evangelist
(ɪˈvændʒɪlɪst)
Forms: 2–4 ewan(i)geliste, 3–8 evangelist(e, -yste, (4 euuan-, evaungelist, -istte), 4– evangelist. Also 4 aphet. (after þe) wangelist(e, -yst.
[a. Fr. évangéliste, = Pr., Sp. and It. evangelista, ad. L. ēvangelista, ad. Gr. εὐαγγελιστής, agent-n. f. εὐαγγελίζεσθαι: see evangelize.]
1. One of the writers of the Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 81 Seint Iohan þe ewangeliste in apocalipsi. c 1225 Juliana 31 Þe worldes wealdent þat wiste sein iuhan his ewanigeliste unhurt. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 67 And sende Sent Mark þe euangelist in to Egypt. a 1300 Cursor M. 13977 (Gött.) Als tellis luca þe wangeliste. a 1330 Roland & V. 153 Jones broþer, þe wangelist. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 243 Cryst clepid hym-self so þe ewangelistes bereth witnesse. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ii. (1520) 14/2 This Asarias and his sone Joas and his nevewe Amasia Mathew the evangelist putteth not in the lyne of Cryst for theyr offences. 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. i. viii. (1634) 27 The three Evangelists write the Historie in base and simple speech. 1697 Locke 2nd Vind. Reas. Chr. He is of opinion..if we had nothing but the four Evangelists, we could not be sav'd. 1747 J. Scott Chr. Life III. 115 The same may be said of the three other Evangelists. 1833 Cruse Eusebius vi. xxxi. 250 In this he most clearly establishes the consistency of two evangelists. 1845 Corrie in Encycl. Metrop. 879/1 The Evangelist relates the circumstances attendant on the baptism of Christ. |
| transf. 1587 Golding De Mornay xxxiii. 534 He [Apollonius of Thyanie] fetched a yoong wench to life again, but yet his counterfeit Euangelist Philostratus durst not auowe that she was starke dead. |
† 2. The book of the Gospels; a copy of the Gospels.
Obs. [A
med.L. use of
evangelista;
cf. apostolus for a lectionary from the epistles.]
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxii. 260 We swere on the holy euangelist, by vs corporally touched. 1618 Barnevelt's Apol. F iij b, Let the Aduocate remember what Christ thunders out in the Euangelist. 1713 Steele in Guardian No. 21 ¶8 To see a well dressed young man produce an evangelist out of his pocket. |
3. a. gen. One who preaches the gospel.
| 1535 Coverdale Ps. lxvii. 11 The Lorde shal geue the worde, with greate hoostes of Euangelistes. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John 69 b, They [the Pharisees] were as blynde in soule as the beggar, beyng now an euangelyste, was before in body. 1559 in Strype Ann. Ref. I. App. vi. 11 A woman..is not called to be an evangelist. |
| transf. 1790 Burke Fr. Rev. 16 The new evangelists will, I dare say, disappoint the hopes that are conceived of them. 1840 Carlyle Heroes (1858) 325 The French Revolution found its Evangelist in Rousseau. 1883 Harper's Mag. Sept. 559/1 Mr. Norman Shaw has been the chief evangelist of this strange revival. |
b. One who evangelizes or brings the gospel to (a heathen nation, etc.);
= apostle 3 b.
| Mod. St. Boniface the evangelist of Germany. |
c. In the primitive Church, the designation given to a certain class of teachers, mentioned in
Eph. iv. 11 after ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’, and presumably having the function of preaching the gospel to the unconverted. The title has at various periods been revived, usually denoting an itinerant preacher having no fixed pastoral charge. At present, in the usage of various Protestant denominations, it means chiefly a layman commissioned to perform home missionary work.
| 1382 Wyclif Acts xxi. 8 Philip euangelist. Ibid., Eph. iv. 11 He ȝaf ȝiftis to men..And he ȝaf summe sotheli apostlis, summe forsoth prophetis, othere forsothe Euangelistis. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 21 Many offices and dignytees of the chirche..as apostles, prophetes, euangelistes, doctours. 1588 J. Udall Demonstr. Discipl. (Arb.) 23 Timothie and Titus..were Euangelists, a degree aboue ordinarie ministers. 1611 Bible 2 Tim. iv. 5 Endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist. 1681 Burnet Hist. Ref. II. 368 It was designed, that there should be in every diocese some who should go round a precinct, and preach like evangelists. 1732 Neal Hist. Purit. I. 165 He [John Knox] was a sort of Evangelist over the whole kingdom. 1839 J. Yeowell Anc. Brit. Ch. iv. (1847) 39 Evangelists, who appear to have acted as pioneers and forerunners of a stationary ministry. 1852 Conybeare & H. St. Paul (1862) I. xiii. 409 The term Evangelist is applied to those missionaries who..travelled from place to place. 1881 Bible (Revised) Eph. iv. 11. |
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Add:
[3.] d. transf. A zealous advocate of a cause or promulgator of a doctrine.
| 1978 P. Howard Weasel Words xxi. 90 It makes sense to say that the French Revolution found its evangelist in Rousseau; that Mary Whitehouse is the evangelist of cleaning up television. 1988 Daily Tel. 20 Apr. 10/3 Cleese appears an unlikely evangelist for the shop assistants, double-glazing salesmen and managing directors of this world. |