Gospel

The Meaning of the word Gospel

GOSPEL εὐαγγελίου3 εὐαγγέλιον NGSN 2098 33.217 = Good News

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 1:1.

I. Gospel of Mark

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,”

1. Roman Culture: Among the Romans it meant “joyful tidings” and was associated with the cult of the emperor, whose birthday, attainment to majority and accession to power were celebrated as festival occasions for the whole world.

E.g. 9 Bc Priene emperor Octavian (Augustus) birthday (NICNT, Mk 1:1)

The Gospel of Mark 1. The Herald in the Wilderness. Ch. 1:1–8

an historical event which introduces a new situation for the world. In this perspective the Roman would understand Mark’s proclamation of Jesus the Messiah

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 42.

2. Jewish culture: The explicit reference to Isaiah indicates that the gospel receives its proper interpretation only in the light of the coming salvation promised in the prophetic word. Especially in Isaiah the Hebrew terms signifying “good news” concern the announcement of future salvation, or of the time of salvation

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 43.

The Gospel according to Mark The Key to Mark (1:1)

In the prophet Isaiah “good news” is transferred to the inbreaking of God’s final saving act when peace, good news, and release from oppression will be showered on God’s people (Isa 52:7; 61:1–3).

3. Direction within both cultures: For the Roman an evangel was retrospective, a reflection of the joyous event which has already taken place. In the prophetic word there is a distinctively forward-looking eschatological perspective. The messenger of joy will announce the beginning of the time of salvation and thereby introduce it (cf. Isa. 52:7–10)

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 43–44.

The Gospel according to Mark The Key to Mark (1:1)

The word for “gospel” (Gk. euangelion) literally means “good news.” In both the OT and in Greek literature euangelion was commonly used of reports of victory from the battlefield

The Gospel of Mark 1. The Herald in the Wilderness. Ch. 1:1–8

It refers to a living word of hope from the lips of an appointed messenger

The NET Bible First Edition Notes Notes for 1:1

2 tn The genitive in the phrase τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou euangeliou Iēsou Christou, “the gospel of Jesus Christ”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which Jesus brings [or proclaims]”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about Jesus Christ”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119–21; M. Zerwick, “Biblical Greek”, §§36–39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which Jesus proclaims is in fact the gospel about himself.

The Gospel according to Mark The Key to Mark (1:1)

“beginning” signals the “fulfillment of God’s everlasting word.” For Mark the introduction of Jesus is no less momentous than the creation of the world, for in Jesus a new creation is at hand.

The Gospel according to Mark The Key to Mark (1:1)

For Mark, the gospel refers to the fulfillment of God’s reign and salvation in the fullness of time (Isa 52:7; 61:1)

The Gospel according to Mark The Key to Mark (1:1)

from the outset Mark announces that the content of the gospel is the person of Jesus, who is the Christ and Son of God. It is a brief confession of faith, the meaning of which will unfold only as the reader follows Mark’s presentation of Jesus in the Gospel.

The Gospel of Mark 1. Entrance into Galilee. Ch. 1:14–15

The emphasis upon the fulness of time grounds Jesus’ proclamation securely in the history of revelation and redemption

The emphasis upon the fulness of time grounds Jesus’ proclamation securely in the history of revelation and redemption1

1 William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 64.

he (JESUS) speaks of entering the kingdom as entering a new state of being

James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 46.

Mark 1:15 NASB 2020

and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”