Greek Concepts

The Greek word pistis means faith, trust, belief, and faithfulness—a semantic range that resists our modern separation between intellectual assent and relational commitment.

The Greek word dikaiosyne carries a double meaning that English splits into two concepts: righteousness (personal moral uprightness) and justice (social equity).

The Greek word hamartia literally means "missing the mark"—an archery term for an arrow that fails to hit its target.

The Greek word apokalypsis means "unveiling" or "disclosure"—literally, the pulling back of a veil to reveal what was hidden.

When Jesus told Peter, "I will build my church (ekklesia), and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18), he chose a politically loaded word.

Ancient Greeks distinguished between two kinds of time: chronos (sequential, measurable time) and kairos (the opportune moment, the appointed time).

The Greek word pneuma means breath, wind, or spirit—a semantic range that shaped early Christian theology profoundly.

The Greek word sarx means "flesh," but its theological range spans from neutral to darkly ominous.

In classical Greek, charis meant favor, gift, or gratitude—often with reciprocity implied. You extended charis to someone, expecting charis in return. But...

The Greek word koinonia comes from koinos, meaning "common" or "shared," but its New Testament usage carries revolutionary weight.

In first-century Greek, parousia described the formal arrival of a king or emperor into a city—a transformative event marked by citizens streaming out to meet him.

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"