Reference: Gospels
Easton
The central fact of Christian preaching was the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world (Mt 4:23; Ro 10:15); and the first Christian preachers who called their account of the person and mission of Christ by the term evangelion (= good message) were called evangelistai (= evangelists) (Eph 4:11; Ac 21:8).
There are four historical accounts of the person and work of Christ: "the first by Matthew, announcing the Redeemer as the promised King of the kingdom of God; the second by Mark, declaring him 'a prophet, mighty in deed and word'; the third by Luke, of whom it might be said that he represents Christ in the special character of the Saviour of sinners (Lu 7:36; 15:18); the fourth by John, who represents Christ as the Son of God, in whom deity and humanity become one. The ancient Church gave to Matthew the symbol of the lion, to Mark that of a man, to Luke that of the ox, and to John that of the eagle: these were the four faces of the cherubim" (Eze 1:10).
Date. The Gospels were all composed during the latter part of the first century, and there is distinct historical evidence to show that they were used and accepted as authentic before the end of the second century.
Mutual relation. "If the extent of all the coincidences be represented by 100, their proportionate distribution will be: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 53; Matthew and Luke, 21; Matthew and Mark, 20; Mark and Luke, 6. Looking only at the general result, it may be said that of the contents of the synoptic Gospels [i.e., the first three Gospels] about two-fifths are common to the three, and that the parts peculiar to one or other of them are little more than one-third of the whole."
Origin. Did the evangelists copy from one another? The opinion is well founded that the Gospels were published by the apostles orally before they were committed to writing, and that each had an independent origin. (See Matthew, Gospel according to.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
The likeness of their faces [was the] face of a human [in front], and [the] face of a lion on the right {of each of them}, and the face of an ox on the left {of each of them}, and [the] face of an eagle {for each of them}.
And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
Now one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he entered into the house of the Pharisee [and] reclined at the table.
I will set out [and] go to my father and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and {in your sight}!
And on the next day we departed [and] came to Caesarea, and entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was [one] of the seven, [and] stayed with him.
And how will they preach, unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How timely [are] the feet of those who bring good news of good things."
And he himself gave some [as] apostles and some [as] prophets and some [as] evangelists and some [as] pastors and teachers
Fausets
From the Old English god spel, "good news." The providential preparations for the gospel attest its divine origin.
(1) The translation at Alexandria of the Old Testament into Greek (by the Septuagint), rendering the Jewish Scriptures accessible through that then universal language of the refined and polite to the literary of all nations. All possibility of questioning the existence or falsifying the contents of Old Testament prophecy was precluded thereby, however much the Jews who rejected Jesus would have wished to alter the prophecies which plainly identified Him as the foretold Messiah. The canon of the Old Testament having been completed, and prophecy having ceased before the Sept. translation, they could not deny that the divine knowledge derivable from it was complete.
(2) Greek and oriental philosophy had drawn attention to religious and moral speculations, which at once exposed and undermined paganism, and yet with all its endless labors gave no satisfactory answer to the questionings and cravings of man's spiritual being.
(3) The Roman empire had broken down the barriers between E. and W. and united almost the whole world, Asia, Africa, and Europe, in one, and established peace and good order, making possible the rapid transmission of the glad tidings from country to country; compare Lu 2:1; Mt 22:21.
(4) The universal expectation in the East of a great king to arise in Judea, probably due to fragments of revelation (as the prophecy of Balsam, Nu 24:17) such as led the wise men of the East to conic seeking "the king of the Jews."
(5) The settling of the Jews, and the consequent erection of synagogues, throughout all the towns of Asia. Greece, Italy, Africa, and western Europe. Hence by the reading of the law and the prophets in the synagogues everywhere each sabbath proselytes of righteousness were gathered from the Gentiles, such as the eunuch or chamberlain of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, a student of Scripture, Cornelius the centurion who "feared God with all his house, and gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always."
These not being bound under the ceremonial yoke, as the original Jews, formed a connecting link with the Gentiles; and hence at Antioch in Pisidia, when the Jews rejected the preaching of Paul and Barnabas, these proselytes, with the Gentiles, "besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath, ... and on that day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God" (Ac 13:15-44). So at Iconium (Ac 14:1), and at Thessalonica (Ac 17:1-4). Such were the "devout men, out of every nation under heaven," the collected representatives of the world, to whom Peter preached with such success (Ac 2:4-11). The 3,000 converts of that day and the 5,000 of a few days after (Ac 4:4) would act as missionaries on their return to their several nations. To the Jews first in each synagogue abroad the apostles preached, and gathered many converts from among them; and then to the Gentiles.
