gospel

Where does the word "gospel" come from? It comes from Greek euangélion, passing through Old English before entering English (1200s).

Gospel’s story begins in Greek: euangélion meant “good news.” 'good news', eu 'good' + angelia 'message'; Mark's Gospel opens 'The beginning of the euangelion of Jesus Christ'. By 900s, the word had taken hold in Old English as gōdspel. A word-for-word translation, gōd 'good' + spel 'news, story'; Aldred wrote an Old English gloss into the Lindisfarne Gospels in the 900s. It reached English by 1200s as gospel. The first part was soon heard as 'God', 'God-story'; Thomas A. Dorsey, 'the father of gospel music', shaped the Black church music style from the 1930s. Today, gospel means the teaching of Christ; one of the first four books of the New Testament; a music style.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient euangélion "good news", 'good news', eu 'good' + angelia 'message'; Mark's Gospel opens 'The beginning of the euangelion of Jesus Christ'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 900s gōdspel "good news; gospel", a word-for-word translation, gōd 'good' + spel 'news, story'; Aldred wrote an Old English gloss into the Lindisfarne Gospels in the 900s.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s gospel "the teaching of Christ; a music style", the first part was soon heard as 'God', 'God-story'; Thomas A. Dorsey, 'the father of gospel music', shaped the Black church music style from the 1930s.