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.)
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And he went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
AND one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him; and going into the Pharisee's house he reclined.
I will arise and go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned to Heaven, and before you;
And departing on the next day we came to Caesarea, and going to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we staid with him.
and how shall they preach unless they have been sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those that publish good news of peace, that publish good news of good things.
And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some 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/sawyer'>26,26/type/sawyer'>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
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And a certain scribe came and said to him, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have places of shelter, but the Son of man has not where to lay his head. read more. Another of the disciples said to him, Lord, permit me first to go away and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.
And when he had come to the other side, into the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no man could pass that way.
And Jesus departing thence saw a man sitting at the custom-house, called Matthew; and he said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James, the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, called Thaddeus;
And he said, Come. And Peter going down from the ship walked on the waters to go to 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 Jonas, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
From that time 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 raised on the third day.
And when they came to Capernaum, those who received the didrachma [28 cents], came to Peter, and said, Does not your teacher pay the didrachma?
And when they came to Capernaum, those who received the didrachma [28 cents], came to Peter, and said, Does not your teacher pay the didrachma? He said, Yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive taxes, or a tribute? From their children, or from strangers? read more. He said to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him; Then are the children free; but that we may not offend them, go to the lake, and cast in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and opening its mouth you will find a stater [56 cents]. Take that and give it to them, for me and you.
They said to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Give therefore Caesar's dues to Caesar, and God's to God.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets, and stoning those sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!
You know that after two days is the passover, and the Son of man is delivered up to be crucified.
said, This man said, I can destroy the temple of God and build it in three days.
And the eleven disciples went to Galilee on the mountain where Jesus had appointed them;
And Jesus coming near spoke to them, saying, All power is given me in heaven and on the earth; go and disciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; read more. teaching them to keep all things which I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always till the consummation of the world.
and he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the beasts; and the angels waited on him.
and he immediately called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired men, they went away after him.
And passing by he saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting at the custom house, and said to him, Follow me; and he arose and followed him.
And looking around on them in anger, being 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??nd he gave them the names of Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder??18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot,
And taking him from the multitude by himself, he put his fingers in his ears, and spit, and touched his tongue, and looking up to heaven he groaned, and said to him, Ephphatha, which is, Be opened.
And immediately all the multitude seeing him, were highly pleased, and ran forward and saluted him.
And departing thence, he passed through Galilee, and desired that no one should know him, for he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him. And when he is killed, on the third day he shall rise again. read more. And they understood not the word, and were afraid to ask him. And he came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house, he asked them, What did you dispute about on the way?
And one of those who stood by drew a sword and struck the servant of the chief priest, and cut off his car.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goes before you to Galilee; there you shall see him as he said to you.
SINCE many have undertaken to arrange a complete digest of the things fully believed among us,
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee, by the name of Nazareth,
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father,
In those days there went out an ordinance from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of all the world.
AND in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being procurator of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Ituria and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene, under the chief priest Annas, and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zachariah, in the wilderness. read more. And he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of a change of mind for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet; A voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then John said to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, Offspring of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits, therefore, worthy of a change of mind. And say not within yourselves, We have Abraham for a father; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And already also the axe lies at the root of the trees; every tree therefore which bears not good fruit, is cut down and cast into the fire. And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then shall we do? And he answered and said to them, Let him that has two coats give to him that has none; and let him that has food do the same. And publicans, also, came to be baptized, and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, Do nothing more than is appointed for you. And the soldiers asked him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Oppress, and falsely accuse, no one; and be contented with your wages. And the people being in expectation, and all doubting in their minds concerning John, whether he was the Christ, John answered all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water, but a mightier than I is coming, the strings of whose shoes I am not fit to untie; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean his threshing floor, and gather the wheat into his storehouse; but the chaff he will burn with an inextinguishable fire. With many other exhortations, also, he preached the good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him on account of Herodias his brother's wife and for all the evil deeds which Herod had done, added also this to all, and shut up John in prison. And when all the people were baptized, Jesus also being baptized, and praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove upon him; and there was a voice from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. And Jesus was about thirty years old, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,
And Jesus returned with the power of the Spirit to Galilee; and his fame went out into all the region around.
And Simon Peter seeing it fell on his knees to Jesus, saying, Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.