The Jews' national rejection of Jesus is no valid objection to the gospel, since He foretold it Himself (Mt 16:21; 26:2), and the Old Testament prophets did so too (Isa 49:16,21,26/type/leb'>26,26/type/leb'>26; Psalm 22); so that, fixing their eyes on the prophecies of Messiah's glory and kingdom which they wrested to mean His setting up a temporal kingdom at Jerusalem and overthrowing the Roman existing dominion, and shutting their eyes to the prophecies of His humiliation, "they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath," and yet in spite of themselves, like their types Joseph's brethren (Ge 50:20), "they have fulfilled them in condemning Him" (Ac 13:27; 3:18). The harmony in Christ of prophecies seemingly so opposite, His temporal and temporary humiliation, and yet His spiritual dominion now and His final visible and everlasting kingdom, furnish conclusive proof of the Divinity of prophecies which no human sagacity could have anticipated or human agency fulfilled.
The correspondence of the gospel event to the predictions of the Old Testament is thus established by the Jews, unwilling witnesses and therefore beyond suspicion. Graves (Pentateuch, 2:3,6) well says, had they universally embraced the gospel at its first publication, the sceptic might allege the prophecies to have been fabricated or altered to fit them to the events; the contrary is now certain. This is one great cause why the national conversion of the Jews is delayed "until the fullness of the Gentiles shall come in" (Ro 11:35). They continue guardians of the prophetic records until these shall have had their contents examined, and their application ascertained, by every other nation in the world. Genuineness and inspiration of the Four Gospels. The "prophets" in the Christian church who had the spiritual gift of "discerning spirits" were an effectual check on the introduction of a pseudo-inspired writing. Paul appeals to them on the inspiration of his letters (1Co 14:37; 12:10; compare 1Jo 4:1).
Thus, by the two-fold inspiration, that of the authors and that of the judges, the canonicity of the four Gospels, as of the other books of New Testament, is established. The anonymous fragment of the canon of the New Testament attributed to Caius a presbyter of Rome (published by Muratori, Antiq. Ital., iii. 854, and known as the Muratorian Fragment), recognizes the Gospels (Luke and John, the sentences as to Matthew and Mark are obliterated) as inspired, and condemns as uninspired the Shepherd by Hermes, "written very recently in our own times," i.e. in the first part of the second century, the age in which John the last apostle died. Theophilus (Ad Autol., iii. 11), Bishop of Antioch A.D. 168, refers to "the evangelists" and "the Holy Scriptures" of the New Testament. Clement of Alexandria in the latter part of the second century refers to the collection of Gospels as one whole, "the gospel" (Quis Dives Salvus?).
The anonymous letter to Diognetus (sec. 11 ed. Hefele) attributed to Justin Martyr refers to "the Gospels and the Apostles" (i.e. the letters). Ignatius of Antioch, a hearer of John (Ep. ad Philad., sec. 5), calls "the (written) Gospel the flesh of Jesus," and classes it with the Old Testament prophets. Tertullian (Adv. Marc. iv. 2), mentioning the Four Gospels two as the work of apostles and two as that of apostolic men (A.D. 208); Irenaeus (Adv. Haer., ii. 27; iii. 11, sec. 7); martyred A.D. 202; Origen, speaking of the four Gospels as "the elements of the church's faith"; Eusebius; and not only these orthodox writers but heretics, Marcion dud others, appeal to the Gospels as the inspired standard Canon. (See CANON.) .
They were translated into Syriac in the second century, and into Latin and the two Egyptian dialects by the fourth century. We have better evidence for their genuineness than for any other ancient writing. Theophilus arranged the Four Gospels so as to form one work (Jerome, Ep. ad Algas., iv. 197). Tartan, who died A.D. 170, formed a Diatessaron or harmony of the Four Gospels. Barnabas (Paul's companion), Clement of Rome (Php 4:3), and Polycarp quote the Gospels, though not with verbal exactness. Justin Martyr quotes Matthew, Luke, and John largely and exactly. As the heretic Gnostics and Marcion arose early in the second century their acceptance of the Gospels proves that these had been promulgated some time before (i.e. in the apostolic age itself), for after the dissensions between the orthodox and heretics had arisen the Gospels would never have been accepted by mutually hostile parties.
