Vision for Mission: Nurturing an Apostolic Heart

Ses s i on 2: The Power and Verac i t y of the Gospe l 19

c. No apparent distinction between the term kerygma (preaching) and evangelion

B. Origin and background

1. The religious connotation of the cult of the Roman emperor (cf. H-S, I, 71-73 Theological Dictionary of the New Testament ), i.e., the enthronement inscription from Priene in Asia Minor, dated 9 B.C., in which the birthday of the emperor Augustus was hailed as “the beginning of the joyful news [ evangelia ] for the world.”

2. Old Testament background: the coming of Messiah

a. Isaiah 40.9

b. Isaiah 52.7-10

c. Isaiah 60.6

d. Isaiah 61.1-4

3. Distribution of the terms: Pauline dominance

a. Verb usage (21 occurrences) and noun usage (60 times, including four in Ephesians and four in the pastoral epistles)

b. Johannine literature: “witness” and “truth” with corresponding verbs