So also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; from this time you shall take men.
And after these things he went out and saw a publican by the name of Levi, sitting at the custom house, and said to him, Follow me.
And on the second-first sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples picked the heads and eat, rubbing them in their hands.
And he travelled in order through the cities and villages, proclaiming and preaching the good news of the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with him,
And Peter and those with him were oppressed with sleep; and when they awoke they saw his glory, and the two men standing with him.
And Jesus said to him, Forbid him not; for whoever is not against us is for us. AND when the days were completed for his being taken up, he set his face firmly to go to Jerusalem.
AND when the days were completed for his being taken up, he set his face firmly to go to Jerusalem.
And as they were traveling on the way, one said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven places of shelter; but the Son of man has not where to lay his head. read more. And he said to another, Follow me. And he said, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. But he said to him, Let the dead bury their dead, but do you go and proclaim abroad the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow you, but permit me first to bid farewell to those in my house.
And he went through the cities and villages teaching, and making his way towards Jerusalem. And some one said to him, Lord, are there few who are saved? And he said to them,
On the same day some of the Pharisees came to him, saying, Go out and depart hence, for Herod wishes to kill you.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, and you would not!
And he was going to Jerusalem, and he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And he was going to Jerusalem, and he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And they brought him also infants, that he should touch them; and the disciples seeing it reproved them.
And they were more violent, saying, He excites the people, teaching in all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.
saying, The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.
On the next day he wished to go to 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.
AFTER these things Jesus and his disciples came into the country of Judea; and there he staid with them, and baptized.
he left Judea and departed again to Galilee. And it was necessary that he should pass through Samaria. read more. He came, therefore, to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the lot which Jacob gave his son Joseph. And Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being fatigued with travelling sat thus by the well; it was about the sixth hour [noon]. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me a drink; for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy provisions. Then the Samaritan woman said to him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a Samaritan? for the Jews do no business with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; whence then have you the living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and who drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said to her, Every one that drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water which I will give him shall never thirst; but the water which I will give him shall be in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, nor come here to draw. He said to her, Go and call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have said well, I have no husband; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. In this you have spoken truly. The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Believe me, woman, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, you shall worship the Father. You worship what you know not; we worship what we know; for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman said to him, I know that the Messiah is coming, called Christ; when he comes he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I that speak to you am [the Messiah]. And upon this his disciples came, and wondered that he talked with the woman; but no one said to him, What do you seek? or why do you talk with her? Then the woman left her bucket, and went to the city, and said to the men, Come and see a man who has told me all things which I have done; is this the Christ? They came out from the city and came to him. In the meantime the disciples asked him saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat which you know not of. Then the disciples said one to another, Has any one brought him food to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish 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 see the fields; for they are white for a harvest. Already he that reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for life eternal, that he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together. For in this is the saying true; He that sows is one, and he that reaps is another. I have sent you to reap that on which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor. And many of the Samaritans in that city believed on him, on account of the word of the woman, testifying, He told me all things which I have done. When, therefore, the Samaritans came to him, they desired him to remain with them; and he remained there two days. And many more believed on account of his word, and said to the woman, We no longer believe on account of your report, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is truly the Saviour of the world. AND after two days he departed thence to Galilee.
AFTER these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill him.
And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill him. AND the feast of the Jews was nigh, the feast of tabernacles.
But when his brothers had gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Then Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews, but went thence to a region near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there he staid with his disciples.
Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it and struck the servant of the chief priest, and cut off his right ear; and the name of the servant was Malchus.
After these things he showed himself again to the disciples at the lake of Tiberias; and he showed himself thus.
And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship and you shall find. Then they cast it, and they were not able to draw it from the number of fishes. Then that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Then Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, girded on his coat, for he was naked, and cast himself into the lake.
I WROTE my first account, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus did and taught,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were Jews living at Jerusalem, pious men, of every nation under heaven; read more. and when this sound was [heard], the multitude came together and were astonished, for they each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were astonished and wondered, saying, Are not all these that speak Galileans? And how do we hear each one in our own language in which we were born, Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those who live in Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, and the Roman strangers, both Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabs, do we hear them speak in our tongues of the great works of God.
but what God had before declared by the mouth of all the prophets that his Anointed should suffer, he has so accomplished.
