Philippians 2:5-11 contains what scholars call the "kenotic hymn," where Paul writes that Christ Jesus "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant"

When Jesus began his ministry proclaiming "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17), the Greek word he used was metanoia—literally "a change of mind"

Before Christianity, agape was an obscure Greek word for love, rarely used and unremarkable compared to the passionate eros or the affectionate philia. New Testament writers deliberately elevated this term, filling it with revolutionary content.

When John opened his gospel with "In the beginning was the Logos" (John 1:1), he chose a word that had carried philosophical weight for five centuries.