Gospel

Etymology:
The English term "Gospel" (from Anglo-Saxon god spell, "good spell") comes from the Greek word euangelion, which means good news or joyous message. In Hebrew there is no word that is equivalent to the noun, except for the root BSR which occurs as a verb in Deutero-Isaiah meaning, "prophet's of action of announcing the impending return of Israel from exile," conceived as the final saving act of Yahweh.(Americana 99)

Definition:
When looking at the literal definition of Gospel it describes and names the "first four books of the New Testament, attributed to St. Mathew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John" (Americana 99). These first four books of the New Testament work as biographical accounts of the work of Jesus. These books look at the life of Jesus and the miracles that he performed and used to spread the "good news." Though these works look at the life of Jesus, the authors of the Gospels did not personally know Jesus and created them to be a "connected narrative" that would take the oral traditions in which people had historically depended on and put those stories into writing so that the readers could receive "authentic knowledge" (Harris 347).
To spread the "good news" of Yahweh, Jesus would go to synagogues in which he could speak to the people and tell them the "joyous message." "The synagogues or public gathering places tended to be simple buildings where the town's business, politics, and religious discourse took place" (Coogan 13 New Testament).

Examples:
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with carious diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them" (Mathew 4:23-24).

Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitness and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed" (Luke 1:1-4)

"But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations" (Blue Letter Bible, Mark 13:9-10)

Bibliography

The new Oxford annotated Bible. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Harris , Stephen L. Understanding the Bible. 7th. New York: McGraw-Hill , 1937. Print.

"Gospel."Encyclopedia Americana. International Edition. 1829.

Blue Letter Bible. "Mark 13 - King James Version." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 3 May 2009. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mar&c=13&t=KJV >