oleg wrote:Regarding this issue of "gospel", however, it is worth noting that the reference you gave, to Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, 106, confirms the absence of the word, ευαγγελίου, instead presenting "memoirs of the apostles", as is customary. Can you indicate where in Apology or Dialogue, the word ευαγγελίου appears, in the context of describing Kata Markon?
It is not that the noun for "gospel" appears specifically with reference to Mark; it is that the noun for "gospel" appears specifically as a synonym for "memoirs" in 1
Apology 66.3:
Greek | English |
Οἱ γὰρ ἀπόστολοι ἐν τοῖς γενομένοις ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀπομνημονεύμασιν, ἃ καλεῖται εὐαγγέλια, οὕτως παρέδωκαν ἐντετάλθαι αὐτοῖς· τὸν Ἰησοῦν λαβόντα ἄρτον εὐχαριστήσαντα εἰπεῖν· Τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἀνάμνησίν μου, τοῦτ' ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου· καὶ τὸ ποτή- ριον ὁμοίως λαβόντα καὶ εὐχαριστήσαντα εἰπεῖν· Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμά μου· καὶ μόνοις αὐτοῖς μεταδοῦναι. | For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, "This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone. |
That is the phrase that gmx is asking about.
This is the only time Justin uses the term
gospel in the plural. However, he uses it in the singular in
Dialogue 10.2 and 100.2, and there is one instance of the verb, instead of the noun, in 12.2, which is from Isaiah 61.1 (Matthew 11.5 = Luke 7.22); he by far prefers the other term,
memoirs, which he uses both above and at 1
Apology 67.3 in this present work, and elsewhere at
Dialogue 100.4; 101.3b; 102.5; 103.6a, 8; 104.1b-2; 105.1, 5b, 6; 106.1, 3, 4; 107.1 (thirteen times over the course of these 8 chapter; the use of the verb instead of the noun also appears at 1
Apology 33.5).
I assembled a diglot (Greek and English) presentation of Justin Martyr's writings here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1874, if it should help.
Ben.