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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As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man. And those four had the face of a lion on the right side, and those four had the face of an ox on the left side, those four also had the face of an eagle.
And Jesus went around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the good-news of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
And a certain man of the Pharisees asked him that he would eat with him. And having entered into the Pharisee's house, he sat down.
After rising, I will go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight.
And on the morrow, after going forth, those around Paul came to Caesarea. And having entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, being of the seven, we dwelt with him.
And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of peace, of those who proclaim good news of good things.
And indeed he gave the apostles, and the prophets, and the evangelists, and the shepherds 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/acv'>26,26/type/acv'>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 as for you, ye meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of tumult.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tabernacle for the sun,
LORD reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits [above] the cherubim, let the earth be moved.
Behold, I have engraved thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before me.
Then thou shall say in thy heart, Who has begotten these for me, seeing I have been bereaved of my sons, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone, these, where were
And I will feed those who oppress thee with their own flesh. And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine. And all flesh shall know that I, LORD, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
And I will feed those who oppress thee with their own flesh. And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine. And all flesh shall know that I, LORD, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
And a certain scholar having come, he said to him, Teacher, I will follow thee wherever thou may go. And Jesus says to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky, nests, but the Son of man has nowhere he may lay his head. read more. And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.
And upon his coming to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two men being demon possessed met him, coming out of the sepulchers, exceedingly fierce, so that no man could pass by that way.
And passing forth from there, Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And he says to him, Follow me. And after rising, he followed him.
Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus who was surnamed Thaddaeus,
And he said, Come. And having come down from the boat, Peter walked upon the water to go to Jesus.
And Simon Peter having answered, said, Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And having answered, Jesus said to him, Blessed are thou, Simon Bar-jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father in the heavens.
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 scholars, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
And when they came to Capernaum, those who receive the double-drachma came to Peter, and said, Does not your teacher pay the double-drachma?
And when they came to Capernaum, those who receive the double-drachma came to Peter, and said, Does not your teacher pay the double-drachma? He says, Yes. And when he entered into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What think thou, Simon? The kings of the earth, from whom do they take taxes or tribute, from their sons or from strangers? read more. And Peter says to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Therefore the sons are free. But, so that we might not offend them, after going to the sea, cast a hook. And take up the first fish coming up, and having opened its mouth, thou will find a four-drachma coin. After taking that, give thou to them for me and thee
They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Therefore, render the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who have been sent to her. How often I wanted to gathered thy children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and ye would not.
Ye know that after two days the Passover comes, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
But finally two FALSE witnesses having come, they said, This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it by three days.
But the eleven disciples went for Galilee to the mountain where Jesus arranged for them.
And Jesus having come, he spoke to them, saying, All authority in heaven and on earth was given to me. After going, make ye disciples of all the nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, read more. teaching them to observe all things, as many as I commanded you. And lo, I am with you all the days, until the end of the age. Truly.
And he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild beasts. And the heavenly agents served him.
And straightaway he called them. And having left their father Zebedee in the boat with the workmen, they went behind him.
And as he passed by he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And he says to him, Follow thou me. And having risen, he followed him.
And having looked around on them with anger, being grieved at the callousness of their heart, he says to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as the other.
and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and he added to them the name Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder;
And having taken him from the multitude in private, he put his fingers into his ears, and having spat, he touched his tongue. And having looked up to heaven, he sighed, and says to him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
And straightaway all the multitude, having noticed him, were startled. And running near they greeted him.
And having departed from there, they passed through Galilee, and he did not want that any man would know it. For he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered up into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And after being killed, he will rise the third day. read more. But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to question him. And he came to Capernaum. And having become in the house he questioned them, What were ye deliberating among yourselves on the way?
And a certain one of those who stood by, having drawn his sword, struck the bondman of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, that he goes before you into Galilee. Ye will see him there, just as he said to you.
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to arrange in order a narration about the deeds that have been brought to fullness among us,
Now in the sixth month the agent Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
This man will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.
