pirradazis or Angarium. After Darius built a highway across his Achaemenid Empire - the so-called Royal Road - his network of couriers could relay a message from Susa in the east to Sardi in the west in nine days, far faster than the ninety days it would take a foot-traveler to cover that same distance. The Greek historian Herodutus said this about the pirradazis:

Now there is nothing mortal which accomplishes a journey with more speed than these messengers, so skillfully has this been invented by the Persians: for they say that according to the number of days of which the entire journey consists, so many horses and men are set at intervals, each man and horse appointed for a day's journey. These neither snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness of night prevents from accomplishing each one the task proposed to him, with the very utmost speed. (2) 

The Romans also had a horse-based courier service and maintained a network of roads that was essential to movement within its borders. At its peak, the Roman empire ruled over 70 million people, which constituted about a third of the world’s population at the time. The cursus publicus (“the public way”) enabled the efficient and safe transport of militaries, goods, and messengers to all corners of its vast empire. On the other side of the world, the Incas also had such a system. Messengers in this empire were called chasqui. Runners were typically of noble birth - fit, young sons of loyal chiefs - and were constantly on the lookout, manning their relay stations day and night. When a chasqui from an adjacent station appeared running down the road, sounding his seashell horn, the next runner would be up and ready. After memorizing the message, the new one would take off for the next station. Spanish explorers marveled at the speed and efficiency of this system. One historian reported that a normal traveler would take three to four months to traverse a mountainous road to the Incan capital of Cuzco, while a message carried by the chasqui could be there in five or six days. 

They say that they could bring a snail alive from the New Kingdom of Granada [northern part of south America] to the Inca in Cuzco. (3)

In short, nothing carried a message across an empire faster than the professional couriers of ancient times. 

But that was only half of the process. Once a message arrived at its destination, good news needed to be disseminated to the population. That’s where the town crier came in. Just like the high-speed messengers, each region, municipality, and village had its own public announcer.  Before widespread literacy, oral communication was virtually the only way to pass along messages to the general public. Ancient Roman proclamations often occurred during market days (nundinae), where much of the population gathered weekly. Indigenous communities in North America had village criers called eyapha. Umalohokan in pre-colonial Philippines were responsible for proclaiming laws and policies of local chieftains. Those in Nepal were called katuwal. “Bellmen” were so named in medieval England because of the handbell they rang to attract peoples’ attention. Town criers in India and Sri Lanka banged a drum to draw attention, while a horn was used in France. All this amounted to a highly-efficient means of mass communication. Thus, gospel could be rapidly and accurately disseminated within the borders of any empire to keep its citizens well-informed of its triumphs. 

Bad news, however, didn’t seem to have been transmitted this way. Unlike euangelion (“good news”), there isn’t a Greek or Hebrew word for unfavorable proclamations. In fact, there’s much less evidence that these sorts of announcements occurred officially in ancient history. After all, what ruler would want to incite discontent, panic, or riots by blaring out bad news? No town crier in their right mind would want the job of proclaiming an increase in taxes or the approach of an invading army - they’d be mobbed! And yet, bad news did occasionally need to be communicated, so “Don’t shoot the messenger” was a real law enacted by various governments throughout history to protect their couriers and town criers. Ancient China’s code of chivalry prevented the execution of messengers by warring factions. Similar practices were observed in Ancient Greece and Rome. 

Establishing and maintaining such a system of communication was expensive. Roads, wages, horses, way-stations - this all required huge amounts of resources. The messengers, town criers, scribes, and administrators weren’t volunteers - transmitting news was their full-time gig! - all paid for by the empire. And it was worth it. Any king who disregarded communication wouldn’t have a kingdom for very long. 

Those tasked with carrying the gospel carried the authority of the king. It was the king’s words, not their own, that were delivered. And proclaiming his gospel was an assertion of his authority. After all, not just anyone was allowed to make proclamations to the people. 

Controlling The Message

Because most of the population of ancient empires was illiterate, people depended on the government for the majority of communication from afar. As such, those who controlled the system of communication could control the population. Messages could be crafted and worded in such a way as to always glorify the empire, thereby strengthening it from within. Simply put, propaganda was (and still is) so effective because controlling what people hear can control what they think. Every successful government in history knew this very well. 

The Behistun Inscription (Persian for “the place of god”) is a royal proclamation carved into a cliff in western Iran. It describes the legacy of Darius the Great, king of the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire, who ruled from 522 to 486 BC, the same one who fought against the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon. The inscription details the multiple wars Darius fought against “imposters” upon his rise to power, many of which also had legitimate claims to the throne. But history is written by the victors, and Darius was careful to portray potential usurpers as common rebels. He listed vast territories under his control. 

