Difference between revisions of "Evangelist"

<p> An order of ministers, "given" among other church officers by Christ, as one of the fruits of His ascension, to His church on and after Pentecost. Not only the office, but the men, were a divine gift: "He gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets (inspired forth-tellers, not fore-tellers), and some to be evangelists," i.e. itinerant missionary preachers, whereas "pastors and teachers" were stationary (Ephesians 4). The evangelist founded the church; the teacher built it up in the faith. The ministry of gifts preceded the ministry of orders. The irregular "evangelist" prepared the way for the regular "pastor." [[Apostles]] (&nbsp;Acts 8:25; &nbsp;Acts 14:7; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:17) or vicars apostolic, as Timothy (&nbsp;2 Timothy 4:2-5), might "[[Preach]] ("herald", '''''Keerussein''''' ) the word," and so "do the work of an evangelist." Philip had been set apart as one of the seven (Acts 7; 8; 21) by the laying on of the apostles' hands. </p> <p> Christ gave him to the church, additionally, in the capacity of an "evangelist" now in one city, now in another. So others scattered by persecution (&nbsp;Acts 8:4) "went everywhere ''Evangelistically Preaching'' ( '''''Euangelizomenoi''''' ) the word." The "pastors" taught and exhorted; the "evangelists" preached the glad news which prepared the way for the pastorate. It was therefore a work rather than an order. The evangelist was not necessarily an apostle, bishop-elder, or deacon, but might be any of these. </p> <p> Evangelist, in the sense "inspired writer of one of the four Gospels," was a later usage. Eusebius (H. E., 3:37) in the third century says: "men do the work of evangelists, leaving their homes to preach Christ, and deliver the written Gospels to those who were ignorant of the faith." The transition step appears in &nbsp;2 Corinthians 8:18-19, "the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches," probably Luke, well known throughout the churches as Paul's companion in evangelistic work, and at that time with Paul (&nbsp;Acts 20:6). Of all Paul's "companions in travel" (&nbsp;Acts 19:29), Luke was the most prominent, having been his companion in preaching at his first entrance into Europe (&nbsp;Acts 16:10). Paul probably helped Luke in writing his Gospel, as Peter helped Mark. This accounts for the remarkable similarity between Paul's account of the institution of the Lord's supper (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 11:23) and Luke's account, an undesigned coincidence and mark of genuineness. So in &nbsp;1 Timothy 5:18 </p> <p> Paul says, "the Scripture saith, The laborer is worthy of his reward," quoted from &nbsp;Luke 10:7; but &nbsp;Matthew 10:10 has "his meat;" whereby he recognizes the Gospel according to Luke as inspired "Scripture," and naturally quotes that one of the Gospels which was written by his own evangelistic helper. Luke's Gospel had then been about eight or nine years in circulation. Our home and foreign missionaries correspond to the primary "evangelists"; they traveled about freely where their services were needed, either to propagate the gospel or to inspect and strengthen congregations already formed. Timothy was such a missionary bishop or vicar apostolic at Ephesus (&nbsp;1 Timothy 1:3; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:5). </p>

<div> '''1: '''''Εὐαγγελιστής''''' ''' (Strong'S #2099 — Noun Masculine — euangelistes — yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace' ) </div> <p> lit., "a messenger of good" (eu, "well," angelos, "a messenger"), denotes a "preacher of the Gospel," &nbsp;Acts 21:8; &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11 , which makes clear the distinctiveness of the function in the churches; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:5 . Cp. euangelizo, "to proclaim glad tidings," and euangelion, "good news, gospel." Missionaries are "evangelists," as being essentially preachers of the Gospel. </p>

