Reference: Gospels
Easton
The central fact of Christian preaching was the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world (Mt 4:23; Ro 10:15); and the first Christian preachers who called their account of the person and mission of Christ by the term evangelion (= good message) were called evangelistai (= evangelists) (Eph 4:11; Ac 21:8).
There are four historical accounts of the person and work of Christ: "the first by Matthew, announcing the Redeemer as the promised King of the kingdom of God; the second by Mark, declaring him 'a prophet, mighty in deed and word'; the third by Luke, of whom it might be said that he represents Christ in the special character of the Saviour of sinners (Lu 7:36; 15:18); the fourth by John, who represents Christ as the Son of God, in whom deity and humanity become one. The ancient Church gave to Matthew the symbol of the lion, to Mark that of a man, to Luke that of the ox, and to John that of the eagle: these were the four faces of the cherubim" (Eze 1:10).
Date. The Gospels were all composed during the latter part of the first century, and there is distinct historical evidence to show that they were used and accepted as authentic before the end of the second century.
Mutual relation. "If the extent of all the coincidences be represented by 100, their proportionate distribution will be: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 53; Matthew and Luke, 21; Matthew and Mark, 20; Mark and Luke, 6. Looking only at the general result, it may be said that of the contents of the synoptic Gospels [i.e., the first three Gospels] about two-fifths are common to the three, and that the parts peculiar to one or other of them are little more than one-third of the whole."
Origin. Did the evangelists copy from one another? The opinion is well founded that the Gospels were published by the apostles orally before they were committed to writing, and that each had an independent origin. (See Matthew, Gospel according to.)
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And the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side to the four of them; and the face of an ox on the left side to the four of them; and the face of an eagle to the four of them.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
And one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And going into the Pharisee's house, He reclined.
I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you
And the next day those around him going out, Paul came to Caesarea. And entering the house of Philip the evangelist, he being of the seven, we stayed with him.
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!"
And truly He gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and 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/mkjv'>26,26/type/mkjv'>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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But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save a great many people alive.
I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not near. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall strike the corners of Moab, and destroy 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,
Jehovah reigns; let the peoples tremble. He sits between the cherubs; let the earth quake.
Behold, I have carved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are forever before Me.
Then you shall say in your heart, Who has borne me these, since I am bereaved, and desolate, turned aside and an exile, and who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?
And I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
And I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
But when Jesus heard that John was thrown into prison, He went back into Galilee.
And a certain scribe came and said to him, Master, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to 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 let the dead bury their dead.
And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one might pass by that way.
And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax-office. And He said to him, Follow Me! And he arose and followed Him.
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus;
And He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven.
From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
And when they had come to Capernaum, those who received the didrachmas came to Peter and said, Does your master not pay the didrachmas?
And when they had come to Capernaum, those who received the didrachmas came to Peter and said, Does your master not pay the didrachmas? He said, Yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their sons, or from strangers? read more. Peter said to Him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then truly the sons are free. But lest we should offend them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. And when you have opened its mouth, you shall find a stater; take that, and give it to them for Me and you.
They said to Him, Caesar's. Then He said to them, Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!
You know that after two days the Passover comes, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.
and said, This one said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.
And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, read more. teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen.
And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him.
And immediately He called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.
And as He passed on, He saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at the tax-office. And He said to him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him.
And looking around on them with anger, being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, Stretch out your hand! And he stretched it out. And his hand was restored whole, like the other.
And He put on James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, the names Boanerges, which is, the Sons of Thunder.
And they came over to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
And He took him aside from the crowd and put His fingers into his ears. And He spat and touched his tongue. And looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said to him, Ephphatha! (that is, Be opened!)
And immediately all the crowd, seeing Him, were greatly amazed, and they were running to Him to greet Him.
And going out from there, they passed through Galilee. And He desired that no one should know. For He taught His disciples and said to them, The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him. And after He is killed, He shall rise the third day. read more. But they did not understand that saying and were afraid to ask Him. And He came to Capernaum. And being in the house, He asked them, What was it that you disputed among yourselves in the way?
And one of those standing by, drawing a sword, struck a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
But go tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see Him, as He said to you.
Since many took in hand to draw up an account concerning the matters which have been borne out among us,
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David.
And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
And in the fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the Trachonitus country, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene-- Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests-- the Word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. read more. And he came into all the country around Jordan, proclaiming the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the Words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Then he said to the crowd that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answered and said to them, He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise. And tax-collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, Continue to do no more than that commanded to you. And the soldiers also asked of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do not forcibly extort anyone, nor accuse any falsely. And be content with your wages. And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts concerning John, lest perhaps he was the Christ, John answered all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I comes, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire, whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His storehouse. But He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. And then indeed exhorting many things, he proclaimed the gospel to the people. But Herod the tetrarch (being reproved by him on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done) added still this above all, that he even shut John up in prison. And it happened in the baptizing of all the people, Jesus also being baptized, and praying, and the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily shape, like a dove on Him. And a voice came from Heaven, which said, You are My Son, the Beloved; I am delighted in You. And Jesus Himself was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) son of Joseph, son of of Heli,
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. And a report went out throughout all the neighborhood concerning Him.
