In the NT, the content of εὐαγγέλιον refers to the good news about the realization of messianic salvation.
This good news can therefore be called α.
an εὐαγγέλιον Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Mark 1:1) or an εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ (Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 2:12; 9:13;
10:14; Gal 1:7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thess 3:2), because messianic salvation is
realized through Jesus, the Christ (Messiah); β. an εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας (Matt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14), because with
the inbreaking of messianic salvation the kingdom of God has appeared on earth;
γ. an εὐαγγέλιον τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ (Acts 20:24) or an εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν (Eph 1:13) or an εὐαγγέλιον τῆς εἰρήνης (Eph 6:15), because the grace of God in
Christ and our salvation through Christ and the peace between God and the world
constitute the sole content of this good news. — The ancient synagogue also
knew of good news which was closely related to the messianic time. Its
substance comprised the redemption and liberation of Israel, the peace and
salvation that would come into the world; the day when one would shout to
Israel, “The kingdom of God has been revealed, your God has become king!”a
Either the returning prophet Elijahb or the Messiahc is
hailed as the deliverer of this joyful message. It was Israel’s daily prayer
that this day would come soon.d
a. Targum Isaiah 40:9: “Climb up onto a
high mountain, you prophets who bring good news to Zion מְבַסְּרִין לציון; lift up your voice with strength, you who
bring good news to Jerusalem מבסּרין לירושלם,
lift (them) up, do not fear, say to the cities of the house of Judah, ‘The
kingdom of your God has been revealed אִתְגְּלִיאַת!’ ” ‖ Targum Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful on the mountains
of the land of Israel are the feet of the one who brings good news מְבַסַּר, who proclaim peace, of the one who brings
good news מְבַסַּר
טָב, who proclaims redemption פּוּרְקָן, who says to the community of Zion, ‘The
kingdom of your God has been revealed אתגליאת!’ ”
‖ Additionally, see the passages in notes b
and c.
b. Targum Yerušalmi I Numbers 25:12:
“Behold, I will make my covenant of peace with him (Phinehas = Elijah) and will
make him a messenger of the covenant (‘angel of the covenant’ [Mal 3:1]), and
he will live forever to bring the good news of redemption גְאוּלְּתָא לִמְבַשָּׂרָא at the end of days.” ‖ Pesiqta 51A: “My
beloved (= God according to the midr.) arises and speaks to me” (Song 2:10). R.
Azariah (ca. 380) said, “Is not then the arising the same thing as the
speaking?7 But this is what is meant: ‘he arises with me’ through
Elijah, and ‘he speaks to me’ through the king, the Messiah. And what does he
say to me? ‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one (= the community of Israel) and
come here; for behold, the winter הַסְּתָין (qere) is past’ (Song
2:10f.). This refers to the blasphemous (Roman) empire (which at the time of R.
Azariah had become Christian), which misleads מסיתה
(haggadic interpretation of הסתין)
people; as it says, ‘If your brother, your mother’s son, misleads you יסיתך’ (Deut 13:7). ‘The rain is over, is gone’
(Song 2:11); this refers to servitude (which is now over). ‘The flowers
appeared on the earth’ (Song 2:12).” R. Eleazar (ca. 270) said, “These are the
‘four blacksmiths’ (Zech 2:3): Elijah, the king the Messiah, Melchizedek (the
high priest at the messianic time) and the one anointed for war (= Messiah b.
Joseph; on this interpretation of Zech 2:3 see Num. Rab. 14 [172B] at § Matt
1:21 C, n. a, toward end). ‘The time
of singing הזמור has arrived’ (Song 2:12); the time of the
foreskin (of the gentiles) has arrived so it may be cut off שתזמר (interpretation of הזמור); the time of the godless has arrived so that they may be
shattered (‘Yahweh has shattered the staff of the godless, the rod of rulers’
[Isa 14:5]); the time of the blasphemous (Roman) empire has arrived so that it
may be wiped off the face of the earth; the time of the kingdom of God מלכות שמים has arrived so that it may be revealed שתגלה, for it says, ‘Yahweh will be king over
the whole earth’ (Zech 14:9).” — This is the content of what God has to say to
Israel in his “arising” through Elijah. The following (see n. c) then brings the news of the Messiah.
