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evangelist


Gk., “one who proclaims good news”

A noun occurring only three times in the NT (Acts 21:8; Eph 4:11; 2Tim 4:5); the idea of proclaiming the good news about God’s kingdom and about Jesus the Christ, however, is found throughout the NT writings. The cognate verb, “evangelize” (lit., “to proclaim good news”), is frequent, as is the Greek noun translated “gospel” or “good news,” which comes directly into English as “evangel.” By the third century, the authors of the four canonical Gospels (“evangels”) had come to be known as “Evangelists.”

  • Powell, Mark Allan, ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Abridged Edition. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009.