Now it came to pass in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to enroll all the world.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip being tetrarch of the region belonging to Ituraea, and of the region of in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God became in John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. read more. And he came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching an immersion of repentance for remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, which says, The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low. And the crooked things will be into straight and the rough into smooth ways. And all flesh will see the salvation of God. He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be immersed by him, Ye offspring of vipers, who showed you to flee from the coming wrath? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore not making good fruit is cut down, and cast into fire. And the crowds questioned him, saying, What then shall we do? And having answered, he says to them, He who has two coats, let him share with him not having, and he who has food, let him do likewise. And tax collectors also came to be immersed, and they said to him, Teacher, what should we do? And he said to them, Collect not one thing more than from what has been appointed for you. And men who were soldiers also questioned him, saying, And we, what should we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, nor accuse falsely, and be content with your wages. And as the people were expectant, and all pondering in their hearts about John, if perhaps he was the Christ, John responded, saying to them all, I indeed immerse you in water, but a man mightier than I comes, of whom I am not worthy to unloose the strap of his shoes. He will immerse you in Holy Spirit and fire, whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Indeed therefore, also exhorting the people with many other things, he preached the good-news. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all of which evil things Herod had done, also added this to them all, he even locked up John in prison. Now it came to pass, during the immersion of all the people, Jesus also having been immersed and praying, for the heaven to be opened, and the Holy Spirit to descend in a bodily form as a dove upon him, and a voice to occur out of heaven, saying, Thou are my beloved Son. In thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. And a report went out about him through the entire region around.
And having done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net was tearing.
But Simon Peter having seen, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.
and likewise also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Fear not, from henceforth thou will be catching men.
And after these things he went forth and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, Follow me.
Now it came to pass for him to be going through the grain fields on a particular Sabbath, and his disciples were plucking the ears and were eating, rubbing them in their hands.
And it came to pass that he traveled through, by city and village in succession, announcing and preaching the good-news of the kingdom of God, and the twelve men with him,
But Peter and those with him were weighed down with sleep, and having become awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
But Jesus said to him, Do not forbid, for he who is not against us is for us. And it came to pass, while fulfilling the days for his ascension, that he also set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass, while fulfilling the days for his ascension, that he also set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass while they went on the way, a certain man said to him, I will follow thee wherever thou may go, Lord. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky, nests, but the Son of man has not where he might lay his head. read more. And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, allow me first, after departing, to bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but thou, after departing, proclaim the kingdom of God. And also another said, I will follow thee, Lord, but first allow me to bid farewell to those in my house.
And he went through by cities and villages, teaching, and making a journey toward Jerusalem. And a certain man said to him, Lord, are they few who are being saved? And he said to them,
In the same day some Pharisees came, saying to him, Get thee out and depart from here, because Herod wants to kill thee.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather thy children together as a hen does her brood under her wings, and ye would not.
And it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem, that he was passing through the middle of Samaria and Galilee.
And it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem, that he was passing through the middle of Samaria and Galilee.
And they were also bringing the infants to him, so that he would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
But they were emphatic, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, having begun from Galilee as far as here.
and those who were with them who said, The Lord really was raised, and was seen by Simon.
On the morrow he wanted to go forth into Galilee, and he finds Philip. And Jesus says to him, Follow me.
Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the Jewish land. And he remained there with them and immersed.