King Darius says: These are the countries which are subject unto me, and by the grace of Ahuramazda I became king of them: Persia, Elam, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, the countries by the Sea, Lydia, the Greeks, Media, Armenia, Cappadocia, Parthia, Drangiana, Aria, Chorasmia, Bactria, Sogdia, Gandhara, Scythia Sattagydia, Arachosia, and Maka [Maka]; twenty-three lands in all. (4)

However, given what we learned from the first article, we know that the Greeks weren’t actually under his dominion, even though they're listed among his subjects. The Behistun Inscription is considered one of the earliest forms of propaganda, praising Darius, the one who commissioned it, and condemning all other would-be rulers and authorities. And yet, how would the general population know any better when all official forms of communication were controlled by the king? Such public proclamations helped unify the empire under his authority and promote pro-Persian sentiments. Indeed, Darius’ brilliant administration and military successes established Persian customs throughout the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean regions. 

Darius wasn’t the only one to recognize the value of propaganda. Chanakya, a prime minister of India in the 300s BC, described the benefits of widespread communication in his manuscript Arthashastra. Since morale was so pivotal to the success of any nation’s military, propaganda served to bolster one’s own armed forces and demoralize the enemy. Such messages could very well turn the tide of war.

Speaking With Authority

The twofold aim of empires was to disseminate its own messages to the population while suppressing the influence of outsiders. As would be expected, trouble could arise when those without an official position - that is, those who didn’t carry the authority of the ruling powers - proclaimed unsanctioned messages to the people. Not a big deal when the messenger isn’t heeded (like the village lunatic), but what if the people believed the unauthorized proclamations of a would-be leader? Simply put, they would no longer be dependent on the government for information and those in power could lose their grip on them. That’s why, before the age of free speech, speaking out against the king and his authorized representatives was considered treason and faced harsh punishment, often death. 

That’s where Jesus ran into trouble.

Imagine this scene. It’s 30 AD, in Jerusalem, and the people are celebrating the Feast of Booths. Jesus and his disciples are walking through the packed streets on the final day of the festival. For the last week, families have been sleeping in temporary shelters (makeshift booths, tents, lean-tos) outside their homes. Roofs, courtyards, streets, and marketplaces are all chock-full of “booths”. The city is a swarm of activity as people prepare for the big feast that evening. Marketplace bartering is in full swing. Animals are expressing their displeasure at being herded along the crowded streets. Children are running everywhere - tag and hide-and-go-seek are never more fun than with countless obstacles in the way. The smell of food is everywhere. It’s here, in the cacophony of organized chaos, that Jesus decides to preach his Gospel. 

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.” (Jn 7:37-38, NLT)

The Bible specifically records that Jesus “stood” (Greek histēmi), before he started speaking. Of course, everyone was on their feet already - there wasn’t room to sit in those crowded streets even if they wanted to. This suggests that Jesus likely stood up, like, climbed on something to get above the crowd. Maybe a table, or a stack of crates, or one of the many makeshift booths. Whatever it was, Jesus became a town crier of sorts to proclaim his good news to anyone who would listen. 

And most likely they did. This sort of behavior was how announcements were normally spread by officials from Herod’s court or the Jewish Temple. Did he ring a bell or beat a drum to get attention? Probably not. Did he repeat his message in various places around the city? Probably yes. Either way, wherever he preached, all heads within earshot turned to listen to the gospel. Not all believed him (Jn 7:40-43), but the whole city was stirred up so much that the Temple leaders tried to arrest him. Jesus had no official position as a representative of the political (Roman government) or religious (Judaism) institutions, so he was far outside his social role. Indeed, even his mother and brothers had thought Jesus was on par with the village lunatic.

When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. (Mk 3:21, NLT)

His preaching was a marvel. Not just that he was proclaiming his Gospel in the first place, but that he was speaking as if he had the authority to do so. This was why Jesus became such an enemy of the authorities. With no official role and no accredited education, he was viewed as a threat when he brought his Gospel to the people. Simply put, his countercultural teaching incensed the religious leaders anytime he stood up to speak. 

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” (Jn 2:18, NIV)

But [the Jews] insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” (Lk 23:5, NIV)

But that didn’t stop him from proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom. As the Bible says, his authority came not from earthly institutions but from heaven itself. 

The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me.” (Jn 7:15-16, NLT)

Jesus was led before this high council, and they said, “Tell us, are you the Messiah?” But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.” (Lk 22:66-69, NLT)

Jesus also sent out his followers to do the same thing! Just like every other ancient messenger carried the weight of their ruler’s authority as they delivered the gospel, Jesus gave them his authority to be his official messengers as they carried the Gospel (Mt 10:5; Mk 6:7; Lk 10:1). Like Jesus, his disciples’ authority was spiritual rather than earthly.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Lk 10:1, NIV)

Again [Jesus] said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” (Jn 20:21, NLT)

They weren’t acting on their own, just as Jesus didn’t act on his own, but according to God’s will.