Parallels can be found in Midr. Song. 2:13 (100B); Pesiq. Rab. 15 (74B). ‖
Pesiqta Rabbati 35 (161A): “Rejoice and be glad, daughter Zion!” (Zech 2:13).
When will this word be fulfilled? At the time when God redeems Israel. Three
days before the Messiah comes, Elijah will come and stand on the mountains of
Israel and weep and mourn over her and say, “Behold, land of Israel, how long
will you stand in barrenness, drought, and desolation? And his voice will be
heard from one end of the world to the other.” Then he will say to them, “Peace
has come into the world,” for it says, “Behold, on the mountains the feet of
one who brings good news מבשר רגלי,
who proclaims peace” (Nah 2:1). When the godless hear this, they will all be
glad and say to one another: Peace has come for us! On the second day he will
come and stand on the mountains of Israel and say, “Good has come into the
world”; for it says, “The one who proclaims good מבשר טוב” (Isa 52:7). On the third day he will come and say, “Salvation ישועה (σωτηρία) has come into the world”; for it says, “The one who proclaims
salvation” (Isa 52:7). Then when he sees the godless, they will say just as he
will say, “Your God has become king for Zion” (so the midr. interprets the end
of Isa 52:7); this teaches you that salvation will come for Zion and its
children but not for the godless. In that hour God will make his glory and his
kingdom מלכותו appear to all who come into the world, and
he will redeem Israel and reveal himself at her head ונגלה; for it says, “He who opens the breach will pull out before
them; they will open the breach and come in at the gate and go out through it,
and he their king will go before them and Yahweh will be at their head” (Mic
2:13). ‖ Leqach Tob Numbers 24:17 (ed. Buber 2:130A): A seventh voice from
heaven will loudly proclaim: “Comfort, comfort my people” (Isa 40:1), and
Elijah will bring the good news מבשר
to Israel: “Your God has become king!” (Isa 52:7). — See the whole passage at §
Luke 24:26, II, #3, n. b and § Matt
3:3. ‖ At the beginning of b. ʿErub. 43B, Rashi summarizes the task that Elijah
has to complete as forerunner of the Messiah: “Before the arrival of the Son of
David (the Messiah) Elijah will come to bring good news לבשר.”
c. In the concluding chapter of Der. Er.
Zut. we read: R. Yose the Galilean (ca. 110) said, “The peace is great, for
when the king, the Messiah, is revealed to Israel נגלה,
he will begin only with peace; for it says, ‘How lovely on the mountains are
the feet of the one who brings good news רגלי מבשר, who proclaims peace’ (Isa 52:7).” ‖ Pesiqta 51A.20: (extension
of the citation in n. b:) “ ‘The
voice of the turtledove is heard in our land’ (Song 2:12); thereby is meant the
king, the Messiah; for it says, ‘How lovely on the mountains are the feet of
the one who brings good news …’ (Isa 52:7).” — See the parallel passages in n. b. ‖ Pesiqta Rabbati 36 (162A): Our
teachers have taught: In the hour when the king, the Messiah, is revealed נגלה, he will come and stand on the roof of the
temple. And he will proclaim to them, the Israelites, and say to them, “You who
are bowed down, the time of your redemption גאולתכם
has arrived! And if you do not believe it, look at my light which shines over
you; for it says, ‘Stand up, let there be light; for your light comes and the
glory of Yahweh shines over you’ (Isa 60:1). It shines over you alone, but not
over the gentiles of the world; for it says, ‘For behold, gloom covers the
earth and darkness the nations, but Yahweh will shine over you and his glory
will appear over you’ (Isa 60:2). In that hour, God will cause the light of the
king, the Messiah, to blaze. And all the gentiles of the world will be in gloom
and darkness; and they will all go to the light of the Messiah and Israel; for
it says, ‘And gentiles (goyim) will
go to your light, kings to the rising of your shining’ (Isa 60:3). And they
will come and lick the dust off the feet of the king, the Messiah; for it says,
‘And they will lick the dust of your feet’ (Isa 49:23). And they will all come
and fall on their face before the Messiah and before Israel and say to them,