he left Judea, and departed into Galilee. And it was necessary for him to pass through Samaria. read more. So he comes to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the place that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied from the journey, thus was sitting on the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria comes to draw water. Jesus says to her, Give me to drink. For his disciples had gone away into the city so that they might buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore says to him, How do thou, being Jewish, ask to drink from me, being a Samaritan woman, for Jews do not associate with Samaritans? Jesus answered and said to her, If thou had known the gift of God, and who it is who says to thee, Give me to drink, thou would have asked him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman says to him, Sir, thou have not even a container, and the well is deep. From where then have thou the living water? Are thou greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his livestock? Jesus answered and said to her, Every man who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will, no, not thirst into the age. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. The woman says to him, Give me this water, sir, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw out. Jesus says to her, Go, call thy husband, and come here. The woman answered and said to him, I have no husband. Jesus says to her, Thou said correctly, I have no husband. For thou have had five husbands, and he whom thou now have is not thy husband. This thou have said true. The woman says to him, Sir, I perceive that thou are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship. Jesus says to her, Woman, believe me, that the hour is coming when neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem will ye worship the Father. Ye worship what ye do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour comes, and now is, when the TRUE worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for also the Father seeks such kind who worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman says to him, I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When that man comes he will declare all things to us. Jesus says to her, I who speak to thee am the man. And upon this his disciples came. And they marveled that he spoke with the woman, yet no man said, What seek thou? or, Why do thou speak with her? The woman therefore left her water pot, and departed into the city, and says to the men, Come, see a man who told me all, as many things as I did. Is not this the Christ? They went out of the city, and came to him. In the meanwhile the disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat that ye know not. The disciples therefore said to each other, Did any man bring him to eat? Jesus says to them, My food is that I do the will of him who sent me, and may finish his work. Do ye not say, There are still four months and the harvest comes? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are already white for harvest. And he who reaps receives a wage and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true, One is who sows, and another who reaps. I sent you to reap what ye have not labored. Others have labored, and ye have entered into their labor. And many of the Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, He told me all, as many things as I did. So when the Samaritans came to him they asked him to remain with them, and he remained there two days. And many more believed because of his word. And they said to the woman, We no longer believe because of thy speaking, for we have heard ourselves, and know that this really is the Savior of the world, the Christ. And after the two days he departed from there and went into 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 did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was near.
But when his brothers went up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as in private.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the region near the wilderness into a city called Ephraim, and he stayed there with his disciples.
Simon Peter therefore, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's bondman, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus.
After these things Jesus manifested himself again to his disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he revealed himself this way.
And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye will find. Therefore they cast, and they were no longer able to draw it for the magnitude of fishes. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved says to Peter, It is the Lord. So when Simon Peter heard that it is the Lord, he tied the coat around himself (for he was undressed), and threw himself into the sea.
I indeed made the former treatise, O Theophilus, about all things that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
And they were all filled of Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them to declare. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. read more. And the sound of this that happened brought the multitude together. And it was bewildered because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and marveled, saying to each other, Behold, are not all these men who speak Galileans? And how do we each hear our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, and Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, and Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya along Cyrene, and those Roman aliens, including Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. We hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.
But this way God fulfilled what things were foretold, through the mouth of all his prophets, the Christ was to endure.
But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men became about five thousand.
But Peter said, Not so, Lord, because I have never eaten anything profane or unclean.
and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass a whole year for them to be assembled in the congregation, and to teach a considerable multitude, and to call the disciples Christians, first at Antioch.
And having realized it, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, surnamed Mark, where a considerable were gathered and praying.
Now those around Paul, having launched from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John, having departed from them, returned to Jerusalem.
And after the reading of the law and the prophets the synagogue rulers sent to them, saying, Men, brothers, if there is among you a word of exhortation for the people, speak. And Paul having stood up, and having motioned with the hand, he said, Men, Israelites, and those who fear God, listen. read more. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and raised up the people during the sojourn in the land of Egypt. And with a lofty arm he brought them out of it. And for about a forty-year time he was patient with them in the wilderness. And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he allotted their land to them. And after these things he gave them judges about four hundred and fifty years until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And having removed him, he raised up David for a king to them, also about whom he said, when he testified, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man according to my heart, who will do all my purposes. From this man's seed according to promise, God brought salvation to Israel, John having earlier proclaimed, before his coming presence, the immersion of repentance to Israel. And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, Whom do ye suppose me to be? I am not, but behold, he comes after me of whom I am not worthy to loose the shoes of his feet. Men, brothers, sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation was sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, not having known this and the voices of the prophets being read at every Sabbath, they fulfilled, having condemned him.