And doing this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish. And their net was being torn.
And seeing, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.
and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not fear, from now on you will be taking men alive.
And after these things He went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax-office. And He said to him, Follow Me.
And it happened on the second chief sabbath, He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands.
And it happened afterwards, He traveled in every city and village, proclaiming and announcing the gospel of the kingdom of God. And the Twelve were with Him,
But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep. But fully awakening, they saw His glory, and the two men who stood with Him.
And Jesus said to him, Do not prevent him, for he who is not against us is for us. And it happened in the fulfilling of the days of His taking up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
And it happened in the fulfilling of the days of His taking up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
And it happened as they were going in the way, one said to Him, Lord, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. read more. And He said to another, Follow Me! But he said, Lord, first allow me to go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow You, but first allow me to take leave of those in my house.
And He went through the cities and villages, teaching and progressing toward Jerusalem. And one said to Him, Lord, are the ones being saved few? And He said to them,
The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying to Him, Go out and depart from here, for Herod will kill you.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! the one killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her; how often I desired to gather your children in the way a hen gathers her brood under the wings, and you did not desire it.
And as He went to Jerusalem, it happened that he went through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And as He went to Jerusalem, it happened that he went through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And they also brought infants to Him, that He might touch them. But when the disciples saw, they rebuked them.
And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.
And they said, the Lord has indeed risen, and has appeared to Simon.
The day after, Jesus desired to go forth into Galilee. And He found Philip and said to him, Follow Me.
Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea. And He stayed there with them and baptized.
He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And it was necessary for Him to go through Samaria, read more. Then He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus upon the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me to drink. (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him, Sir, you have no vessel, and the well is deep. From where then do you have that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children and his cattle? Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, so that I may not thirst nor come here to draw. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. In that you spoke truly. The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you shall neither worship the Father in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. When He has come, He will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I AM, the One speaking to you. And upon this His disciples came and marveled that He talked with the woman. However, no one said, What do You seek, or why do You talk with her? The woman then left her waterpot and went into the city and said to the men, Come see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Is this One not the Christ? And they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples were asking Him, saying, Master, eat. But He said to them, I have food to eat which you do not know. Therefore the disciples said to one another, No one brought Him anything to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. Do you not say, It is yet four months, and the harvest comes? Behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white to harvest already. And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to life eternal, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. And in this is the saying true, One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that on which you bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and you have entered into their labor. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed upon Him because of the saying of the woman, who testified, He told me all that I ever did. Then as the Samaritans had come to Him, they begged Him that He would stay with them. And He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. And they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying, for we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is truly the Christ, the Savior of the world. And after two days He departed from there and went into Galilee.
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for He did not desire to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for He did not desire to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. And the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.
But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as in secret.
Therefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but He went away from there to a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and continued there with His disciples.
Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. And the servant's name was Malchus.
After these things Jesus revealed Himself again to the 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 you will find. Therefore they cast, and now they no longer had the strength to draw, from the multitude of fish. Then that disciple whom Jesus loves said to Peter, It is the Lord! Then hearing that it is the Lord, Simon Peter girded on his coat (for he was naked), and cast himself into the sea.
Truly, O Theophilus, I made the first report as to all things that Jesus began both to do and teach
And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And dwelling at Jerusalem there were Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. read more. But this sound occurring, the multitude came together and were confounded, because they each heard them speaking in his own dialect. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Behold, are not these who speak all Galileans? And how do we each hear in our own dialect in which we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking the great things of God in our own languages.
But those things which God before had shown by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He fulfilled in this manner.
But many of those who heard the Word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.
And finding him, he brought him to Antioch. And it happened to them a whole year they were assembled in the church. And they taught a considerable crowd. And the disciples were first called Christian in Antioch.
And thinking about it, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose last name was Mark; where many had gathered together to pray.
And Paul and those around him sailed from Paphos and came to Perga of Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, Men, brothers, if you have any word of comfort for the people, speak. And rising up and signaling with his hand, Paul said, Men, Israelites, and those fearing God, listen. read more. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people in their residency in the land of Egypt, and He brought them out of it with a high arm. And about the time of forty years He tenderly bore them in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to them as an inheritance. And after that He gave them judges for 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 when He had removed him, He raised up David to them to be their king; to whom He also witnessed and said, I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after My own heart, who shall fulfill all My will. Of this man's seed God has raised to Israel, according to His promise, a Savior, Jesus; John having before proclaimed the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel, before His coming. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Who do you think that I am? I am not He. But behold, One comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose. Men, brothers, sons of the race of Abraham, and whoever among you fears God, the Word of this salvation is sent to you. For those living in Jerusalem, and their rulers, not having known this One, and the voices of the Prophets being read throughout every sabbath, condemning Him, they fulfilled the Scriptures.