Jesus’ followers also stood up and proclaimed the Gospel like a town crier. Look at Peter on the day of Pentecost. Again, the city was full of visitors (Acts 2:9-11). 

Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem!” (Acts 2:14, NLT)

They were in the midst of a busy street, so the note of “stepping forward” (Greek histēmi again) suggests getting into some sort of position to make a proclamation. Peter proclaimed the Gospel without any earthly authority, so it wasn’t long before the religious authorities arrested him, demanding an explanation. 

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem… They brought in the two disciples and demanded,By what power, or in whose name, have you done this? (Acts 4:5,7, NLT)

Earthly authorities have power over the lines of communication and the official credentials to speak with authority. so gospel proclamations carry the weight of those who decree them. That’s what was so strange about Jesus’ apostles - their authority wasn’t from Rome or Jerusalem or any other earthly institution. Like Jesus, it was from God. The apostle Paul said as much.

I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority… I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down. (2 Cor 13:6,10, NIV)

This was the original context of Gospel of Christ - it was all done as unofficial public announcements, in the same sort of manner as other gospels had been delivered from the rulers at the time. Although it followed the common practice of messengers and town criers, none of those involved had any earthly authority to do so. People listened, and often believed, because they recognized it as gospel. But there was also pushback from those in power for usurping the normal means of public communication. 

Summary

When Churchill addressed the crowds outside the Ministry of Health Building on VE Day, he spoke from a balcony high above the crowds and his words were amplified on a sound system so everyone could hear him for miles around. Radios transmitted his voice even farther than that, and recording devices ensured his speech would be accessible for future generations. However, for most of human history, such technology wasn’t available. Even the printing press and subsequent mass production of literature didn’t improve the situation much - most people were illiterate! The unaided human voice was the only option. Person-to-person, mouth-to-ear. Thus, ancient empires developed remarkably similar networks of highways and messengers to speedily and efficiently proclaim good news to the far corners of their dominion. It wasn’t cheap, but wise administrators knew the value of reliable lines of communication and regularly proclaiming the gospel of their respective kingdoms. If their society were to thrive, any cost was worth it. 

The Gospel of Christ has piggybacked along the communication routes of whatever territory it finds itself in. Early missionaries in the Roman empire benefited from the Roman system of roads. British missionaries to Africa benefited from British trades ships to that continent. The means of expansion and communication of each successive worldly empire has also allowed Christ’s heavenly kingdom to expand. The concept of gospel - that is, delivering, proclaiming, and celebrating good news - was a part of everyday life in ancient societies. Messengers, public announcements, and celebrations of glad tidings were normal practice in the largely illiterate population of bygone eras. Jesus' Gospel has been proclaimed the same way. Person-to-person, mouth-to-ear. Sometimes via heavenly messengers, but more often by dedicated followers of Christ. They have selflessly carried the Gospel to the far corners of the globe by dedicated messengers. The church has thrived because of such couriers, who often gave up homes, families, material wealth, and even their very lives for the sake of the Good News. 

Opposition to news is common, particularly to those in power. Communication is a form of control, and the kingdom of darkness will do anything to prevent the Gospel of Jesus from being heard and taking root. The moral law of “Don’t shoot the messenger” sometimes isn’t heeded by those who oppose God’s kingdom. Most of Jesus' twelve apostles were killed for their faith. Peter was crucified upside down; Thomas was run through with a spear; James was executed by sword. Just as the legendary Greek runner Pheidippides gave his life for the gospel of Athens, countless godly men and women have given up their lives for the Gospel of Christ. And yet, this was part of God’s plan to spread the Gospel all along. 

I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained… Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. (Rev 9-11, NIV)

The Christian philosopher Tertullian said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. The torch of the Gospel is routinely picked up and carried afresh by countless others who follow in the footstep of those whose races are cut short.

The Gospel is all about the words of the King reaching the ears of his people. No matter what.

Footnotes:

1. Churchill, Winston. “Victory In Europe” (speech). Delivered May 8, 1945 to crowds outside the Ministry of Health Building, London, England. Accessed online at <<winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/victory-in-europe/>> 

2. Wikipedia. “Angarium” (online article). Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 

3. Wikipedia. “Chasqui” (online article). Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 

4. Wikipedia. “Behistun Inscription” (online article). Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 

© D. B. Ryen Incorporated, September 2024.