Gospel

GOSPEL. The Greek word Evangelion, signifies good News. And in reality the Book which contains the recital of our Evangelium, bonus Nuntius.Saviour’s Life, Miracles, Death, Resurrection, and Doctrine, includes the best news that could be published to mankind. We shall give an epitome of the history contained in the Gospel, when we relate the Life of Jesus Christ. See JESUS CHRIST. We acknowledge but four canonical Gospels, those of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke; and St. John; which we shall speak of in the several Articles relating to each of these Evangelists.

But besides these four Gospels, which are received by the whole Catholick Church, there are several others, which are apocryphal, and without authority; some whereof have been handed down to us, and the rest are intirely lost. Here is a Catalogue of them.

1. The Gospel according to the Hebrews.

2. The Gospel according to the Nazarens.

3. The Gospel of the twelve Apostles.

4. The Gospel of St. Peter. These four Gospels are probably the same under different titles, viz. the Gospel of St. Matthew, corrupted by certain Hereticks, called Nazarens.

5. The Gospel of the Egyptians. 6. The Gospel of the Birth of the holy Virgin. This is in Latin.

6. The Gospel of St. James. This is in Greek and Latin; and is called the preparatory Gospel, Proto-Evangelium, of St. James.

7. The Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus. This is in Greek and Arabic.

8. The Gospel of St. Thomas. This is the same as the foregoing one.

9. The Gospel of Nicodemus. This we have in Latin.

10. The Eternal Gospel. 12. The Gospel of St. Andrew. 13. The Gospel of St. Bartholomew. 14. The Gospel of Apelles. 15. The Gospel of Basilides. 16. The Gospel of Cerinthus. 17. The Gospel of the Ebionites. 18. The Gospel of the Encratites. This is the same as Tatian’s.

11. The Gospel of Eve. 20. The Gospel of the Gnosticks.

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22. The Gospel of St. Paul; the same as Marcion’s.

23. Mary’s Interrogations, both great and small.

24. The Book of Jesus Christ’s birth. The same in all probability as St. James’s Preparatory Gospel.

25. The Gospel of St. John; otherwise, the Book of the Holy Virgin’s death.

26. The Gospel of St. Matthias. 27. The Gospel of Perfection.

27. The Gospel of the Simonians. 29. The Gospel according to the Syrians.

28. The Gospel of Tatian. The same as that of the Encratites.

29. The Gospel of Thadæus, or St. Jude.

30. The Gospel of Valentine. The same as the Gospel of Truth.

31. The Gospel of Life, or the Gospel of the living God. 34. The Gospel of St. Philip.

32. The Gospel of St. Barnabas. 36. The Gospel of St. James major. 37. The Gospel of Judas Iscariot. 38. The Gospel of Truth. The same as Valentine’s.

33. The spurious Gospels of Leucius, Seleucus, Lucianus, Hesychius.

They who please, may consult M. Fabricius’s Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti, &c. concerning all these spurious Pieces, and our Dissertation upon the Apocryphal Gospels, prefixed to our Comment on St. Matthew.

The ancient Hereticks began generally with attacking the Gospels, in order to maintain their Errors, or excuse them. Some rejected all the genuine Gospels, and substituted such as were spurious in their room. This produced the Gospels of Apelles, Basilides, Cerinthus, and some others. Others have corrupted the true Gospels, and have suppressed whatever gave them any trouble, or have inserted what might favour their erroneous Doctrines. Thus the Nazarens corrupted the original Gospel of St. Matthew, and the Marcionites mangled that of St. Luke, which was the only one that they received. The Alogians seeing their condemnation too plainly declared in St. John, rejected him, and admitted only the three other Evangelists. The Ebionites rejected St. Matthew, and received the three other Gospels. The Cerinthians acknowledged only St. Mark, and the Valentinians St. John only.

The Mahometans believe, that God sent D’Herbelot. Bibl. Orient. p. 315. Engil.his Gospel to Jesus Christ, but that it is now no longer in being, at least in its primitive purity; they maintain, that it is intirely lost, or so much altered, that according to their principles there can be no depending on any thing we cite from it, unless it agree with what is quoted from it in the Alcoran, composed by Mahomet, who never read the Gospel, and was never capable of reading it: he indeed produces some passages out of it, but with very little accuracy, and like one who had only heard it cited, and was but superficially acquainted with it. For example, he relates the Salutation of the blessed Virgin Alcoran, Jurat. 3.in the following manner; “ O Mary, “ God declares to you the birth of his “ Word, whom he hath produced; he shall “ be called Christ, the son of Mary: he “ shall be glorious in this world and the “ next: he shall be one of those who approach God. While he is yet in the “ cradle and in swaddling-clothes, he shall “ have the use of speech; and when he “ is grown, shall be an honest man.”

You have here the prayer, whereof they suppose Jesus Christ to be the author; it is very different from the Pater noster which he taught us.

“ O my God, I can neither divert the “ evil which I detest, nor acquire the good “ which I wish. Others have already “ received their reward, but I wait for “ the recompence of my labour. The “ poorest man is not more indigent than “ I am. Do thou, O great God, vouchsafe “ to forgive me. O Lord, permit me not “ to use my enemy opprobriously, nor suffer “ my friend to despise me; let not my “ Religion be the cause of affliction to “ me; let not the world be the object of “ my love, nor the subject of my application and study. Let not any one be “ my master, who will have no compassion “ for me. Grant me these favours for “ thy mercy’s sake, O thou most merciful “ of all those who shew mercy.”

The Disciples of Mahomet believe, that we have suppressed several passages of the Gospel, which were favourable to their Prophet. Notwithstanding St. Paul never wrote any Gospel, he cites one however which he calls his; secundum Evangelium Rom. ii. 16. and xvi. 25. 2 Tim. ii. 8.meum: whether he is to be understood as meaning the Gospel of our Saviour which he preached, and had learned by revelation, or the Gospel of St. Luke, which some of the Ancients ascribe to him¹, as if he had dictated it to St. Luke, or had advised him only to write it, and had assisted him in composing it; or, lastly, whether St. Luke having learned it from St. Paul’s mouth, people might have attributed the work of the Disciple to the Master.

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