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The word Inji:l is an Arabic form of the word Evangelion.

Literal meaning of the word Evangelion:

The Greek, evangelion, means Good Message.Some translate it as Good News or Good/Glad
Tidings.

But these translations may cause some confusions. One must translate it as Gospel .

An other alternative is to keep the Greek word conserved in translation.

The word Evangelion is a combination of two words. Eu/Ev is a prefix meaning good, and
Angelion which means Message.

The gospel writers are sometimes called evangelists.

Use of this Word in Christian Nomenclature.

One may read repeatedly in the New Testamental Gospels that Iesous/Iesus
went about preaching "the gospel of the kingdom". He instructed his
followers
were to preach this gospel to the whole world.
What was this "gospel " that he preached and that he wanted
preached to the entire world? This term is used many times in
the New Testament but it is never defined in New Testament.
But one thing is certain. The term Evangelion/Gospel did exist not only
before any one of the four New Testamental Gospels was written, it existed in
the time of Iesous/Iesus , and He Himself used this term.
technical manual. It is used but neither
explained nor defined.
So it is necessary to investigate the meanings of this term before the
appearance of the New Tstamental Gospels.
1] It is the collective teachings of Iesous/Iesus.
The whole revelation preached and taught by Iesous/Iesus. ( Matthew 9:35; 24:14; etc.; Mark 1:14;
13:10; 16:15; Acts 20:24; Romans 1:1, 9, 16; 10:16; etc.).

Mark 1:14,15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
This is a proof that Gospel was used for the teachings, preachings, instructions and informations of
Iesous/Iesus during His Ministry. In short it consisted of different Massages and Instructions of Iesus/Iesous.
Mark/Mecus is the oldest Gospel in New Testament as according to Majority of New Testamental Scholars.
But the very same Mercus/Mark uses the word Gospel in itself. This is a definite and definite proof that the
word Gospel/Evangelion was in use before Mercus/Mark was Written.
We find Peter/Putrus referring to the Gospel in Acts.

Mark 1:14,15
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came
into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and
saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at

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hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Acts 15:7
And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose
up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a
good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by
my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

If Peter did refer to the Gospel then the Gospel existed during the time of Peter. If Iesous/Iesus preached the
Gospel/Evangelion and it was known to Peter it does mean it existed before all the four New Testamental Gospels.

Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias
saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

This does shew that there were some instructions to be obeyed in the Gospel

2]

Euangelion is used for the good tidings of salvation announced by Iesus/Iesous.

This does shew that this is just a part of the Gospel in the first meaning.

3] The term Gospel is used for the acts, words, events of Iesous/Iesus, including his personal
words, personal events ,his conversations whether in regard to his teachings and preachings or in
regard to other than them.

We found that many books were written and are known as Gospels whether they be in New
Testament or outside the it.

4] The word is used for the first four New Testamental Books which contain acts,deeds,events,
messages ,reaching in regard to Iesous/Iesus , and even the acts, words of others, including
words of the authors of these books which they wrote in their respective books.

So the meaning one or meaning two or both remained the only ones in use even after New
Testamental written records had been written and even accepted as authentic by the Christian
Church.

It can be said that there could be but one Gospel, that is, but one revelation of salvation by
Iesus/Iesous.

The New Testamental Books which are now known as Gospels are the different records of the
Gospel in the first ot the second meaning and are not regarded as several Gospels, In another
sentence the four New Testamental Gospels are considered as four distinct accounts of One and
the Same Gospel. Infact the Apocryphal Gospels may be considered as unauthentic records of
the One and Same Gospel.

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Use of this Word in Muslim Nomenclature.

This word is used in Qua:n and in NT in different meanings.

It is incorrect to assume that it is only used for the four New Testamental Gospels.

The word Inji:l is used in Qura:n and in Texts of Traditions of H:adi:th: in several meanings.

Primary Meaning in Islamic Nomenclature:=

The Divine Massage or Speech that was Revealed to Iesous/Iesus [I:sa:] the Messiah [Masi:h:].

In this meaning this is the Inji:l/Evengelion which was Preached and Taught by Iesous/Iesus
Himself.

Secondary Meanings

There are three secondary meanings:

First Secondary Meaning:

For any one of the four New Testamental Gospels.

Second Secondary Meaning

It is used for Apocryphal Gospels.

Third Secondary Meaning.

For Both Types of Gospels whether New Testamental or Non New Testamental.

The third and the second meanings are rare meanings and in this article the term Secondary meaning
shall be used only for the First Secondary Meaning unless and otherwise stated explicitly.