<p> ( '''''Εὐαγγελιστής''''' ), the name of an order or body of men included in the constitution of the [[Apostolical]] Church (q.v.). The term is applied in the New Testament to a certain class of Christian teachers who were not fixed to any particular spot, but traveled either independently, or under the direction of one or other of the apostles, for the purpose of propagating the Gospel. The absence of any detailed account of the organization and practical working of the Church of the first century leaves us in some uncertainty as to their functions and position. The meaning of the name, "The publishers of glad tidings," seems common to the work of the Christian ministry generally, yet in &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11 the "evangelists" appear, on the one hand, after the "apostles" and "prophets;" on the other, before the "pastors" and "teachers" (thus: '''''Αὐτὸς''''' '''''Ἔδωκε''''' '''''Τοὺς''''' '''''Μὲν''''' '''''Αποστόλους''''' , '''''Τοὺς''''' '''''Δὲ''''' '''''Προφήτας''''' , '''''Τοὺς''''' '''''Δὲ''''' '''''Εὐαγγελιστάς''''' , '''''Τοὺς''''' '''''Δὲ''''' '''''Ποιμένας''''' '''''Καὶ''''' '''''Διδασκάλους''''' ). Assuming that the apostles here, whether limited to the twelve or not, are those who were looked upon as the special delegates and representatives of Christ, and therefore higher than all others in their authority, and that the prophets were men speaking under the immediate impulse of the Spirit words that were mighty in their effects on men's hearts and consciences, it would follow that the evangelists had a function subordinate to theirs, yet more conspicuous; and so far higher than that, of the pastors who watched over a church that had been founded, and of the teachers who carried on the work of systematic instruction. This passage, accordingly, would lead us to think of them as standing between the two other groups sent forth as missionary preachers of the Gospel by the first, and as such preparing the way for the labors of the second. </p> <p> The same inference would seem to follow the occurrence of the word as applied to Philip in &nbsp;Acts 21:18. He had been one of those who had gone everywhere "preaching" ( '''''Εὐαγγελιζόμενοι''''' ) the word (&nbsp;Acts 8:4), now in one city, now in another (&nbsp;Acts 8:40); but he has not the power or authority of an apostle, does not speak as a prophet himself, though the gift of prophecy belongs to his four daughters (&nbsp;Acts 21:9), and he exercises apparently no pastoral superintendence over any portion of the flock. The omission of evangelists in the list of 1 Corinthians 12 may be explained on the hypothesis that the nature of Paul's argument led him there to speak of the settled organization of a given local Church, which of course presupposed the work of the missionary preacher as already accomplished, while the train of thought in &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11 brought before his mind all who were in any way instrumental in building up the Church universal. It follows, from what has been said, that the calling of the evangelist is expressed by the word '''''Κηρύσσειν''''' , "preach," rather than '''''Διδάσκειν''''' , "teach," or '''''Παρακαλεῖν''''' , "exhort;" it is the proclamation of the glad tidings to those who have not known them, rather than the instruction and pastoral care of those who have believed and been baptized. This is also what we gather from &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:2; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:5. [[Timotheus]] is "to preach the word;" in doing this he is to fulfill " the work of an evangelist." It follows, also, that the name denotes a work rather than an ''Order.'' The evangelist might or might not be a bishop-elder or a deacon. </p> <p> The apostles, so far as they evangelized (&nbsp;Acts 8:25; &nbsp;Acts 14:7; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:17), might claim the title, though there were many evangelists who were not apostles. The brother "whose praise was in the Gospel", (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 8:18) may be looked upon as one of Paul's companions in this work, and probably known by the same name, in short, the itinerant and temporary character of their calling chiefly serves to distinguish them from the other classes of Christian laborers. In this, as in other points connected with the organization of the. Church in the apostolic age, but little information is to be gained from later writers. The name was no longer explained by the presence of those to whom it had been specially applied, and it came to be variously interpreted. [[Theodoret]] (on &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11) describes the evangelists (as they have been described above) as traveling missionaries. Chrysostom, as men who preached the Gospel; but without going everywhere ( '''''Μὴ''''' '''''Περιϊ''''' v '''''Οντες''''' '''''Πανταχοῦ''''' ); by which he probably denotes a restricted sphere to their labors, in contrast with the world-wide commission of the apostles. The account given by Eusebius ''(Hist. Ecclesiastes'' 3:37), though somewhat rhetorical and vague, gives prominence to the idea of itinerant missionary preaching. Referring to the state of the Church in the time of Trajan, he says, "Many of the disciples of that time, whose souls the divine word had inspired with an ardent love of philosophy, first fulfilled our Savior's precept by distributing their substance among the poor. Then traveling abroad, they performed the work of evangelists ( '''''Ἔργον''''' '''''Ἐπετέλουν''''' '''''Εὐαγγελιστῶν''''' ), being ambitious to preach Christ, and deliver the Scripture of the divine Gospels. Having laid the foundations of the faith in foreign nations, they appointed other pastors ( '''''Ποιμἑνας''''' '''''Το''''' '''''Καθιστάντες''''' '''''Ἑτέρους''''' ), to whom they entrusted the cultivation of the parts they had recently occupied, while they proceeded to other countries and nations." One clause of this description indicates a change in the work, which before long affected the meaning of the name. </p> <p> If the Gospel was a written book, and the office of the evangelists was to read .or distribute it, then the writers of such books were '''''Κατ᾿''''' '''''Ἐξοχήν''''' The evangelists. It is thus, accordingly, that Eusebius ''(Hist. Ecclesiastes'' 3:39) speaks of them, though the old meaning of the word (as in ''Hist.'' &nbsp;Ecclesiastes 5:10, where he applies it to Pantaenus) is not forgotten by him. Soon this meaning so overshadowed the old that OEcumenius (Estius on &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11) has no other notion of the evangelists than as those who have written a Gospel (compare Harless on &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11). Augustine, though commonly using the word in this sense, at times remembers its earlier signification ''(Sermoni'' 99 and 246). Ambrosianus (Estius, ''1.C.)'' identifies them with deacons. In later liturgical language the work was applied to the reader of the Gospel for the day (comp. Hooker, ''Ecclesiastical Polity,'' book 78:7, 9). In modern phraseology the term is almost exclusively applied to the writers of the canonical Gospels (q.v.). See Campbell's Lectures on [[Ecclesiastical]] History, 1:148150; Neander's History of the [[Planting]] of the Christian Church, 1:173; Middelboc, De evangelistis ecclesice apostolica (Hafn. 1779); Schaff, Apostolical Church, '''''§''''' 131. </p>

<p> ''''' ē̇ ''''' - ''''' van´jel ''''' - ''''' ist ''''' : This is a form of the word ordinarily translated "gospel" (εὐαγγέλιον , <i> ''''' euaggélion ''''' </i> ), except that here it designates one who <i> announces </i> that gospel to others ( εὐαγγελιστής , <i> ''''' euaggelistḗs ''''' </i> , "a bringer of good tidings"), literally, God Himself is an evangelist, for He "preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham" (&nbsp;Galatians 3:8 ); Jesus Christ was an evangelist, for He also "preached the gospel" (&nbsp;Luke 20:1 ); Paul was an evangelist as well as an apostle (&nbsp;Romans 1:15 ); Philip the deacon was an evangelist (&nbsp;Acts 21:8 ); and Timothy, the pastor (&nbsp;2 Timothy 4:5 ); and indeed all the early disciples who, on being driven out of Jerusalem, "went everywhere preaching the word" (&nbsp;Acts 8:4 the King James Version). </p> <p> But &nbsp;Ephesians 4:11 teaches that one particular order of the ministry, distinguished from every other, is singled out by the Head of the church for this work in a distinctive sense. All may possess the gift of an evangelist in a measure, and be obligated to exercise its privilege and duty, but some are specially endued with it. "He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." </p> <p> It will be seen that as an order in the ministry, the evangelist precedes that of the pastor and teacher, a fact which harmonizes with the character of the work each is still recognized as doing. The evangelist has no fixed place of residence, but moves about in different localities, preaching the gospel to those ignorant of it before. As these are converted and united to Jesus Christ by faith, the work of the pastor and teacher begins, to instruct them further in the things of Christ and build them up in the faith. </p> <p> At a later time, the name of "evangelist" was given the writers of the four Gospels because they tell the story of the gospel and because the effect of their promulgation at the beginning was very much like the work of the preaching evangelist. In character, the Gospels bear something of the same relation to the Epistles as evangelists bear to pastors and teachers. </p>