Paul's use of or references to 'gospel'

[MrMacSon]

Paul apparently used the term “gospel” ~60 times.
He is said to use the possessive, “my/our gospel,” six times (one of which is in the pastoral 2 Tim. 2:8). He uses the definitive, “the gospel”, ~27 times.

In addition, he uses terms such as “the gospel of Christ” (eg. Rom. 15:19) and “gospel of God” (eg. 1 Thess. 2:2ff) [in ways that are said to parallel Mark 1:1 and 1:14].

There's some "a gospel" and some 'a different gospel.'

Some uses seem to be as "good news / good tidings" cf. as a 'gospel-text.'

Romans 1:1,9:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship ... 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son

Romans 2:16:

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous. 14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law...are a law to themselves 15 who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts one after another accusing or even defending them 16 on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through Christ Jesus.

Romans 15:16,19,20

15 But I have written to you more boldly on some points, so as to remind you again because of the grace that has been given to me by God, 16 with the result that I am a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving the gospel of God as a priest, in order that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I have a reason for boasting in Christ Jesus regarding the things concerning God. 18 For I will not dare to speak about anything except that which Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and traveling around as far as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 And so, having as my ambition to proclaim the gospel where Christ has not been named, in order that I will not build on the foundation belonging to someone else, 21 but just as it is written,

“Those to whom it was not announced concerning him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.” ..[Isaiah 52:15]

Romans 16:25:

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages.

1 Thessalonians 1:5:

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction

1 Thessalonians 2:2,4,8,9:

2 but, after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, just as you know, we had the courage in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. 3 For our exhortation is not from error or from impurity or with deceit, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel ... 8 ...we determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own souls, because you had become dear to us.

9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and hardship: working by night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and righteously and blamelessly we became to you who believe, 11 just as you know how we treated each one of you, like a father his own children ...

1 Thessalonians 3:2

and we sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, in order to strengthen and to encourage you about your faith

2 Thessalonians 1:8

with burning flame giving punishment to those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus

2 Thessalonians 2:14

for which purpose he called you through our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:6,7,8,9,11,16:

6 I am astonished that you are turning away so quickly from the one who called you by the grace of Christ to a different gospel, 7 not that there is a different gospel, except there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim a gospel to you contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let him be accursed! 9 As we said before, and now I say again, if anyone is proclaiming a gospel to you contrary to what you have received, let him be accursed! ... For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me...is not according to man ... to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel about him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood,

1 Corinthians 9:14,16,18,23:

In the same way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel ... For if I proclaim the gospel, it is not to me a reason for boasting, for necessity is imposed on me. For woe is to me if I do not proclaim the gospel ... What then is my reward? That when I proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel ... I do all this for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.

1 Corinthians 15:1:

Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you have also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the message I proclaimed to you, unless you believed to no purpose. 3 For I passed on to you as of first things that I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised up on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, 6 then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers ... 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all...he appeared also to me.

2 Corinthians 2:12

Now when I arrived in Troas for the gospel of Christ and a door was opened for me by the Lord

2 Corinthians 4:3:

But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 9:13

Through the proven character of this service they will glorify God because of the submission of your confession to the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your participation toward them and toward everyone

2 Corinthians 10:14

For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, because we have reached even as far as you with the gospel of Christ

2 Corinthians 11:4

For if the one who comes proclaims another Jesus whom we have not proclaimed, or you receive a different spirit which you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you put up with it well enough!

Philippians 1:27:

Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I hear your circumstances, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul contending side by side for the faith of the gospel

(I may add to this. Others are, of course, welcome to add passages, too )

See https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearc ... tnumber=76

[RandyHelzerman]

Cf. with Mark's use of the word "gospel". e.g. Mark 1:14 And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.

AFAICT, Jesus never calls it "his" gospel. If the evangelist assigns ownership, it is to God.

[Ken Olson]

Paul apparently used the term “gospel” ~60 times.
He is said to use the possessive, “my/our gospel,” six times (one of which is in the pastoral 2 Tim. 2:8). He uses the definitive, “the gospel”, ~27 times.

In addition, he uses terms such as “the gospel of Christ” (eg. Rom. 15:19) and “gospel of God” (eg. 1 Thess. 2:2ff) [in ways that are said to parallel Mark 1:1 and 1:14].

There's some "a gospel" and some 'a different gospel.'

Some uses seem to be as "good news / good tidings" cf. as a 'gospel-text.'