But many of those that heard the word believed, and the number of the men became about five thousand.
But Peter said, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten any thing common and impure.
and found and brought him to Antioch. And he was with them, and they met a whole year with the church and taught a great multitude; and the disciples first took the name of Christians at Antioch.
And considering within himself he came to the house of Mary the mother of John called Mark, where a great number were assembled together and praying.
And those with Paul, sailing from Paphos, went to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue rulers sent to them, saying, Men and brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak. And Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, said, Men of Israel, and you that fear God, hear. read more. The God of this people chose our fathers, and raised up the people in the exile in the land of Egypt, and brought them out of it with a high arm. And when he had borne with their conduct forty years in the wilderness, and had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he distributed their land to them by lot. And after this he gave judges four hundred and fifty years till Samuel the prophet. And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, forty years; and removing him, he raised up for them David for a king, of whom also he said and testified, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will. Of the posterity of this man, according to his promise, has God raised up to Israel a Saviour, Jesus; John having preached before his coming the baptism of a change of mind to all the people of Israel. And when John completed his course, he said, Who do you suppose I am? I am not [the Christ]; but behold, there comes after me one the sandal of whose feet I am not worthy to untie. Men and brothers, children of the race of Abraham, and you that fear God, the word of this salvation is sent to you. For those living at Jerusalem, and their rulers, not knowing him and the words of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning [him];
For those living at Jerusalem, and their rulers, not knowing him and the words of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning [him]; and [although] they found no cause of death [in him], they requested of Pilate that he might be destroyed; read more. and when they had performed all things written of him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and he appeared many days to those who went up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we declare to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this to us their children in raising up Jesus, as it is written also in the first psalm, You are my son, to-day have I begotten you. And that he raised him from the dead never more to return to destruction, he said thus; I will give you the sure promises of David. Wherefore also in another place he says, Thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see destruction. For David, having in his generation served the will of God, fell asleep, and was gathered to his fathers and saw destruction; but he whom God raised up saw not destruction. Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins, and every one who believes is justified by him from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. See then that what is said by the prophets does not come upon you; Behold, despisers, and wonder and perish, for I perform a work in your days, a work which you shall by no means believe even if one declares it to you. And when they had gone out, [the people] requested that these words might be spoken to them on the next sabbath. And the congregation being dismissed, many of the Jews and pious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who gave them additional instructions, and persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And on the following sabbath almost all the city came together to hear the word of the Lord.
And at Iconium they went together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude of the Jews and Greeks believed.
but Paul thought not best to take with them one who deserted them at Pamphylia and did not go with them to the work.
AND travelling through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to his custom Paul went in to them, and reasoned with them three sabbaths from the Scriptures, read more. explaining and asserting that the Christ ought to suffer and to rise from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ. And some of them believed and adhered to Paul and Silas; of the pious Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
and having spent some time there he went away, passing in order through the country of Galatia and Phrygia, confirming all the disciples.
For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle the ox that threshes. Does God care for oxen? or does he speak entirely for our sakes? For our sakes, doubtless, it was written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and that he who threshes in hope should partake of it.
and to another the performance of mighty works, and to another prophecy, and to another discrimination of spirits, and to another different tongues, and to another an interpretation of tongues;
If any one thinks he is a prophet, or a spiritual man, let him acknowledge the [things] which I write to you, that they are the Lord's;
And we sent with him the brother, whose praise in the gospel is in all the churches,
But when Peter came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he was to blame. For before some came from James he eat with the gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself; fearing those of the circumcision; read more. and the other Jews also dissembled with him, so that Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not correctly, according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before all, If you being a Jew live after the manner of the gentiles, and not after the manner of the Jews, why do you compel the gentiles to practise Judaism?
Yes, I beseech you also, faithful yoke-fellow, help those women who strove in the gospel with me, with Clement and the rest of my co-laborers, whose names are in the book of life.
Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner salutes you, and Mark the nephew of Barnabas,??oncerning whom you received commandments, if he comes to you receive him,??11 and Jesus called Justus, who are of the circumcision; these are the only co-laborers for the kingdom of God who have been a comfort to me.
Luke only is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you; for [he will be] useful to me for service.
Salute one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all in Christ.
For we did not follow skilfully constructed myths in making known to you the power and appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his majesty.
BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; for 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
Think not that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy but to complete.
You have heard that it was said by the ancients, You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be subject to the judgment.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the first, and love the other, or he will adhere to the first, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches.
Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
But that you may know that the Son of man has power on the earth to forgive sins, then he said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.
Come to me all you that labor hard and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And when the men of that place knew him, they sent to all the country around, and brought to him all that were sick,
Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders, for they wash not their hands when they eat bread?
And Jesus said to them, On account of your unbelief. For I tell you truly, if you have a faith like a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Be removed thence to that place, and it shall be removed; and nothing shall be impossible to you.
Jesus answered and said to them, I tell you truly, that if you have faith and doubt not, you shall not only do this of the fig tree, but if you should say to this mountain, Be taken up and be cast into the sea, it would be done;
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets, and stoning those sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not!
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets, and stoning those sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; read more. for I tell you that you shall not see me henceforth, till you say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!
But when the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory,
as it is written in Isaiah the prophet; Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way.
But that you may know that the Son of man has power to forgive sins on the earth, he said to the paralytic,
For Herod had sent and taken John, and, put him bound in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels.
For the Son of man also came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
And when he was at Bethany, and was reclining at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came, having a vase of ointment of genuine nard, extremely costly, and breaking the vase 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 shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.
AND having arisen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary the Magdalene from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, who were weeping and lamenting; read more. and when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they did not believe it. Afterwards he appeared in another form to two of them as they walked, going into the country. And they went and announced it to the rest; they did not believe it. And afterwards he appeared to the eleven, as they reclined, and reproached their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not those who had seen him since he rose from the dead. And he said to them, Go into all the world, preach the good news to all the creation; he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that disbelieves shall be condemned. And these signs shall follow those that believe; in my name they shall cast out demons, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly [poison] it shall not hurt them; and they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be well. Then the Lord, after speaking with them, was taken up to heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went abroad and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the accompanying miracles.
SINCE many have undertaken to arrange a complete digest of the things fully believed among us,
SINCE many have undertaken to arrange a complete digest of the things fully believed among us, as they delivered them to us who, from the beginning, were eye witnesses and ministers of the word,
as they delivered them to us who, from the beginning, were eye witnesses and ministers of the word,
as they delivered them to us who, from the beginning, were eye witnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having traced all things accurately from the first, to write in order to you, most excellent Theophilus, read more. that you may know the certainty of the words concerning which you have been taught.
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him on account of Herodias his brother's wife and for all the evil deeds which Herod had done,
But that you may know that the Son of man has power on the earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I tell you, arise, and take up your little bed, and go to your house.
AND when the days were completed for his being taken up, he set his face firmly to go to Jerusalem.
AND when the days were completed for his being taken up, he set his face firmly to go to Jerusalem.
And which of you can add a cubit to his stature?
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, and you would not!
No domestic can serve two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the other, or he will adhere to the first and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches.
I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than that; for every one that exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.
And an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him.
this man had not consented to their design and doing, [he was] from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he expected the kingdom of God.
And the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us and we beheld his glory, a glory as of an only child with a father, full of grace and truth.
And the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us and we beheld his glory, a glory as of an only child with a father, full of grace and truth.
On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
And John testified saying, I saw the Spirit descend like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.
And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.
he first found his brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah; which is interpreted, Christ [Anointed].
Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him, Can any good thing 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 old? can he become an unborn infant of his mother a second time, and be born?
Then the Samaritan woman said to him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a Samaritan? for the Jews do no business with the Samaritans.
The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; whence then have you the living water?
The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, nor come here to draw.
Then the Jews contended one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
But he spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he was about to betray him, being one of the twelve.
Then the Jews said one to another, Where is this man about to go, that we shall not find him? Will he go to the dispersion of the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
others said, This is the Christ; others said, [No]; for does the Christ come from Galilee?
They answered and said to him, Are you also from Galilee? search and see; for no prophet is raised up from Galilee. [An early interpolation, but probably true]. And every man went to his own house;
And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.
I and the Father are one.
And it was the preparation of the passover, it was about the sixth hour [noon]; and he said to the Jews, Behold your king!
He who saw has testified, and his testimony is true, for he knows that he says what is true, 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 ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
but these are recorded that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
And if I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, and have not 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.