evangelizo

Forms

ēvangelizō (present infinitive ēvangelizāre, perfect active ēvangelizāvī, supine ēvangelizātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek εὐαγγελίζω (euangelízō),^[1][2][3] a rare active form beside the usual deponent εὐαγγελίζομαι (euangelízomai, “to bring good news; to preach the Gospel”).^[1] The Greek verb comes from εὐ- (eu-, “good”) and ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian is the first to use it, in his work against Marcion.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It belongs to Christian Latin.^[5][3] Its first sense was to bring good news or announce something welcome: in the Old Latin Bible and the Vulgate the angel announces good tidings, ēvangelizō vōbīs gaudium magnum, “I bring you news of great joy”.^[2][5] Augustine explains it as “announce well”, the meaning of the Greek,^[2] and Gregory the Great as “announce”.^[2] From this it came to mean to preach the Gospel, used with the people or the message as object or absolutely, and in the passive of those to whom the Gospel is preached (pauperēs ēvangelizantur).^[2][3][6]

The verb was also used as a deponent, ēvangelizor.^[2][7] Medieval writers kept both senses and added that of converting people.^[7] English took it over as evangelize in the late 14th century, from Old French and directly from Church Latin.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it in his work against Marcion.^[2][4]
• after 220 AD – The Old Latin Bible uses it of the angel bringing good news.^[2][4]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine explains it as “announce well”.^[2][4]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it for announcing good tidings and preaching the Gospel.^[5][2][4]
• 540–604 AD – Gregory the Great glosses it as “announce”.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English borrows it as evangelize.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. (Late Latin) To bring good news, announce something welcome.^[2][5]
2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To preach the Gospel, evangelize; in the passive, to have the Gospel preached to one.^[2][3][6]
3. (Medieval Latin) To convert.^[7]

Related words

• evangelium
• English evangelize

Usage notes

Spellings with ⟨euu-⟩ are frequent in the manuscripts.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com