General Discussion

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As stated above the word Inji:l/Evangelion Pre-exists the four New Testamental Gospels. In fact the
Word Evangelion is referred in NT several times, not only in the four New Testamental Greek Gospels
but in the rest of New Testamental Books, which are generally wriitten before the four New
Testamental Gospels. The word Evengelion changes its form to Evengelium in Latin and is translated as
Gospel in English. An other reason for the Literal Translation as Good News is that this translation does
not motivate a person who is reading the translation to consider the original word Evangelion as a
Religious term.On the other hand if the term Evangelion is maintained or the term Gospel is used in the
Translations , one who studies NT naturally asks the following questions: Testament?
What is the meaning of the term "gospel" as used in the NT?
Did Gospel exist before the four New Testamental Gospel. Did Apostles New Gospel before the four New
Testamental Gospels were written? .
What is the definition of the term Gospel when it is used in the different Books of NT written by different Authors?
The best way to avoid these questions is to translate term as a word or words Good News. If the word Gospel is
not used then such questions are not raised. It requires a good study of NT to define the term .
Thus it is concluded that

In some old English translations of NT the Greek word Evengelion is

translated as Gospel. However now the word Gospel is changed by the
compound word Good News which is probably due to the fact that the word
Gospel Does point at the fact that Iesous/Iesus Himself preached and taught
Evengelion.

And that the word Evengelion is used in more then one meanings even before
any book of NT was written.

But if so then it clarifies to every student of NT that the word Evengelion may not be used only for the
four New Testamental Gospels but in different meanings .

Below are some more evidences that the word Evengelion is used not only in those books or booklets of
New Testament which where written before the New Testamental Gospels but even in the New
Testamental Gospels themselves before any New Testamental Book was written.

1] But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I
said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles,
and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

[Galatian,2:14] KJV

Galatian was definitely written before all the New Testamental Gospels.

2] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

[Galatian,3:8]KJV

This verse of Galatian does shew that there was a period when Gospel was not revealed.

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3] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Roman 1:16 KJV

NIV renders the same verse as follow:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to
everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

4] In Acts 20:24 we find the word Gospel as follow:

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the
gospel of the grace of God.

But unfortunately NIV tries to hide the truth that Acts 20:24 speaks about the Gospel. Instead of
translating the Greek word for Gospel it translate it as Good New

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete
the task the Lord Jesus has given methe task of testifying to the good news of Gods grace.

If NIV is justified to translate as Good News then she must have done it every where and even
the names or titles of First Four New Testamental Gospels would have been changes as follow:=

Gospel of Mathew would have been changed as Good News according to Mathew etc.

4] Mercus/Mark reports that Iesous/Iesus said:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the
gospel's, the same shall save it.

8:35

Even NIV accepts the word Gospel.The same verse in NIV is rendered as follows:

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the
gospel will save it.

5] Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem,
and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Romans ,15:19

Euaggelion [Translated as Gospel]

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6]Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build
upon another man's foundation:

Romans ,15:20

Euaggeliz [Translated as Gospel]

These are the evidences that the word Euangelion or Evangelion pre exists each and every New
Testamental Gospel whether Priority of Mercus/Mark is accepted or Primacy of Mattai/Mathew
is advocated.

The Islamic term is supported and confirmed by Christological meaning of the Term
Evangelion/Euangelion used not only by the writers of books of NT who wrote before any one of
the New Testamental Gospel was written but also used by the Writers of New Testamental
Gospel themselves.

There is just one difference between the Chistological and Islamic Meanings.

In Christoloical meaning the term is used not only for the words of Iesous/Iesus but also his
deeds, while in Islamic Nomenclature it is used for the Divine Message Revealed to Iesous/Iesus
, which He Himself Taught and Preached during His Ministry on Earth strictly. Additionally
Islamic Teachings give Evengelion/Inji:l an explicit origin that it is a Revealed Divine Message.
So the personal sayings of Iesous/Iesus may not be included in it. Muslims make a strict
difference between a revealed Message/Speech and the personal sentences spoken by the one
who preached and taught Divine Massage. But Christians in the second meaning include them .

It seems that the first meaning of Evangelion is generally accepted in the Muslim word. But even
if any one of the meaning which predates the New Testamental Gospel is taken then inspite of
any possible difference there is some common factors in both. The common factor is that the
word Evangelion/Inji:l was in use prior to the existence of four New Testamental Gospels and
Iesous/Iesus Himself used this word for his teachings,preachings and masseges.

Thus common factor is that there are some Divine Messages which were Taught and
Preached by the Messiah Iesous/Iesus Himself and He called them
Evangelion/Inji:l/Gospel.

In this meaning the Divine Massage what so ever it was Hath Priority and Primacy over the New
Testamental Gospels. Even if the works and deeds of Iesous/Iesus and his personal sentences are
included in the term under discussion , it predates the New Testamental Gospels with out any
shadow of doubt.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN CHRISTIAN AND ISLA:MIC TERMS

Qura:n generally use the term in the meaning of Revealed Divine Masseges Taught and
Preached by Holy Iesous/Iesus Himself.

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THE FALLACY

It must be noted that Qura:n doeth not use the word Gospel /Inji:l/Evangelion for the four New
Testamental Gospels in general specially when the word Inji:l/Evangelion is used in regard to
Holy Iesous/Iesus Himself.

How ever these terms may be used in secondary meaning in Isla:mic Literature when there is a
demand of Context or it is used in regard to the Christians of the time of those literature.

Islamic View Of New Testamental Gospels.

There was only One Evengelion that was revealed and the four New Testamental Books are just
the four attempts to record the one and only Evangelion which was revealed to Iesous/Iesus, One
which He Himself Preached and Taught.