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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Then Jesus travelled through all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and infirmity among the people.
Now one of the Pharisees repeatedly invited Him to a meal at his house; so He entered the house and reclined at the table.
I will rise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you:
On the morrow we left Ptolemais and went on to Caesarea, where we came to the house of Philip the Evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
And how are men to preach unless they have been sent to do so? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good!"
And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be 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/wnt'>26,26/type/wnt'>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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when a Scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." "Foxes have holes," replied Jesus, "and birds have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." read more. Another of the disciples said to Him, "Sir, allow me first to go and bury my father." "Follow me," said Jesus, "and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
On His arrival at the other side, in the country of the Gadarenes, there met Him two men possessed by demons, coming from among the tombs: they were so dangerously fierce that no one was able to pass that way.
Passing on thence Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." And he arose, and followed Him.
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
"Come," said Jesus. Then Peter climbed down from the boat and walked upon the water to go to Him.
"You," replied Simon Peter, "are the Christ, the Son of the ever-living God." "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah," said Jesus; "for mere human nature has not revealed this to you, but my Father in Heaven.
From this time Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer much cruelty from the Elders and the High Priests and the Scribes, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised to life again.
After their arrival at Capernaum the collectors of the half-shekel came and asked Peter, "Does not your Teacher pay the half-shekel?"
After their arrival at Capernaum the collectors of the half-shekel came and asked Peter, "Does not your Teacher pay the half-shekel?" "Yes," he replied, and then went into the house. But before he spoke a word Jesus said, "What think you, Simon? From whom do this world's kings receive customs or capitation tax? from their own children, or from others?" read more. "From others," he replied. "Then the children go free," said Jesus. "However, lest we cause them to sin, go and throw a hook into the Lake, and take the first fish that comes up. When you open its mouth, you will find a shekel in it: bring that coin and give it to them for yourself and me."
"Caesar's," they replied. "Pay therefore," He rejoined, "what is Caesar's to Caesar; and what is God's to God."
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee! how often have I desired to gather thy children to me, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not come!
"You know that in two days' time the Passover comes. And the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
who testified, "This man said, 'I am able to pull down the Sanctuary of God and three days afterwards to build a new one.'"
As for the eleven disciples, they proceeded into Galilee, to the hill where Jesus had arranged to meet them.
Jesus however came near and said to them, "All power in Heaven and over the earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations; baptize them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; read more. and teach them to obey every command which I have given you. And remember, I am with you always, day by day, until the Close of the Age."
where He remained for forty days, tempted by Satan; and He was among the wild beasts, but the angels waited upon Him.
They therefore left their father Zabdi in the boat with the hired men, and went and followed Him.
And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed Him.
Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts, He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm was completely restored.
James the son of Zabdi and John the brother of James (these two He surnamed Boanerges, that is 'Sons of Thunder')
So they arrived at the opposite shore of the Lake, in the country of the Gerasenes.
So Jesus taking him aside, apart from the crowd, put His fingers into his ears, and spat, and moistened his tongue; and looking up to Heaven He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Open!")
Immediately the whole multitude on beholding Him were astonished and awe-struck, and yet they ran forward and greeted Him.
Departing thence they passed through Galilee, and He was unwilling that any one should know it; for He was teaching His disciples, and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will put Him to death; and after being put to death, in three days He will rise to life again." read more. They, however, did not understand what He meant, and were afraid to question Him. So they came to Capernaum; and when in the house He asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"
But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck a blow at the High Priest's servant, cutting off his ear.
But go and tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee: and that there you will see Him, as He told you."
Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
He will be great and He will be called 'Son of the Most High.' And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His forefather David;
Just at this time an edict was issued by Caesar Augustus for the registration of the whole Empire.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being Governor of Judaea, Herod Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene, during the High-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the Desert. read more. John went into all the district about the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of the penitent for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying aloud! 'In the Desert prepare ye a road for the Lord: make His highway straight. Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill levelled down, the crooked places shall be turned into straight roads, and the rugged ways into smooth; and then shall all mankind see God's salvation.'" Accordingly John used to say to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, "O vipers' brood, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Live lives which shall prove your change of heart; and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. And even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which fails to yield good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire." The crowds repeatedly asked him, "What then are we to do?" "Let the man who has two coats," he answered, "give one to the man who has none; and let the man who has food share it with others." There came also a party of tax-gatherers to be baptized, and they asked him, "Rabbi, what are we to do?" "Do not exact more than the legal amount," he replied. The soldiers also once and again inquired of him, "And we, what are we to do?" His answer was, "Neither intimidate any one nor lay false charges; and be content with your pay." And while the people were in suspense and all were debating in their minds whether John might possibly be the Anointed One, he answered the question by saying to them all, "As for me, I am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose very sandal-strap I am not worthy to unfasten: He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing-shovel is in His hand to clear out His threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into His storehouse; but the chaff He will burn up in fire unquenchable." With many exhortations besides these he declared the Good News to the people. But Herod the Tetrarch, being repeatedly rebuked by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all the wicked deeds that he had done, now added this to crown all the rest, that he threw John into prison. Now when all the people had been baptized, and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the sky opened, and the Holy Spirit came down in bodily shape, like a dove, upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, "Thou art My Son, dearly loved: in Thee is My delight." And He--Jesus--when He began His ministry, was about thirty years old. He was the son (it was supposed)
Then Jesus returned in the Spirit's power to Galilee; and His fame spread through all the adjacent districts.
This they did, and enclosed a vast number of fish; and their nets began to break.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, and exclaimed, "Master, leave my boat, for I am a sinful man."
and so were Simon's partners James and John, the sons of Zabdi.)
After this He went out and noticed a tax-gatherer, Levi by name, sitting at the Toll office; and He said to him, "Follow me."
Now on the second-first Sabbath while He was passing through the wheatfields, His disciples were plucking the ears and rubbing them with their hands to eat the grain.
Shortly after this He visited town after town, and village after village, proclaiming His Message and telling the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,
Then they put in to shore in the country of the Gerasenes, which lies opposite to Galilee.
Now Peter and the others were weighed down with sleep; but, keeping themselves awake all through, they saw His glory, and the two men standing with Him.
"Do not forbid him," said Jesus, "for he who is not against you is on your side." Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him.
Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him.
And, as they proceeded on their way, a man came to Him and said, "I will follow you wherever you go." "The foxes have holes," said Jesus, "and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." read more. "Follow me," He said to another. "Master," the man replied, "allow me first to go and bury my father." "Leave the dead," Jesus rejoined, "to bury their own dead; but you must go and announce far and wide the coming of the Kingdom of God." "Master," said yet another, "I will follow you; but allow me first to go and say good-bye to my friends at home."
He was passing through town after town and village after village, steadily proceeding towards Jerusalem, when some one asked Him, "Sir, are there but few who are to be saved?"
Just at that time there came some Pharisees who warned Him, saying, "Leave this place and continue your journey; Herod means to kill you."
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee, how often have I desired to gather thy children just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come!
On one occasion people also brought with them their infants, for Him to touch them; but the disciples, noticing this, proceeded to find fault with them.
But they violently insisted. "He stirs up the people," they said, "throughout all Judaea with His teaching--even from Galilee (where He first started)
"Yes, it is true: the Master has come back to life. He has been seen by Simon."
The next day, having decided to leave Bethany and go into Galilee, Jesus found Philip, and invited him to follow Him.
But the Jewish Passover was approaching, and for this Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
"Demolish this Sanctuary," said Jesus, "and in three days I will rebuild it."
After this Jesus and His disciples went into Judaea; and there He made a stay in company with them and baptized.
