The Gospel – The Good News Royal announcement that Jesus is:

Euangelion (Lexical form) [noun] – is a noun that is usually translated Gospel but should probably be referred to and translated as the good news because it is what the word literally means. The word gospel is laden with different religious and theological meanings throughout Church history. These meanings vary and you could see them expressed as such concepts as “God loves you”, “Jesus died for you so you don’t have to go to hell,” and “justification by faith alone” and many others. You will also find many who think the the Gospel is just the first four books of the New Testament or the Bible itself. While there may have been times in church history when the English word Gospel meant some of (if not all) these things, to understand what the word means when it comes to Christianity and when it was birthed in Jesus we need to understand the word in the context of that time period.

When Jesus and the apostles used the word Euangelion (good news/gospel) they were using a nonreligious word from their current culture. It was an extremely political word at the time often having use or reference to an Empire or Kingdom and victories of the like and how the power, order and riches the empire/kingdom brings with it is good news for those who are faithful or have allegiance to that Kingdom/Empire. There are many uses of this word that show this but the most famous is that of the the Priene Inscription and its date of 9 BC puts it right into the context of the New Testament happenings and writers minds. The Priene Inscription reads in part,

“Since Providence… has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior [σωτήρ], both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar (and inherent from this Lord), by his appearance…. surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god [τοῦ θεοῦ] Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings [εὐαγγέλιον] for the world that came by reason of him…”

In this context then the Euangelion (gospel) was an announcement of a Kingdom and its King (or Lord). Even more so though the writers of the New Testament seem to have the Priene Inscription in mind as they cast Jesus as God (Son of God), Savior, and Lord of all. This would all speak both politically and spiritually (in that the Priene Inscription was claiming Caesar as a God, Savior, and Lord).  In this context, to a Jewish audience claiming Jesus as Christ/Messiah (the promised anointed King) of the Jews and demonstrating this by his miraculous birth, life lived, miracles performed, death and Resurrection was perhaps the most important part of the Gospel (good news). However, to those who were not Jews claiming a Gospel (Good News) of Jesus as Savior, Son of God, and Lord of all would have been a very clear affront on the “Gospel (good news) of Caesar” as seen in Priene Inscription above. The 4 Gospels (especially Mark) start off right there, with this line of thought and then establish it in the rest of there accounts and then it can be seen in the letters throughout the New Testament (for example Paul starts the letter to the Romans off with this Gospel announcement of Jesus as Savior, Messiah/anointed King of God’s Kingdom, and Lord of all). This would have been seen very much as an attack (not just in spiritual realms on other god’s but also) on the Roman Empire and on Caesar as Lord. In light of this, in order to remember that what the writers of the New Testament meant when they used the word Euangelion it would almost be best to translate Euangelion in the new Testament as the Good News (announcement of Jesus as Savior, anointed King and Lord of All).

This is what the Gospel (Euangelion/Good News) was to the writers of the New Testament, God’s Kingdom is here and the Christ (the Jews promised anointed King) of that Kingdom has come to be Savior deliverer of people as their Lord.

Now that we have established through this post, what Euangelion meant in its original context. It’s now time to look at its use throughout the New Testament. If you would like to continue that journey with me, follow this link to part two of this blog study on the Gospel:

Euangelion: What exactly is the Gospel (Part 2: from Jesus to Paul and beyond)