A distinct line was drawn between the apocryphal and the genuine Gospels. Unbelievers, as Celsus in controversy with Origen, could not deny the genuineness of the four even while rejecting their contents. The fathers' large quotations (Origen's especially) prove our Gospels were the same as theirs. Our Saviour wrote nothing Himself, the alleged letter to Abgarus, king of Edessa, being probably spurious. If He had (like Muhammed) recorded His own miracles and teachings, internal consistency would have been nothing marvelous. People would have deified the form, while failing to discern the inner essence. "If I bear witness of Myself My wit
See Verses Found in Dictionary
As for you, you planned evil against me, [but] God planned it for good, in order to do this--to keep many people alive--as [it is] today.
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star will go out from Jacob, and a scepter will rise from Israel; it will crush the foreheads of Moab and destroy all the children of Seth.
[Yet] in all [the] world their line goes out, and their words to [the] end of [the] world. In them he has pitched a tent for the sun,
Yahweh is king; let [the] peoples tremble. [He] sits enthroned [between the] cherubim. Let the earth shake.
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of [my] hands; your walls [are] continually before me.
Then you will say in your heart, "Who has borne me these?" And, "I [was] bereaved and barren, exiled and thrust away; so who raised these? Look at me! I was left alone; {where have these come from}?"
And I will feed your oppressors their [own] flesh, and they shall be drunk [with] their blood as [with] wine. Then all flesh shall know that I [am] Yahweh, your savior and redeemer, the strong [one] of Jacob."
And I will feed your oppressors their [own] flesh, and they shall be drunk [with] their blood as [with] wine. Then all flesh shall know that I [am] Yahweh, your savior and redeemer, the strong [one] of Jacob."
And a scribe approached [and] said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go!" And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky [have] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." read more. And another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead!"
And [when] he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from among the tombs met him, very violent, so that no one was able to pass by along that road.
And [as] Jesus was going away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, "Follow me!" And he stood up [and] followed him.
Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus,
So he said, "Come!" And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
And Simon Peter answered [and] said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" And Jesus answered [and] said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal [this] to you, but my Father [who is] in heaven.
From that time [on] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many [things] from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.
Now [when] they arrived in Capernaum, the ones who collected the double drachma [tax] came up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the double drachma [tax]?"
Now [when] they arrived in Capernaum, the ones who collected the double drachma [tax] came up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the double drachma [tax]?" He said, "Yes." And [when he] came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls or taxes--from their own sons, or from foreigners?" read more. And [when he] said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. But so that we do not give offense to them, go out to the sea, cast [a line with] a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And [when you] open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that [and] give [it] to them for me and you."
They said to him, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!"
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together {the way} a hen gathers her young together under [her] wings, and you were not willing!
"You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man will be handed over in order to be crucified."
[and] said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild [it] within three days.'"
So the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated for them.
And Jesus approached [and] spoke to them, saying, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go [and] make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, read more. teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age."
And he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men [and] went away after him.
And [as he] was passing by, he saw Levi the [son] of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me!" And he stood up [and] followed him.
And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched [it] out, and his hand was restored.
and James the [son] of Zebedee and John the brother of James (and he gave to them the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"),
And he took him away from the crowd by himself [and] put his fingers into his ears, and [after] spitting, he touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!").
And immediately the whole crowd, [when they] saw him, were amazed, and ran up to [him] [and] greeted him.
And from there they went out [and] passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples and was telling them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And [when he] is killed, after three days he will rise." read more. But they did not understand the statement, and they were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And [after he] was in the house, he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
But a certain one of the bystanders, drawing [his] sword, struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you."
Since many have attempted to compile an account concerning the events that have been fulfilled among us,
Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee {named} Nazareth,
This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, [when] Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the time of the high priest Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. read more. And he went into all the surrounding region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled, and the crooked will become straight, and the rough road [will become] smooth, and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'" Therefore he was saying to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham [as] father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! And even now the ax is positioned at the root of the trees; therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds were asking him, saying, "What then should we do?" And he answered [and] said to them, "The one who has two tunics must share with the one who does not have [one], and the one who has food must do likewise." And tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than {what you are ordered to}." And those who served in the army were also asking him, saying, "What should we also do?" And he said to them, "Extort from no one, and do not blackmail [anyone], and be content with your pay." And [while] the people were waiting expectantly and all were pondering in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than I [am] is coming, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing shovel [is] in his hand, to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." So with many other exhortations also he proclaimed good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and concerning all the evil deeds that Herod had done, added this also to them all: he also locked up John in prison. Now it happened that when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and [while he] was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." And Jesus, [when he] began [his ministry], was himself about thirty years [old], being the son (as it was believed) of Joseph the [son] of Eli,
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news about him went out throughout all the surrounding region.