He left Judaea and returned to Galilee. His road lay through Samaria, read more. and so He came to Sychar, a town in Samaria near the piece of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's Well was there: and accordingly Jesus, tired out with His journey, sat down by the well to rest. It was about six o'clock in the evening. Presently there came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus asked her to give Him some water; for His disciples were gone to the town to buy provisions. "How is it," replied the woman, "that a Jew like you asks me, who am a woman and a Samaritan, for water?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) "If you had known God's free gift," replied Jesus, "and who it is that said to you, 'Give me some water,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." "Sir," she said, "you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; so where can you get the living water from? Are you greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well, and himself drank from it, as did also his sons and his cattle?" "Every one," replied Jesus, "who drinks any of this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks any of the water that I shall give him will never, never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become a fountain within him of water springing up for the Life of the Ages." "Sir," said the woman, "give me that water, that I may never be thirsty, nor continually come all the way here to draw from the well." "Go and call your husband," said Jesus; "and come back." "I have no husband," she replied. "You rightly say that you have no husband," said Jesus; "for you have had five husbands, and the man you have at present is not your husband. You have spoken the truth in saying that." "Sir," replied the woman, "I see that you are a Prophet. Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." "Believe me," said Jesus, "the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship One of whom you know nothing. We worship One whom we know; for salvation comes from the Jews. But a time is coming--nay, has already come--when the true worshippers will worship the Father with true spiritual worship; for indeed the Father desires such worshippers. God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must bring Him true spiritual worship." "I know," replied the woman, "that Messiah is coming--'the Christ,' as He is called. When He has come, He will tell us everything." "I am He," said Jesus--"I who am now talking to you." Just then His disciples came, and were surprised to find Him talking with a woman. Yet not one of them asked Him, "What is your wish?" or "Why are you talking with her?" The woman however, leaving her pitcher, went away to the town, and called the people. "Come," she said, "and see a man who has told me everything I have ever done. Can this be the Christ, do you think?" They left the town and set out to go to Him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Jesus. "Rabbi," they said, "eat something." "I have food to eat," He replied, "of which you do not know." So the disciples began questioning one another. "Can it be," they said, "that some one has brought Him something to eat?" "My food," said Jesus, "is to be obedient to Him who sent me, and fully to accomplish His work. Do you not say, 'It wants four months yet to the harvest'? But look round, I tell you, and observe these plains-- they are already ripe for the sickle. The reaper gets pay and gathers in a crop in preparation for the Life of the Ages, that so the sower and the reapers may rejoice together. For it is in this that you see the real meaning of the saying, 'The sower is one person, and the reaper is another.' I sent you to reap a harvest which is not the result of your own labours. Others have laboured, and you are getting benefit from their labours." Of the Samaritan population of that town a good many believed in Him because of the woman's statement when she declared, "He has told me all that I have ever done." When however the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him on all sides to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Then a far larger number of people believed because of His own words, and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe in Him simply because of your statements; for we have now heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world." After the two days He departed, and went into Galilee;
After this there was a Festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
After this Jesus moved from place to place in Galilee. He would not go about in Judaea, because the Jews were seeking an opportunity to kill Him.
After this Jesus moved from place to place in Galilee. He would not go about in Judaea, because the Jews were seeking an opportunity to kill Him. But the Jewish Festival of the Tent-Pitching was approaching.
When however His brothers had gone up to the Festival, then He also went up, not openly, but as it were privately.
Therefore Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but He left that neighbourhood and went into the district near the Desert, to a town called Ephraim, and remained there with the disciples.
Simon Peter, however, having a sword, drew it, and, aiming at the High Priest's servant, cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
After this, Jesus again showed Himself to the disciples. It was at the Lake of Tiberias. The circumstances were as follows.
"Throw the net in on the right hand side," He said, "and you will find fish." So they threw the net in, and now they could scarcely drag it along for the quantity of fish. This made the disciple whom Jesus loved say to Peter, "It is the Master." Simon Peter therefore, when he heard the words, "It is the Master," drew on his fisherman's shirt--for he had not been wearing it--put on his girdle, and sprang into the water.
My former narrative, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught as a beginning, down to the day on which,
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every part of the world. read more. So when this noise was heard, they came crowding together, and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken. They were beside themselves with wonder, and exclaimed, "Are not all these speakers Galilaeans? How then does each of us hear his own native language spoken by them? Some of us are Parthians, Medes, Elamites. Some are inhabitants of Mesopotamia, of Judaea or Cappadocia, of Pontus or the Asian Province, of Phrygia or Pamphylia, of Egypt or of the parts of Africa towards Cyrene. Others are visitors from Rome--being either Jews or converts from heathenism--and others are Cretans or Arabians. Yet we all alike hear these Galilaeans speaking in our own language about the wonderful things which God has done."