‘We wish to be servants to you and Israel.’ And every single person in Israel
will have 2800 servants; for it says, ‘On that day it will happen (so the
midr.) that ten men from all (70) tongues of the gentiles (= 700) will fasten
onto the tips (of which there are four) of a Judean’s tunic’ (so four times 700
= 2800; see b. Šabb. 32B) and say, ‘We wish to go with you, for we have heard
that God is with you.’ ” ‖ Targum Lamentations 2:22: “Shout freedom חֵירוּתָא to your people, to the house of Israel,
through the Messiah, as you did on the day of Passover through Moses and Aaron;
for the young men will be gathered together all around from every place to
where they were dispersed on that day because your anger, Yahweh, became
powerful. And there was no one among them who escaped or remained. Those whom I
had draped in cloths and those I had raised with the delicacies of kings, they
have annihilated their enemies.” ‖ Sefer Zerubbabel (Jellinek, Beth ha-Midrash 2.56.24): Michael said
to me (Zerubbabel), “Approach me and incline your heart to what I will say to
you, for the word in the name of the living God is truth.” And he said to me,
“Menaḥem b. Ammiel (a name for the Messiah) will suddenly come in the month of
Nisan and stand in the Valley of Arbel, and all the learned of Israel will go
out to him. And Ben Ammiel will say to them, “I am the Messiah Yahweh has sent
to bring you good news לבשרכם
and to redeem you from the hand of your oppressors.” And the learned will look
at him and scorn him.… ‖ Pirqe Mashiaḥ (Jellinek, Beth ha-Midrash 3.73.17): In that hour (after the annihilation of
the gentiles of the world by God), God will clothe the Messiah with a crown and
put the helmet of salvation כובע ישועה
(cf. Isa 59:17) on his head and lay splendor and glory upon him and adorn him
with garments of honor and set him on a high mountain to bring good news to
Israel לבשר
לישראל. And he will proclaim with
his voice, “Salvation has drawn near קרבה ישוע!” Then the Israelites will say, “Who are you?” And he will
answer, “I am Ephraim!” And the Israelites will say, “Are you the one God has
named ‘Ephraim, he is my firstborn, Ephraim is my favorite son’ (Jer 31:9,
19)?” And he will answer them, “Yes!” Then the Israelites will say to him, “Go
and bring good news ובשר
to those who sleep in the double cavern so that they may resurrect first.” In
that hour, he will go up and bring good news ומבשר
to those who sleep in the double cavern and will say to them, “Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, arise, enough with your sleep!” And they will answer him and say,
“Who is it who has taken the (grave) dust from us?” And he will say to them, “I
am Yahweh’s Messiah, salvation has drawn near, the hour has drawn near!” And
they will answer him, “If this in fact is the case, go and bring good news
(read ובשר) to the first man first so that he may
resurrect first.” In that hour, it will be said to the first man, “Enough with
your sleep!” And he will say, “Who is it who banishes sleep from my eyes?” And
he will say, “I am Yahweh’s Messiah from your offspring.” Immediately the first
man will resurrect and his whole generation and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and
all righteous ones and patriarchs and all generations from one end of the world
to the other and they will make heard the voice of rejoicing and of song; for
it says, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good
news” (Isa 52:7).… The king, the Messiah, is beautiful as the deliverer of good
news to Israel, and the mountains will skip before him like calves, and the
trees of the field will clap their hands concerning the salvation of Israel;
for it says, “You will go out with joy and be led in peace …” (Isa 55:12). —
The messenger of joy (Nah 2:4) remains unspecified in Midr. Sam. 19 § 5; see
this passage at § Luke 2:25 C, #2, n. b.
(Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New
Testament from the Talmud and Midrash, ed. Jacob N. Cerone, 4 vols. [trans.
Andrew Bowden and Joseph Longarino; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2021], 3:9-13)
Further
Reading:
Responding
to William Whalen on Alleged Anachronisms in the Book of Mormon