For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, not having known this and the voices of the prophets being read at every Sabbath, they fulfilled, having condemned him. And not having found one cause of death in him, they asked for Pilate to kill him. read more. And when they completed all the things written about him, having taken him down from the tree, they laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, who was seen for more days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are witnesses of him to the people. And we proclaim good-news to you: the promise to the fathers, which happened because God has fulfilled this to us their children, having raised up Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou are my Son, today I have begotten thee. And because he raised him from the dead, no longer going to return to decay, he has spoken this way: I will give to you the faithful holy things of David. Therefore also he says in another, Thou will not give thy Holy man to see decay. For indeed David, who served his own generation in the plan of God, became asleep, and was added near his fathers, and saw decay. But he whom God raised up saw no decay. Be it known to you therefore, men, brothers, that through this man remission of sins is proclaimed to you. And from all things of which ye could not be make righteous by the Law of Moses, in this man every man who believes is made righteous. Watch therefore, lest that which is spoken in the prophets should come upon you: Behold, ye scoffers, and wonder, and perish, because I work a work in your days, which ye would, no, not believe, if some man should fully narrate it to you. And as they went out from the synagogue of the Jews, the Gentiles urged that these sayings be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now after the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, while conversing, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And on the coming Sabbath almost all the city was assembled to hear the word of God.
And it came to pass in Iconium according to the same thing, for them to enter into the synagogue of the Jews, and to speak so as for a great quantity to believe, both of Jews and of Greeks.
But Paul thought it not worthy to bring along this man who withdrew from them from Pamphylia, and not having gone with them to the work.
Now after passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul's custom, he went in to them, and for three Sabbaths he discoursed with them from the Scriptures, read more. explaining and pointing out that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead, and, This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ. And some of them were persuaded, and joined with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great quantity, and of the prominent women not a few.
And after spending some time, he departed, passing through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, successively, strengthening all the disciples.
For it is written in the law of Moses thou shall not muzzle an ox threshing grain. Is God concerned about oxen, or does he speak altogether for our sake? For our sake, for it was written, He who plows ought to plow with hope, and he who threshes with his hope, with hope to share.
and to another, workings of miracles, and to another, prophecy, and to another, discerning of spirits, and to a different man, kinds of tongues, and to another, the interpretation of tongues.
If any man presumes to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge what I write to you, that they are commandments of Lord.
And we sent along with him the brother whose praise in the good-news is throughout all the congregations.
But when Peter came to Antioch I opposed him to the face, because he was blameworthy. For before certain men came from James he ate together with the Gentiles, but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing men of circumcision. read more. And the other Jews also joined in hypocrisy with him, so that even Barnabas went along with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly toward the truth of the good-news, I said to Peter before all, If thou being a Jew, live as a Gentile and not as a Jew, why do thou compel the Gentiles to live as Jews?
Yes, I ask thee also, genuine yokefellow, help them--the women who labored with me in the good-news--with Clement also, and the rest of my co-workmen whose names are in the book of life.
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom ye received orders, if he comes to you, welcome him),
Only Luke is with me. Having taken Mark, bring him with thee, for he is useful to me for service.
Salute each other by a kiss of love. Peace to you, to all those in Christ Jesus. Truly.
For we revealed to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, not men who followed in cunningly devised myths, but men who became eyewitnesses of the majesty of that man.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but examine the spirits, whether they are of God, because many FALSE prophets have gone out into the world.
Hastings
Under this heading we may consider the four Gospels as a whole, and their relations to one another, leaving detailed questions of date and authorship to the separate articles.
1. The aims of the Evangelists.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
to proclaim the acceptable year of LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop [thy word] toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel.
Think not that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I came not to abolish, but to fulfill.
Ye have heard that it was said to them in old times, Thou shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment.
No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or he will hold to one, and disparage the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
And which man of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?
But that ye may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins (then he says to the paralyzed man), After rising, take up thy bed, and go to thy house.
Come to me, all ye who labor and have been burdened, and I will give you rest.
And when they recognized him, the men of that place sent into that whole region round about, and brought to him all those faring badly.