But in this way God has fulfilled the declarations He made through all the Prophets, that His Christ would suffer.
But many of those who had listened to their preaching believed; and the number of the adult men had now grown to be about 5,000.
"On no account, Lord," he replied; "for I have never yet eaten anything unholy and impure."
He succeeded, and brought him to Antioch; and for a whole year they attended the meetings of the Church, and taught a large number of people. And it was in Antioch that the disciples first received the name of 'Christians.'
So, after thinking things over, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John surnamed Mark, where a large number of people were assembled, praying.
From Paphos, Paul and his party put out to sea and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem.
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the Wardens of the synagogue sent word to them. "Brethren," they said, "if you have anything encouraging to say to the people, speak." So Paul rose, and motioning with his hand for silence, said, "Israelites, and you others who fear God, pay attention to me. read more. The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers, and made the people great during their stay in Egypt, until with wondrous power He brought them out from that land. For a period of about forty years, He fed them, like a nurse, in the Desert. Then, after overthrowing seven nations in the land of Canaan, He divided that country among them as their inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years; and afterwards He gave them judges down to the time of the Prophet Samuel. Next they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned forty years. After removing him, He raised up David to be their king, to whom He also bore witness when He said, "'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man I love, who will obey all My commands.' "It is from among David's descendants that God, in fulfilment of His promise, has raised up a Saviour for Israel, even Jesus. Before the coming of Jesus, John had proclaimed to all the people of Israel a baptism of repentance. But John, towards the end of his career, repeatedly asked the people, "'What do you suppose me to be? I am not the Christ. But there is One coming after me whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.' "Brethren, descendants of the family of Abraham, and all among you who fear God, to us has this Message of salvation been sent. For the people of Jerusalem and their rulers, by the judgement they pronounced on Jesus, have actually fulfilled the predictions of the Prophets which are read Sabbath after Sabbath, through ignorance of those predictions and of Him.
For the people of Jerusalem and their rulers, by the judgement they pronounced on Jesus, have actually fulfilled the predictions of the Prophets which are read Sabbath after Sabbath, through ignorance of those predictions and of Him. Without having found Him guilty of any capital offence they urged Pilate to have Him put to death; read more. and when they had carried out everything which had been written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. "But God raised Him from the dead. And, after a few days, He appeared to the people who had gone up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now witnesses concerning Him to the Jews. And we bring you the Good News about the promise made to our forefathers, that God has amply fulfilled it to our children in raising up Jesus; as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'Thou art My Son: to-day I have become Thy Father.' And as to His having raised Him from among the dead, never again to be in the position of one soon to return to decay, He speaks thus: 'I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David.' Because in another Psalm also He says, 'Thou wilt not give up Thy Holy One to undergo decay.' For David, after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God's purpose, did fall asleep, was gathered to his forefathers, and did undergo decay. But He whom God raised to life underwent no decay. "Understand therefore, brethren, that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is announced to you; and in Him every believer is absolved from all offences, from which you could not be absolved under the Law of Moses. Beware, then, lest what is spoken in the Prophets should come true of you: Behold, you despisers, be astonished and perish, because I am carrying on a work in your time--a work which you will utterly refuse to believe, though it be fully declared to you.'" As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people earnestly begged to have all this repeated to them on the following Sabbath. And, when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and of the devout converts from heathenism continued with Paul and Barnabas, who talked to them and urged them to hold fast to the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole population of the city came together to hear the Lord's Message.
At Iconium the Apostles went together to the Jewish synagogue and preached, with the result that a great number both of Jews and Greeks believed.
while Paul deemed it undesirable to have as their companion one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.
Then, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went to Thessalonica. Here there was a synagogue of the Jews. Paul--following his usual custom--betook himself to it, and for three successive Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, read more. which he clearly explained, pointing out that it had been necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead, and insisting, "The Jesus whom I am announcing to you is the Christ." Some of the people were won over, and attached themselves to Paul and Silas, including many God-fearing Greeks and not a few gentlewomen of high rank.
