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Definition of gospel noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

gospel

noun
 
/ˈɡɒspl/
 
/ˈɡɑːspl/
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  1. [countable]
    (also Gospel)
    one of the four books in the Bible about the life and teaching of Jesus
    • the Gospel according to St John
    • St Mark’s Gospel
    Topics Religion and festivalsc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • Christian
    • apocryphal
    • canonical
    verb + gospel
    • bring
    • preach
    • proclaim
    gospel + noun
    • message
    • story
    See full entry
  2. [singular]
    (also the Gospel)
    the life and teaching of Jesus as explained in the Bible
    • preaching/spreading the gospel
    • Thousands came to hear the gospel.
    Collocations ReligionReligionBeing religious
    • believe in God/​Christ/​Allah/​free will/​predestination/​heaven and hell/​an afterlife/​reincarnation
    • be/​become a believer/​an atheist/​an agnostic/​a Christian/​Muslim/​Hindu/​Buddhist, etc.
    • convert to/​practise a religion/​Buddhism/​Catholicism/​Christianity/​Islam/​Judaism, etc.
    • go to church/(North American English) temple (= the synagogue)
    • go to the local church/​mosque/​synagogue/​gurdwara
    • belong to a church/​a religious community
    • join/​enter the church/​a convent/​a monastery/​a religious sect/​the clergy/​the priesthood
    • praise/​worship/​obey/​serve/​glorify God
    Celebrations and ritual
    • attend/​hold/​conduct/​lead a service
    • perform a ceremony/​a rite/​a ritual/​a baptism/​the Hajj/​a mitzvah
    • carry out/​perform a sacred/​burial/​funeral/​fertility/​purification rite
    • go on/​make a pilgrimage
    • celebrate Christmas/​Easter/​Eid/​Ramadan/​Hanukkah/​Passover/​Diwali
    • observe/​break the Sabbath/​a fast/​Ramadan
    • deliver/​preach/​hear a sermon
    • lead/​address the congregation
    • say/​recite a prayer/​blessing
    Religious texts and ideas
    • preach/​proclaim/​spread the word of God/​the Gospel/​the message of Islam
    • study/​follow the dharma/​the teachings of Buddha
    • read/​study/​understand/​interpret scripture/​the Bible/​the Koran/​the gospel/​the Torah
    • be based on/​derive from divine revelation
    • commit/​consider something heresy/​sacrilege
    Religious belief and experience
    • seek/​find/​gain enlightenment/​wisdom
    • strengthen/​lose your faith
    • keep/​practise/​practice/​abandon the faith
    • save/​purify/​lose your soul
    • obey/​follow/​keep/​break/​violate a commandment/​Islamic law/​Jewish law
    • be/​accept/​do God’s will
    • receive/​experience divine grace
    • achieve/​attain enlightenment/​salvation/​nirvana
    • undergo a conversion/​rebirth/​reincarnation
    • hear/​answer a prayer
    • commit/​confess/​forgive a sin
    • do/​perform penance
    Topics Religion and festivalsc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • Christian
    • apocryphal
    • canonical
    verb + gospel
    • bring
    • preach
    • proclaim
    gospel + noun
    • message
    • story
    See full entry
  3. [countable, usually singular] a set of ideas that somebody believes in and tries to persuade others to accept
    • He preached a gospel of military strength.
    • the football gospel according to Kevin
  4. (also gospel truth)
    [uncountable] (informal) the complete truth
    • Is that gospel?
    • Don't take his word as gospel.
  5. (also gospel music)
    [uncountable] a style of religious singing developed by African Americans
    • a gospel choir
    CultureGospel music is Christian religious music that is sung in a blues style, especially by African Americans. Mahalia Jackson was a famous gospel singer, and Aretha Franklin was strongly influenced by gospel music.
    Topics Musicc1
  6. Word OriginOld English gōdspel, from gōd ‘good’ + spel ‘news, a story’, translating ecclesiastical Latin bona annuntiatio or bonus nuntius, used in place of ecclesiastical Latin evangelium, from Greek euangelion ‘good news’; after the vowel was shortened in Old English, the first syllable was mistaken for god ‘God’.
See gospel in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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