Evangelie

Evangelie is the term for the Gospel, the message of good news concerning Jesus Christ, and, in Christian usage, the four canonical written accounts of his life, teachings, death, and resurrection. The word derives from the Greek euangelion "good news," via Latin evangelium and Old French évangile, and entered Dutch as evangelie.

The four canonical gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are traditionally attributed to early Christian communities or evangelists. Most scholars date their composition to the first century CE, roughly between 60 and 100 CE, with Mark generally seen as the earliest gospel and John as the latest. The gospels present overlapping material and distinct emphases: Mark foregrounds Jesus' actions and suffering; Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and teacher; Luke stresses mercy, compassion, and the universality of salvation; John offers a more developed theological portrait of Jesus as the incarnate Son of God.

In addition to the canonical four, other early Christian writings circulated under the label “gospel” — the so-called apocryphal or non-canonical gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and others. These texts were not accepted into most biblical canons and are studied mainly for historical and theological interest. They vary in genre, antiquity, and origin and are treated differently across Christian traditions.

Today, evangelie often denotes the Christian message itself—the proclamation of salvation through Jesus—rather than only the textual gospels. In Christian worship, “the Gospel” can refer to the reading from the gospel book during a service or to the good news proclaimed by the church. The term “evangelist” designates one who proclaims the gospel, and in tradition the authors of the four canonical gospels are remembered as evangelists.