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out on a tour, visiting the whole of Galatia and Phrygia in order, and strengthening all the disciples.
For in the Law of Moses it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is God simply thinking about the oxen? Or is it really in our interest that He speaks? Of course, it was written in our interest, because it is His will that when a plough-man ploughs, and a thresher threshes, it should be in the hope of sharing that which comes as the result.
to another the exercise of miraculous powers; to another the gift of prophecy; to another the power of discriminating between prophetic utterances; to another varieties of the gift of 'tongues;' to another the interpretation of tongues.
If any one deems himself to be a Prophet or a man with spiritual gifts, let him recognize as the Lord's command all that I am now writing to you.
And we send with him the brother whose praises for his earnestness in proclaiming the Good News are heard throughout all the Churches.
Now when Peter visited Antioch, I remonstrated with him to his face, because he had incurred just censure. For until certain persons came from James he had been accustomed to eat with Gentiles; but as soon as these persons came, he withdrew and separated himself for fear of the Circumcision party. read more. And along with him the other Jews also concealed their real opinions, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their lack of straightforwardness. As soon as I saw that they were not walking uprightly in the spirit of the Good News, I said to Peter, before them all, "If you, though you are a Jew, live as a Gentile does, and not as a Jew, how can you make the Gentiles follow Jewish customs?
Yes, and I beg you also, my faithful yoke-fellow, to help these women who have shared my toil in connection with the Good News, together with Clement and the rest of my fellow labourers, whose names are recorded in the Book of Life.
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner sends greeting to you, and so does Barnabas's cousin Mark. You have received instructions as to him; if he comes to you, give him a welcome.
Luke is the only friend I now have with me. Call for Mark on your way and bring him with you, for he is a great help to me in my ministry.
Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.
For when we made known to you the power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not eagerly following cleverly devised legends, but we had been eye-witnesses of His majesty.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers 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
"Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion.
"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Thou shalt not commit murder', and whoever commits murder will be answerable to the magistrate.
"No man can be the bondservant of two masters; for either he will dislike one and like the other, or he will attach himself to one and think slightingly of the other. You cannot be the bondservants both of God and of gold.
Which of you by being over-anxious can add a single foot to his height?
But, to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins" --He then says to the paralytic, "Rise, and take up your bed and go home."
"Come to me, all you toiling and burdened ones, and *I* will give you rest.
and the men of the place, recognizing Him, sent word into all the country round. So they brought all the sick to Him,
"Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders by not washing their hands before meals?"
"Because your faith is so small," He replied; "for I solemnly declare to you that if you have faith like a mustard-seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Remove from this place to that,' and it will remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.
"I solemnly tell you," said Jesus, "that if you have an unwavering faith, you shall not only perform such a miracle as this of the fig-tree, but that even if you say to this mountain, 'Be thou lifted up and hurled into the sea,' it shall be done;
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee! how often have I desired to gather thy children to me, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not come!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee! how often have I desired to gather thy children to me, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not come! See, your house will now be left to you desolate! read more. For I tell you that you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then will He sit upon His glorious throne,
As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet, "See, I am sending My messenger before Thee, Who will prepare Thy way";
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins" --He turned to the paralytic, and said,
For Herod himself had sent and had had John arrested and had kept him in prison in chains, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.
Every one, however, who has been ashamed of me and of my teachings in this faithless and sinful age, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."
For the Son of Man also did not come to be waited upon, but to wait on others, and to give His life as the redemption-price for a multitude of people."
Now when He was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while He was at table, there came a woman with a jar of pure, sweet-scented ointment very costly: she broke the jar and poured the ointment over His head.
"This is my blood," He said, "which is to be poured out on behalf of many--the blood which makes the Covenant sure.
"I am," replied Jesus, "and you and others will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the divine Power, and coming amid the clouds of the sky."