And [when they] did this, they caught a very large number of fish, and their nets began to tear.
And [when he] saw [it], Simon Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, Lord, because I am {a sinful man}!"
and so also [were] James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were business partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid! From now on you will be catching people!"
And after these [things], he went out and saw a tax collector {named} Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me!"
Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing [them] in [their] hands.
And it happened that {afterward} also he was going about from [one] town and village [to another] preaching and proclaiming the good news concerning the kingdom of God, and the twelve [were] with him,
Now Peter and those with him were {very sleepy}, but [when they] became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him.
But Jesus said to him, "Do not prevent [him], because whoever is not against you is for you." Now it happened that when the days were approaching {for him to be taken up}, he set [his] face to go to Jerusalem.
Now it happened that when the days were approaching {for him to be taken up}, he set [his] face to go to Jerusalem.
And [as] they were traveling on the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go!" And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky [have] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay [his] head." read more. And he said to another, "Follow me!" But he said, "Lord, first allow me to go [and] bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead! But you go [and] proclaim the kingdom of God." And another [person] also said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say farewell to those in my house."
And he was going throughout towns and villages, teaching and making [his] journey toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, "Lord, {are there only} a few who are saved?" And he said to them,
At [that] same hour some Pharisees came up [and] said to him, "Go out and depart from here, because Herod wants to kill you!"
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together {the way} a hen [gathers] her own brood under [her] wings, and you were not willing!
And it happened that while traveling toward Jerusalem, he was passing through {the region between} Samaria and Galilee.
And it happened that while traveling toward Jerusalem, he was passing through {the region between} Samaria and Galilee.
Now they were bringing even [their] babies to him so that he could touch them. But [when] the disciples saw [it], they rebuked them.
But they insisted, saying, "He incites the people, teaching throughout the whole of Judea and beginning from Galilee as far as here."
saying, "The Lord has really been raised, and has appeared to Simon!"
On the next day he wanted to depart for Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, "Follow me!"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up!"
After these [things] Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing.
he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And it was necessary [for] him to go through Samaria. read more. Now he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. And Jacob's well was there, so Jesus, [because he] had become tired from the journey, simply sat down at the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me [water] to drink." (For his disciples had gone away into the town so that they could buy food.) So the Samaritan woman said to him, "How do you, being a Jew, ask from me [water] to drink, [since I] am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'Give me [water] to drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket and the well is deep! From where then do you get this living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, [are you], who gave us the well and drank from it himself, and his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of this water which I will give to him will never be thirsty for eternity, but the water which I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or come here to draw [water]!" He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus said to her, "You have said rightly, 'I do not have a husband,' for you have had five husbands, and [the one] whom you have now is not your husband; this you have said truthfully!" The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you [people] say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship." Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming--and now is [here]--when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for indeed the Father seeks such [people] [to be] his worshipers. God [is] spirit, and the ones who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (the one called Christ); "whenever that one comes, he will proclaim all [things] to us." Jesus said to her, "I, the one speaking to you, am [he]. And at this [point] his disciples came, and they were astonished that he was speaking with a woman. However, no one said, "What do you seek?" or "Why are you speaking with her?" So the woman left her water jar and went away into the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I have ever done! Perhaps this one is the Christ?" They went out from the town and were coming to him. In the meanwhile the disciples were asking him, saying, "Rabbi, eat [something]!" But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples began to say to one another, "No one brought him [anything] to eat, [did they]?" Jesus said to them, "My food is that I do the will of the one who sent me and complete his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months and the harvest comes'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. The one who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, in order that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. For in this [instance] the saying is true, 'It is one who sows and another who reaps.' I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have worked, and you have entered into their work." Now from that town many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything that I have done." So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word, And they were saying to the woman, "No longer because of {what you said} do we believe, for we ourselves have heard, and we know that this one is truly the Savior of the world!" And after the two days he departed from there into Galilee.
After these [things] [there] was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
And after these [things] Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
And after these [things] Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the feast of the Jews--the [feast of] Tabernacles--was near.
