gospel

Etymology 1

From Middle English gospel, gospell, godspel, godspell, goddspell, from Old English godspell (“gospel”), corresponding to God + spell (“talk, tale, story”), literally “the message of God”, believed to be an alteration of earlier *gōdspell (literally “good news”), used to translate ecclesiastical Latin bona annūntiātiō, itself a translation of Ecclesiastical Latin ēvangelium / Ancient Greek εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion, “evangel”, literally “good news”) (English evangel). Compare Old Saxon gōdspel and godspell (“gospel”), Old High German and Middle High German gotspel (“gospel”), Icelandic guðspjall (“gospel”).

noun

1. The first section of the Christian New Testament scripture, comprising the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, concerned with the birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection of Jesus.
2. An account of those aspects of Jesus' life, generally written during the first several centuries of the Common Era.
3. (Protestantism) The teaching of Divine grace as distinguished from the Law or Divine commandments.
4. A message expected to have positive reception or effect, one promoted as offering important (or even infallible) guiding principles.
   Spreading the gospel of dental hygiene in Vermont 1917, Oral Hygiene, volume 7, section title
5. (uncountable) That which is absolutely authoritative (definitive).
   took her words for gospel
   If any one thinks this expression hyperbolical, I shall only ask him to read Edipus, instead of taking the traditional witticisms about Lee for gospel. 1881, George Saintsbury, Dryden
6. (uncountable) Gospel music.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gospellen, from Old English godspellian (“to preach the gospel, evangelise”), from the noun (see above).

verb

1. (transitive) To instruct in, declare, or communicate the gospel; to evangelise.
   I stood there wondering how often they had “gospeled” each other's hearts like this. 2014, Caesar Kalinowski, Small Is Big, Slow Is Fast
   Hopefully you will get to the point where gospeling one another becomes a natural part of your language, and you will not need a set of phrases anymore. 2014, Trevor Joy, Spence Shelton, The People of God: Empowering the Church to Make Disciples
   But the very act of “seeing” for anyone—both those within and beyond the fold of Christian communions—is possible only as a gospel being gospeled anew in and through the most pertinent issues of their particular contexts. 2021, Sarosh Koshy, Beyond Missio Dei, page 339