But He rose to life early on the first day of the week, and appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom He had expelled seven demons. She went and brought the tidings to those who had been with Him, as they were mourning and weeping. read more. But they, when they were told that He was alive and that she had seen Him, could not believe it. Afterwards He showed Himself in another form to two of them as they were walking, on their way into the country. These, again, went and told the news to the rest; but not even them did they believe. Later still He showed Himself to the Eleven themselves whilst they were at table, and He upbraided them with their unbelief and obstinacy in not having believed those who had seen Him alive. Then He said to them, "Go the whole world over, and proclaim the Good News to all mankind. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who disbelieves will be condemned. And signs shall attend those who believe, even such as these. By making use of my name they shall expel demons. They shall speak new languages. They shall take up venomous snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison it shall do them no harm whatever. They shall lay their hands on the sick, and the sick shall recover." So the Lord Jesus after having thus spoken to them was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. But they went out and made proclamation everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming their Message by the signs which accompanied it.
Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us
Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us on the authority of those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and were devoted to the service of the divine Message,
on the authority of those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and were devoted to the service of the divine Message,
on the authority of those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and were devoted to the service of the divine Message, it has seemed right to me also, after careful investigation of the facts from their commencement, to write for you, most noble Theophilus, a connected account, read more. that you may fully know the truth of the things which you have been taught by word of mouth.
But Herod the Tetrarch, being repeatedly rebuked by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all the wicked deeds that he had done,
But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --Turning to the paralytic He said, "I bid you, Rise, take up your bed, and go home."
Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him.
Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him.
And which of you is able by anxious thought to add a moment to his life?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee, how often have I desired to gather thy children just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come!
"No servant can be in bondage to two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will cling fast to one and scorn the other. You cannot be bondservants both of God and of gold."
"I tell you that this man went home more thoroughly absolved from guilt than the other; for every one who uplifts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be uplifted."
And there appeared to Him an angel from Heaven, strengthening Him;
who came from the Jewish town of Arimathaea and was awaiting the coming of the Kingdom of God. He had not concurred in the design or action of the Council,
And the Word came in the flesh, and lived for a time in our midst, so that we saw His glory--the glory as of the Father's only Son, sent from His presence. He was full of grace and truth.
And the Word came in the flesh, and lived for a time in our midst, so that we saw His glory--the glory as of the Father's only Son, sent from His presence. He was full of grace and truth.
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and exclaimed, "Look, that is the Lamb of God who is to take away the sin of the world!
John also gave testimony by stating: "I have seen the Spirit coming down like a dove out of Heaven; and it remained upon Him.
"This I have seen, and I have become a witness that He is the Son of God."
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" --that is to say, the Anointed One.
Then Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the Law wrote, as well as the Prophets--Jesus, the son of Joseph, a man of Nazareth." "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" replied Nathanael. "Come and see," said Philip.
"Rabbi," cried Nathanael, "you are the Son of God, you are Israel's King!"
"How is it possible," Nicodemus asked, "for a man to be born when he is old? Can he a second time enter his mother's womb and be born?"
"How is it," replied the woman, "that a Jew like you asks me, who am a woman and a Samaritan, for water?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
"Sir," she said, "you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; so where can you get the living water from?
"Sir," said the woman, "give me that water, that I may never be thirsty, nor continually come all the way here to draw from the well."
This led to an angry debate among the Jews. "How can this man," they argued, "give us his flesh to eat?"
"Does this seem incredible to you? What then if you were to see the Son of Man ascending again where He was before?
He alluded to Judas, the son of Simon the Iscariot. For he it was who, though one of the Twelve, was afterwards to betray Him.
The Jews therefore said to one another, "Where is he about to betake himself, so that we shall not find him? Will he betake himself to the Dispersion among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
Others said, "He is the Christ." But others again, "Not so, for is the Christ to come from Galilee?
"Do you also come from Galilee?" they asked in reply. "Search and see for yourself that no Prophet is of Galilaean origin." So they went away to their several homes;
"No one, Sir," she replied. "And *I* do not condemn you either," said Jesus; "go, and from this time do not sin any more."
I and the Father are one."
It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about six o'clock in the morning. Then he said to the Jews, "There is your king!"
This statement is the testimony of an eye-witness, and it is true. He knows that he is telling the truth--in order that you also may believe.
"Do not cling to me," said Jesus, "for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But take this message to my brethren: 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
But these have been recorded in order that you may believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, through believing, you may have Life through His name.
If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of 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.