For those living in Jerusalem, and their rulers, not having known this One, and the voices of the Prophets being read throughout every sabbath, condemning Him, they fulfilled the Scriptures. And finding not one cause of death in Him, they begged Pilate to do away with Him. read more. And when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, taking Him down from the tree, they laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead, who appeared for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we preach the gospel to you, the promise made to the fathers, this God has fulfilled to us their children, raising up Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "You are My Son, this day I have begotten You." And that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He spoke in this way: "I will give you the holy promises of David." Therefore he also says in another psalm, "You shall not allow Your Holy One to see corruption." For after he had served his own generation by the will of God, David fell asleep and was added to his fathers and saw corruption. But He whom God raised again saw no corruption. Therefore be it known to you, men, brothers, that through this One the forgiveness of sins is announced to you. And by Him all who believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses. Therefore beware lest that come on you which is spoken of in the Prophets: "Behold, you despisers, and marvel, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no way believe, though a man declare it to you." And the Jews having gone out of the synagogue, the nations begged that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. And the synagogue being broken up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And on the coming sabbath day almost all the city came together to hear the Word of God.
And it happened in Iconium, they both went together into the synagogue of the Jews, and spoke so as a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
But Paul thought it well not to take that one with them, he having withdrawn from them from Pamphylia, and did not go with them to the work.
And traveling 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 reasoned with them out of the Scriptures on three sabbaths, read more. opening and setting forth that Christ must have suffered, and to have risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is Christ. And some of them believed and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, both a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks, and not a few of the chief women.
And after he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox threshing grain." Does God take care for oxen? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? It was written for us, so that he who plows should plow in hope, and so that he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.
and to another workings of powers, to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; and to another kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues.
If anyone thinks to be a prophet, or a spiritual one, let him recognize the things I write to you, that they are a commandment of the Lord.
And we have sent with him the brothers whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;
But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was to be blamed. For before some came from James, he ate with the nations. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those of the circumcision. read more. And the rest of the Jews also dissembled with him, so as even Barnabas was led away with their dissembling. But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before all, If you, being a Jew, live as a Gentile, and not as the Jews, why do you compel the nations to judaize?
And I also beg you, true yoke-fellow, help those women who labored in the gospel with me and with Clement, and others of my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (regarding whom you received commandments; if he comes to you, receive him),
Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
Greet one another with a kiss of holy love. Peace be to you, all those in Christ Jesus. Amen.
For not having followed fables having been cunningly devised, but becoming eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus Christ, we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if 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 preach the acceptable year of Jehovah and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop a word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel.
Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.
You have heard that it was said to the ancients, "You shall not kill" --and, "Whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment."
No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then He said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed and go to your house.
Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And recognizing Him, the men of that place sent to all that neighborhood, and brought to Him all who were diseased.
Why do your 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 you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.
Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. read more. For I say to you, You shall not see Me from now on until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He shall sit on the throne of His glory.
as it is written in the Prophets, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You.
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority upon earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic,
For Herod himself had sent out and laid hold on John and had bound him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For he had married her,
Therefore whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He reclined, a woman came with an alabaster vial of pure, costly ointment of spikenard. And she broke the vial and 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 you will see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of the heaven.
And when Jesus had risen early the first day of the Sabbath, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. read more. And those hearing that He lives, and was seen by her, they did not believe. After that He appeared in another form to two of them, walking and going into the country. And they went and told it to the rest. Neither did they believe those. Afterward He appeared to the Eleven as they reclined. And He reproached their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well. Then indeed, after speaking to them, the Lord was taken up into Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And going out, they proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word by miraculous signs following. Amen.
Since many took in hand to draw up an account concerning the matters which have been borne out among us,
Since many took in hand to draw up an account concerning the matters which have been borne out among us, even as those who from the beginning delivered to us, becoming eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word,
even as those who from the beginning delivered to us, becoming eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word,
even as those who from the beginning delivered to us, becoming eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word, it seemed good to me also, following all things accurately from the very first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus, read more. so that you might know the certainty of those things in which you have been instructed.
But Herod the tetrarch (being reproved by him on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done)
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic, I say to you, Arise, and take up your cot and go to your house.
And it happened in the fulfilling of the days of His taking up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
And it happened in the fulfilling of the days of His taking up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! the one killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her; how often I desired to gather your children in the way a hen gathers her brood under the wings, and you did not desire it.
No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.
And an angel appeared to Him from Heaven, strengthening Him.
this one was not assenting to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews; and he also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.
And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.
The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
And John bore record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and He abode on Him.
And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God.
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being translated, the Christ).
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law and the Prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said to him, Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.
Nathanael answered and said to Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel!
Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
The woman said to Him, Sir, you have no vessel, and the well is deep. From where then do you have that living water?
The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, so that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.
Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
But he spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon; for it was he who was about to betray Him, being one of the Twelve.
Then the Jews said among themselves, Where is he about to go that we shall not find him? Is he about to go to the Dispersion of the Greeks, and to teach the Greeks?
Others said, This is the Christ. But others said, Does the Christ come out of Galilee?
They answered and said to him, Are you also from Galilee? Search the scriptures and see that a prophet has not been raised out of Galilee. And they each went to his own house.
And she said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more.
I and the Father are one!
And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold your king!
And he who saw bore record, and his record is true. And he knows that he speaks true, so that you might believe.
Jesus said 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 to My God and your God.
But these are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in His name.
And though I have prophecies, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so as to move mountains, and do not have charity, 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.