gospel

Meanings

Noun

• The first section of the Christian New Testament scripture, comprising the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, concerned with the life, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus.
• An account of the life, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus, generally written during the first several centuries of the Common Era.
• The teaching of Divine grace as distinguished from the Law or Divine commandments.
• A message expected to have positive reception or effect, one promoted as offering important (or even infallible) guiding principles.
• That which is absolutely authoritative .
• Gospel music.

Verb

• To instruct in the gospel.

Related

Similar words

• evangel

Origin

• From Middle English gospel, gospell, godspel, godspell, goddspell, from Old English godspell, corresponding to good + spell, literally “the message of God”, believed to be an alteration of earlier *gōdspell, used to translate ecclesiastical Latin bona annūntiātiō, itself a translation of Ecclesiastical Latin ēvangelium / Ancient Greek εὐαγγέλιον (English evangel). Compare Old Saxon godspel, godspell, Old High German gotspel, Icelandic guðspjall.