But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not openly, but (as it were) in secret.
So Jesus was no longer walking openly among the Jews, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. (Now the name of the slave was Malchus.)
After these [things] Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now he revealed [himself] in this way:
And he said to them, "Throw the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find [some]." So they threw [it], and were no longer able to haul it in from the large number of the fish. Then that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" So Simon Peter, [when he] heard that it was the Lord, tied around himself his outer garment (for he was naked) and threw himself into the sea.
I produced the former account, O Theophilus, about all {that} Jesus began to do and to teach,
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them [ability] to speak out. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. read more. And [when] this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were astounded and astonished, saying, "Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear, each one [of us], in {our own native language}? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing [in] Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our [own] languages the great deeds of God!"
But [the things] which God foretold through the mouth of all the prophets, [that] his Christ would suffer, he has fulfilled in this way.
But many of those who listened to the message believed, and the number of the men was approximately five thousand.
But Peter said, "Certainly not, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common and unclean!"
And [when he] found [him], he brought [him] to Antioch. And it happened to them also [that they] met together [for] a whole year with the church and taught a large number [of people]. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.
Now {Paul and his companions} put out to sea from Paphos [and] came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John departed from them [and] returned to Jerusalem.
So after the reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent [word] to them, saying, "Men [and] brothers, if there is any message of exhortation by you for the people, say [it]." So Paul stood up, and motioning with [his] hand, he said, "Israelite men, and those who fear God, listen! read more. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people during [their] stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for a period of time [of] about forty years, he put up with them in the wilderness. And [after] destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land [to his people] as an inheritance. [This took] about four hundred and fifty years. And after these [things], he gave [them] judges until Samuel the prophet. And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, [for] forty years. And [after] removing him, he raised up David for their king, about whom he also said, testifying, 'I have found David the [son] of Jesse [to be] a man in accordance with my heart, who will carry out all my will.' From the descendants of this man, according to [his] promise, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. Before {his coming} John had publicly proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. But while John was completing [his] mission, he said, 'What do you suppose me to be? I am not [he]! But behold, one is coming after me of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of [his] feet!' "Men [and] brothers, sons of the family of Abraham and those among you who fear God--to us the message of this salvation has been sent! For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, [because they] did not recognize this one, and the voices of the prophets that are read on every Sabbath, fulfilled [them] [by] condemning [him].
For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, [because they] did not recognize this one, and the voices of the prophets that are read on every Sabbath, fulfilled [them] [by] condemning [him]. And [although they] found no charge [worthy] of death, they asked Pilate [that] he be executed. read more. And when they had carried out all the things that were written about him, they took [him] down from the tree [and] placed [him] in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, who appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem--who are now his witnesses to the people. And we proclaim the good news to you: that the promise that was made to the fathers, this [promise] God has fulfilled to our children [by] raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son; today I have fathered you.' But that he has raised him from the dead, no more going to return to decay, he has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the reliable divine decrees of David.' Therefore he also says in another [psalm], 'You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay.' For David, [after] serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and {was buried with} his fathers, and experienced decay. But he whom God raised up did not experience decay. "Therefore let it be known to you, men [and] brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and from all [the things] from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, by this one everyone who believes is justified! Watch out, therefore, lest what is stated by the prophets come upon [you]: 'Look, you scoffers, and be astonished and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work that you would never believe [even] if someone were to tell [it] to you.'" And [as] they were going out, they began urging [that] these things be spoken about to them on the next Sabbath. And [after] the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them [and] were persuading them to continue in the grace of God. And on the coming Sabbath, nearly the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord.
Now it happened that in Iconium they entered {together} into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a way that a large number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
but Paul held the opinion they should not take this one along, who departed from them in Pamphylia and did not accompany them in the work.
Now [after they] traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. {And as was his custom}, Paul went in to them and on three Sabbath [days] he discussed with them from the scriptures, read more. explaining and demonstrating that it was necessary [for] the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and [saying], "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, and [also] a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the prominent women.
And [after] spending some time [there], he departed, traveling through one [place] after another [in] the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
For in the law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox [while it] is threshing." It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it? Or doubtless does he speak {for our sake}? For it is written {for our sake}, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes [ought to do so] in hope of a share.
to another {miraculous powers}, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues.
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that [the things] which I am writing to you are of the Lord.
