<P> A gospel is a written account of the career and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth . The word originated as a contraction from old English "god spel" meaning "good news", "glad tidings (of the kingdom of God)" and is comparable to the Greek εὐαγγέλιον, evangelion) The word originally meant the Christian message itself, but in the 2nd century it came to be used for the books in which the message was set out . </P> <P> The four gospels of the New Testament--Matthew, Mark, Luke and John--are almost our only source of information on Jesus, and thus occupy a uniquely important place in Christianity . For various reasons modern scholars are cautious of relying on them uncritically, but nevertheless they do provide a good idea of the public career of Jesus, and critical study can attempt to distinguish the original ideas of Jesus from those of the later authors . </P>

Greek word for good news in the bible