Romans 1:1,9:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship ... 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son

It seems to me that all of your examples of the word Gospel from Paul are compatible with the idea that the Gospel is the message God gave Paul to spread to others as his Apostle (ἀπόστολος = one who is sent from). Some of Paul's uses of the word Gospel would seem to be incompatible with the word Gospel meaning a written document comprised of brief stories from Jesus' life and ministry and an account of his death and resurrection, unless Paul is being extremely figurative (which is possible).

Are there any uses of the word Gospel in Paul's letters which (by themselves) would require or strongly suggest that he was speaking of a written document? Perhaps something like 'as is written in the Gospel?'

Best,

Ken

[MrMacSon]

It seems to me that all of your examples of the word Gospel from Paul are compatible with the idea that the Gospel is the message God gave Paul to spread to others

• Hi Ken. Yes, I agree, I was about 16% into doing that post when a few things like that 'hit' me. But I continued to look for the "my/our gospel" and "the Gospel of God/Christ" posts.

... Some of Paul's uses of the word Gospel would seem to be incompatible with the word Gospel meaning a written document comprised of brief stories from Jesus' life and ministry and an account of his death and resurrection, unless Paul is being extremely figurative (which is possible).

Are there any uses of the word Gospel in Paul's letters which (by themselves) would require or strongly suggest that he was speaking of a written document? Perhaps something like 'as is written in the Gospel?'

• I think I need to look more at the verses with "the gospel" in them.
  And I need to look at the Greek, including the verses with the associated 'proclaim,' which may be εὐαγγελίζω/ euaggelizó.

And I will look at contexts of the passages with "a different gospel" in them: ie. 2 Corinthians 11:4 (which also has 'a different spirit'), and Galatians 1:6&7.

[MrMacSon]

cf. with Mark's use of the word "gospel". e.g. Mark 1:14 And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.

AFAICT, Jesus never calls it "his" gospel. If the evangelist assigns ownership, it is to God.

• Cheers, Randy. It's noteworthy that Paul on seems to use, "the gospel of God" in Romans 15:16 and 1 Thessalonians 2:2,8 and 9.
  
  A check through Mark, at least, might be interesting ...

[GakuseiDon]

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

[RandyHelzerman]

A cursory glance though Mark, by a layman, would seem to indicate that Mark used "gospel" much like Paul does.

But when Mark uses it, it can't be a written text!

[Ken Olson]

A cursory glance though Mark, by a layman, would seem to indicate that Mark used "gospel" much like Paul does.

But when Mark uses it, it can't be a written text!

It seems to me that the theory that Mark 1.1 used the word εὐαγγέλιον ('good news') in sense very much like Paul does, but that use of the word also gave the name εὐαγγέλιον to the literary genre of works like his is consistent with the theory that Mark published the first gospel.

The Gospel According to Mark 1.1:

Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ.

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ

This is similar to how the first line of Herodotus Histories gave a name to a literary genre:

Herdotus Histories 1.1:

Ἡροδότου Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἱστορίης ἀπόδεξις ἥδε, ὡς μήτε τὰ γενόμενα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τῷ χρόνῳ ἐξίτηλα γένηται, μήτε ἔργα μεγάλα τε καὶ θωμαστά, τὰ μὲν Ἕλλησι τὰ δὲ βαρβάροισι ἀποδεχθέντα, ἀκλεᾶ γένηται, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίην ἐπολέμησαν ἀλλήλοισι.

Herodotus of Halicarnassus here presents his inquiry, so that things done by man not be forgotten in time, and that great and marvelous deeds, some displayed by the Hellenes, some by the barbarians, not lose their glory, including among others what was the cause of their waging war on each other.

The word ἱστορία meant inquiry when Herodotus used it, but it also became the name of the literary genre of works like his, History.

Best,

Ken

[RandyHelzerman]

that use of the word also gave the name εὐαγγέλιον to the literary genre of works

So The Gospel of Mark literally wrote itself into existence. And then went on to rewrite the world. Logos.

This is similar to how the first line of Herodotus Histories gave a name to a literary genre:

Learn something new every day. Thanks for that!

[Peter Kirby]

that use of the word also gave the name εὐαγγέλιον to the literary genre of works

So The Gospel of Mark literally wrote itself into existence. And then went on to rewrite the world. Logos.

This is similar to how the first line of Herodotus Histories gave a name to a literary genre:

Learn something new every day. Thanks for that!

I believe Helmut Koester in Ancient Christian Gospels has a very readable section on the subject.