Gal 1:11 - 'Gospel' is a verb and a noun

In our English Bibles we find the word 'gospel' or sometimes 'good news', but in the original Greek there is a verb (euaggelizó) as well as the noun (euaggelion). How does the verb get translated? It is normally translated that someone 'proclaimed the good news' or something similar. Really, it ought to say 'gospelled', but that's not a common word. Sometimes the verb and the noun occur in the same place at the same time. This combination occurs five times: 1 Cor 9:18, 15:1; 2 Cor 11:7; Gal 1:11; Rev 14:6.

Today we'll look at Gal 1:11-12 (NRSV)

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12 for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

"The gospel I preached" is literally "the gospel I gospelled." Now this text might not seem like much, but it makes some pretty bold claims that could be misconstrued as contradictory to other statements of Paul regarding the gospel. He states three negatives and adds a positive:

Not of human origin
Not received from anyone
Not taught it

Received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ

Now according to 1 Cor 15:1, Paul received the gospel and passed it on (Which we'll cover another time). The reason for the difference is that Paul is asserting the validity of his apostleship and the validity of the gospel they heard from him as being legitimate. He writes at length shortly thereafter about his conversion and how God revealed his son (Jesus) to him. Then he continues on about how he didn't confer with Peter and company till later and that they affirmed him and added nothing to his gospel.

What Paul is driving home about the gospel is that he personally saw Jesus the Messiah risen from the dead. The gospel hinges on the historic fact of the resurrection and Paul's conversion was a result of an encounter of the risen Lord. He knows the gospel isn't of human origin (made up stories), or receive it from anyone (go find out about it), or have someone explain it all to him because he understood the implications (learned) of his personal encounter (received directly) of Jesus on the Damascus road (real history).

These are all important facts about the gospel, but it is also important that Paul stresses agreement as to what the gospel is. He emphasizes his validity as apostle to preach the gospel and the agreement about what the gospel is because these are the problems he faces in correcting the Galatian church. They need to know that Paul is legit and that the people throwing them into confusion are false teachers. Paul leverages his encounter with Jesus and the solidarity of the gospel message to speak clarity into the situation, which I posted about the last couple of days.

I suppose I should point out how Paul is revealing that the gospel is a revelation of Jesus who has been raised from the dead and is the Messiah (Christ). These are also constant themes, but not the emphasis in this passage.

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