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, if ye have faith as a grain of a mustard plant, ye will say to this mountain, Remove from here to there, and it will depart, and nothing will be impossible t
And having answered, Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye will not only do that of the fig tree, but even if ye may say to this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it will happen
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who have been sent to her. How often I wanted to gathered thy children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and ye would not.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who have been sent to her. How often I wanted to gathered thy children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left to you desolate. read more. For I say to you, ye will, no, not see me henceforth, until ye say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord.
But when the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the holy agents with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who will prepare thy way before thee.
But that ye may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins (he says to the paralyzed man),
For Herod himself having sent forth, he arrested John, and bound him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he married her.
For whoever may be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy agents.
For the Son of man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat relaxing, a woman came having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure spikenard, very valuable. And having broken the alabaster cruse, she poured it on his head.
And he said to them, This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.
And Jesus said, I am. And ye will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky.
Now having risen early morning on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. That woman, having gone, informed those who became with him, as they mourned and wept. read more. And those men, when they heard that he is alive, and was seen by her, did not believe. And after these things he appeared in a different form to two of them as they walked going into the countryside. And those men having departed, they reported to the others. Neither did they believe those men. Afterward he became visible to them, to the eleven, who were relaxing. And he upbraided their unbelief and hard heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he was raised. And he said to them, Having gone into all the world, preach ye the good-news to the whole creation. He who believes and is immersed will be saved, but he who does not believe will be damned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons. They will speak in new tongues. They will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will, no, not harm them. They will lay hands on the feeble, and they will fare well. Therefore indeed, the Lord, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And those men, having gone forth, they preached everywhere, the Lord working jointly, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Truly.
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to arrange in order a narration about the deeds that have been brought to fullness among us,
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to arrange in order a narration about the deeds that have been brought to fullness among us, just as they delivered them to us, who became from the beginning eyewitnesses and servants of the word,
just as they delivered them to us, who became from the beginning eyewitnesses and servants of the word,
just as they delivered them to us, who became from the beginning eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it occurred to me also, having followed closely from the beginning all things accurately, to write to thee in order, eminent Theophilus, read more. so that thou might know the certainty of the declarations about which thou were instructed.
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all of which evil things Herod had done,
But that ye may know that the Son of man has authority upon earth to forgive sins (he said to the paralyzed man), I say to thee, Arise, and after taking up thy small bed, go to thy house.
And it came to pass, while fulfilling the days for his ascension, that he also set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass, while fulfilling the days for his ascension, that he also set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his age?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather thy children together as a hen does her brood under her wings, and ye would not.
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
I say to you, this man went down to his house justified rather than that man. Because every man who lifts himself up will be made lower, and he who makes himself lower will be lifted up.
And an agent from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.
(this man not having consented to their purpose and deed), was from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who also himself awaited the kingdom of God.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
On the morrow John sees Jesus coming to him, and he says, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
And John testified, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him.
And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.
This man first finds his own brother Simon, and says to him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
Philip finds Nathanael, and says to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him, What good can be from Nazareth? Philip says to him, Come and see.
Nathanael answered, and says to him, Rabbi, thou are the Son of God. Thou are the king of Israel.
Nicodemus says to him, How can a man be begotten, being old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's belly, and be born?
The Samaritan woman therefore says to him, How do thou, being Jewish, ask to drink from me, being a Samaritan woman, for Jews do not associate with Samaritans?
The woman says to him, Sir, thou have not even a container, and the well is deep. From where then have thou the living water?
The woman says to him, Give me this water, sir, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw out.
The Jews therefore contended with each other, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
But he spoke of Judas Iscariot son of Simon. For this man, being one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
The Jews therefore said among themselves, Where is this man going to go that we will not find him? Is he going to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
Others said, This is the Christ. Others said, For does the Christ come out of Galilee?
They answered and said to him, Are thou also from Galilee? Search and see, that out of Galilee arises no prophet. And each man went to his house.
And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and henceforth sin no more.
I and the Father are one.
Now it was the Preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he says to the Jews, Look at your king!
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. And that man knows that he speaks true, so that ye may believe.
Jesus says to her, Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
But these are written, so that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in his name.
And if I have prophecy, and know 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.