And we have sent at the same time with him the brother whose praise in the gospel [has become known] throughout all the churches.
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed [him] to his face, because he was condemned. For before certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, [because he] was afraid of those [who were] of the circumcision, read more. and the rest of the Jews also joined in [this] hypocrisy with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with them in [their] hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not being straightforward with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of [them] all, "If you, [although you] are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
Yes, I ask also you, true yokefellow, help them, who struggled along with me in the gospel with both Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names [are] in the book of life.
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions--if he should come to you, welcome him),
Luke alone is with me. Take along Mark [and] bring [him] with you, because he is useful to me for ministry.
Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [by] following ingeniously concocted myths, but [by] being eyewitnesses of that one's majesty.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits [to determine] if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Hastings
Under this heading we may consider the four Gospels as a whole, and their relations to one another, leaving detailed questions of date and authorship to the separate articles.
1. The aims of the Evangelists.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
At that time, Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it; then Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.
to {proclaim} [the] year of Yahweh's favor, and our God's day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning,
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach to [the] sanctuaries, and prophesy to the land of Israel.
"Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy [them] but to fulfill [them].
"You have heard that it was said to the {people of old}, 'Do not commit murder,' and 'whoever commits murder will be subject to judgment.'
"No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.
And who among you, [by] being anxious, is able to add one hour to his life span?
But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your stretcher and go to your home."
Come to me, all [of you] who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
And [when] the men of that place recognized him, they sent [word] into that whole surrounding region, and they brought to him all those {who were sick}.
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat {a meal}."
And he said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here [to] there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
And Jesus answered [and] said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will do not only [what was done to] the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea," it will happen!
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together {the way} a hen gathers her young together under [her] wings, and you were not willing!
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together {the way} a hen gathers her young together under [her] wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house has been left to you desolate read more. For I tell you, you will never see me from now [on] until you say, 'Blessed [is] the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Just as it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"--he said to the paralytic--
For Herod himself had sent [and] arrested John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her.
For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life [as] a ransom for many."
And [while] he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, [as] he was reclining for a meal, a woman came holding an alabaster flask of very costly perfumed oil of genuine nard. [After] breaking the alabaster flask, she poured [it] out on his head.
And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.
And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven."
Now early on the first [day] of the week, [after he] rose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had expelled seven demons. She went out [and] announced [it] to those who were with him [while they] were mourning and weeping. read more. And those, [when they] heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, refused to believe [it]. And after these [things], he appeared in a different form to two of them [as they] were walking, [while they] were going out into the countryside. And these went [and] reported [it] to the others, and they did not believe them. And later, [while] they were reclining at table, he appeared to the eleven. And he reprimanded their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him [after he] had been raised. And he said to them, "Go into all the world [and] preach the gospel to all creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will expel demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up snakes. And if they drink any deadly [poison] it will never hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and {they will get} well." Then the Lord Jesus, after [he] had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out [and] proclaimed everywhere, [while] the Lord was working together with [them] and confirming the message through the accompanying signs.]]
Since many have attempted to compile an account concerning the events that have been fulfilled among us,
Since many have attempted to compile an account concerning the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning passed on to us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning passed on to us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning passed on to us, it seemed best to me also--[because I] have followed all [things] carefully from the beginning--to write [them] down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, read more. so that you may know the certainty concerning the things about which you were taught.
But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and concerning all the evil deeds that Herod had done,
But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the one who was paralyzed, "I say to you, 'Get up and pick up your stretcher [and] go to your home.'"
Now it happened that when the days were approaching {for him to be taken up}, he set [his] face to go to Jerusalem.
Now it happened that when the days were approaching {for him to be taken up}, he set [his] face to go to Jerusalem.
And which of you [by] being anxious is able to add an hour to his life span?
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together {the way} a hen [gathers] her own brood under [her] wings, and you were not willing!
No domestic slave is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money."
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than that one! For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
And an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.
(this man was not consenting to their plan and deed), from Arimathea, {a Judean town}, who was looking forward to the kingdom of God.
And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.
On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
And John testified, saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him.
And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One of God.
This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" (which is translated "Christ").
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found [the one] whom Moses wrote [about] in the law, and the prophets wrote [about]--Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth!" And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see!"
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!"
Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born [when he] is an old man? He is not able to enter into his mother's womb for the second time and be born, [can he]?"
So the Samaritan woman said to him, "How do you, being a Jew, ask from me [water] to drink, [since I] am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket and the well is deep! From where then do you get this living water?
