In | Introduction to Mark’s “Good News”

Mark begins his Gospel with these words: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God …” (Mark 1:1, NIV).

Already in his first line, Mark introduces several key terms. Let’s explore two of them.

Euanggelion
What does “Gospel” mean? Literally, the Greek term euanggelion is translated “good news.” But it is a technical term for good news that is proclaimed. Another way it’s translated is “glad tidings.” That’s how we get the related term “evangelize” (euanggelizo).

These terms are used in the Greek version of the Old Testament for good tidings proclaimed by prophets as they anticipate God’s intervention for his people in history. For example, the familiar verse, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,” uses euanggelizo. 

Euanggelion and related Greek words are also used in the first century for proclamations about the Roman Emperor and his Empire. This common usage for such a politically loaded term helps explain Mark’s “Gospel” in context.

Another term—well known in both Greek and Hebrew—will be helpful as we start to read Mark’s Good News.

Christos and Meshiah
Christos (“Christ”) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew term meshiah (“Messiah”). Both of them mean “anointed one” and, like euanggelizo, they have a technical meaning as well. Let’s see how Mark uses all of these terms to introduce Israel’s long-awaited “Messiah” as the centerpiece of the “Good News” for Jews and Romans alike.