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or come here to draw [water]!"
So the Jews began to quarrel {among themselves}, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
(Now he was speaking about Judas [son] of Simon Iscariot, because this one--one of the twelve--was going to betray him.)
So the Jews said to one another, "Where [is] this one going to go, that we will not find him? He is not going to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, [is he]?
Others were saying, "This man is the Christ!" But others were saying, "No, for the Christ does not come from Galilee, [does he]?
They answered and said to him, "You are not also from Galilee, [are you]? Investigate and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee!" [[ And each one went to his [own] house.
And she said, "No one, Lord." So Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more."]]
The Father and I are one."
(Now it was the day of preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.) And he said to the Jews, "Behold your king!"
And the one who has seen [it] has testified, and his testimony is true, and that person knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.'"
but these [things] are recorded in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that [by] believing you may have life in his name.
And if I have [the gift of] prophecy and I know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that [I can] remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Smith
Gos'pels.
The name Gospel (from god and spell, Ang. Sax. good message or news, which is a translation of the Greek euaggelion) is applied to the four inspired histories of the life and teaching of Christ contained in the New Testament, of which separate accounts are given in their place. They were all composed during the latter half of the first century: those of St. Matthew and St. Mark some years before the destruction of Jerusalem; that of St. Luke probably about A.D. 64; and that of St. John towards the close of the century. Before the end of the second century, there is abundant evidence that the four Gospels, as one collection, were generally used and accepted. As a matter of literary history, nothing can be better established than the genuineness of the Gospels. On comparing these four books one with another, a peculiar difficulty claims attention, which has had much to do with the controversy as to their genuineness. In the fourth Gospel the narrative coincided with that of the other three in a few passages only. The received explanation is the only satisfactory one namely, that John, writing last, at the close of the first century had seen the other Gospels, and purposely abstained from writing anew what they had sufficiently recorded. In the other three Gospels there is a great amount of agreement. If we suppose the history that they contain to be divided into 89 sections, in 42 of these all the three narratives coincide, 12 more are given by Matthew and Mark only, 5 by Mark and Luke only, and 14 by Matthew and Luke. To these must be added 5 peculiar to Matthew, 2 to Mark and 9 to Luke, and the enumeration is complete. But this applies only to general coincidence as to the facts narrated: the amount of verbal coincidence, that is, the passages either verbally the same or coinciding in the use of many of the same words, is much smaller. It has been ascertained by Stroud that "if the total contents of the several Gospels be represented by 100, the following table is obtained: Matthew has 42 peculiarities and 58 coincidences. Mark has 7 peculiarities and 93 coincidences. Luke has 59 peculiarities and 41 coincidences. John has 92 peculiarities and 8 coincidences. Why four Gospels. --
1. To bring four separate independent witnesses to the truth.
2. It is to give the Lord's life from every point of view, four living portraits of one person. There were four Gospels because Jesus was to be commended to four races or classes of men, or to four phases of human thought,--the Jewish, Roman, Greek and Christian. Had not these exhausted the classes to be reached, there would doubtless have been more Gospels. In all ages, the Jewish, Roman and Greek natures reappear among men, and, in fact, make up the world of natural men, while the Christian nature and wants likewise remain essentially the same. The FIRST GOSPEL was prepared by Matthew for the Jew. He gives us the Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah of the Jews, the Messianic royalty of Jesus. He places the life and character of Jesus, as lived on earth, alongside the life and character of the Messiah, as sketched in the prophets, showing Christianity as the fulfillment of Judaism. Mark wrote the SECOND GOSPEL. It was substantially the preaching of Peter to the Romans. The Gospel for him must represent the character and career of Jesus from the Roman point of view, as answering to the idea of divine power, work, law, conquest and universal sway; must retain its old significance and ever-potent inspiration at the battle-call of the almighty Conqueror. Luke wrote the THIRD GOSPEL in Greece for the Greek. It has its basis in the gospel which Paul and Luke, by long preaching to the Greeks, had already thrown into the form best suited to commend to their acceptance Jesus as the perfect divine man. It is the gospel of the future, of progressive Christianity, of reason and culture seeking the perfection of manhood. John, "the beloved disciple," wrote the FOURTH GOSPEL for the Christian, to cherish and train those who have entered the new kingdom of Christ, into the highest spiritual life. --Condensed from, Prof. Gregory.