Language experts have declared that the Greek tongue was one of the truly great developments of antiquity. Its history extends back about 1,500 years before Christ and it is fairly clear from the time of the blind poet Homer (900 B.C.) onward. The study of ancient Greek falls into two major classes. First, there was the classical Greek of the philosophers, poets and orators of the ancient past (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, etc.); then later, from the time of Alexander the Great's conquests, around 330 B.C., and forward to approximately 330 A.d. there was the era of Koine Greek. Koine is a transliterated term meaning "common." Koine Greek was thus the language of the common person, and at the commencement of the Christian age it was found everywhere in the civilized world. It was employed in inscriptions. It was utilized for business documents and it was the medium of personal correspondence. It was a magnificently precise instrument of communication. In the providence of God, the 27 books of the New Testament were penned in Koine Greek.
The great scholar A.T. Robertson once wrote: "The most perfect vehicle of human speech thus far devised by man is the Greek. English comes next, but Greek outranks it. The chief treasure in the Greek language is the New Testament. Homer and Thucydides and Aeschylus and Plato all take a rank below Paul and John and Luke. The cultural and spiritual worth of the Greek New Testament is beyond all computation. In the Renaissance the world woke up with the Greek Testament in its hands. It still stands before the open pages of this greatest of all books in wonder and in rapture as the pages continue to reveal God in the face of Jesus Christ" (The Minister and His Greek New Testament, p. 28).
The Greek New Testament is an absolutely inexhaustible treasure house of spiritual information. One of the great misfortunes of our day is the fact that the average Christian has virtually no exposure to this wealth of beauty and power; it largely remains concealed in the libraries of college professors and a relatively minimum number of preachers. Buy why should it be so? Is it not possible that with competent guidance, and the acquisition of some reliable language tools, the average church member, who is inclined to be more than a surface student, could at least be exposed to the indescribable thrills of exploring the New Testament in the language of its original composition?
Admittedly, interest in such an effort might need to be stimulated somewhat. For as everyone knows, there are excellent English translations available such as the American Standard Version (1901) and the venerable King James Translation (1611) that are perfectly capable of guiding us to Heaven. And this writer has not the slightest intention of minimizing these grand versions. But it needs to be recognized that the work of translating is at best a difficult labor. It frequently requires great skill to bring the thought connected with a particular word from one language into another tongue. This is especially true of translating a highly organized and specialized language like Greek. Be that as it may, our standard versions have accomplished this in a most remarkable way. It may be observed however, that the Greek of the New Testament period could pack more into a single word than can sometimes be brought out by a corresponding solitary English term. The translator, in such an instance, must try to give the English reader the predominate idea of the Greek word. There may be though, some precious insights left behind, a sort of residual treasure that only one who has access to the Greek text can discover. Surely an awareness of this fact would excite numerous brethren to the possibilities of an adventurous exploration of the New Testament in its original language.
It is our intention therefore, to periodically produce a series of articles under the general designation, "Exploring the Greek New Testament." Our purpose for this project will not only be to expound the verbally inspired text of the sacred Book but also to entice our fellow Christians into a richer study of, "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
Synonyms (1)
One of the fascinating studies to be made in the Greek New Testament is that of synonyms. The term synonym literally means "together in name." It is a word having the same meaning in one or more senses as another word in the same language. In his classic volume Synonyms of the New Testament, R.C. Trench has observed that the Greeks were a people of the subtlest intellect. They saw fine shades of distinctions in words where other people did not; they divided ideas into different words where other cultures would confusedly huddle them under a common term. Trench says that, "the characteristic excellences of the Greek language especially invite us to the investigation of the likenesses and differences between words..." He stresses that, "If by such investigations as these we become aware of the delicate variations in an author's meaning, which otherwise we might have missed..." we will have been well rewarded, for in the study of these words we are dealing with, "the vehicles of the very mind of God Himself" (11th Edition, 1890, pp. vii, viii). (Note: The following discussions are not intended to be exhaustive; rather, they are merely illustrative of the type of study that can be done with synonyms.)
(1) The Greek New Testament contains several words represented by the English term "teach" or "instruct." For instance, didasko simply means to teach generally. A woman is not to teach (didaskein) in any capacity wherein she is exercising dominion over a man (I Timothy 2:12). On the other hand, there is katecheo, which specifically means, "to teach by word of mouth." Luke's gospel account was penned so that Theophilus might know the certaintly concerning the things wherein he had been instructed by word of mouth (Luke 1:4; cf. the footnote AVS). In Romans 2:18 Paul alludes to the oral instruction which the Jews had received in the law of Moses. On the other hand, in his great sermon in Acts 7, Stephen says that, "Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (v. 22). "Instructed" is from the word paideuo, which suggests an instruction that involves training and discipline. His Egyptian training really disciplined Moses for his life as leader of Jehovah's people. The writer of Hebrews notes that, "those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines" (12:6). There is an interesting use of paideuo in Luke 23:16, 22. Pilate, not wishing to be caught in the position of condemning Jesus without evidence, yet desiring to placate the Jews, suggested that he would chastise (paideuo) Christ and release Him. Perhaps the governor hoped that the scourging which he gave the Lord (Mark 15:15) would teach Him a lesson!
(2) There are two adjectives rendered "vain" in the New Testament. First, kenos denotes that which is empty as to contents; it gives particular emphasis to quality. The man who contends that faith alone, apart from works can save is a vain (kene) person. He is empty of divine wisdom! A Christian must be on his guard for it is possible to be deceived with empty (kenois) words, i.e., words with, "no inner substance or kernal of truth" (Trench). Then, there is mataios, that which is vain in the sense of being purposeless or aimless; the special emphasis focuses upon that which is void of result. And so, "foolish questionings," etc., are vain (i.e., of no real purpose, useless, and fruitless, Titus 3:9). The idols of pagan worship were "vain things" (mataion) i.e., worthless (Acts 14:15) for they could produce no beneficial results in their devotees' lives. The importance of Jesus' resurrection to the Christian faith is seen in I Corinthians 15:14, 17 where it is declared that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching and faith are empty (kenon, there is no substance in it, vs. 14) and purposeless (mataia, can lead to no happy end, vs. 17).
(3) A study of the Greek words which form the basis of our English adjectives "other" or "another" is quite revealing. Allos is a term which denotes numerical distinction; it is the "other" or "another" of the same kind. Heteros, on the other hand, generally refers to something which is qualitatively different; it is "another" of a different type. Consider these examples. Though He was going to personally leave them, Jesus promised the disciples that He would send them another (allon) Comforter, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). Just as Christ was a divine Being, so would be the other (allos, of the same type); an excellent argument for the divine personality of the Holy Spirit! The Lord once told the Jews, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Of course He spoke figuratively of the temple of His body (John 2:19-21). During His trial however, Christ's enemies charged Him with claiming that He would, "build another" (allon, of the same type as Herod's temple) without hands in three days (Mark 14:58). What perversion! A number of amazing miracles, which Jesus performed, are recorded in the Gospel of John. But the Lord also performed many other (alla: of the same impressive character) signs which were not recorded in John's account (John 20:30). John, by the Spirit's direction, was selective in his record.
On Pentecost when the apostles began to speak in other (heterais) tongues (i.e., though human languages, of a different type in that they had not been learned through the educatory process) some in the assembled audience were honestly impressed, but others (heteroi, of a different character) accused them of drunkenness (Acts 2:1-13). In the parable of the pounds, the first two servants considered (Luke 19:16ff) were rewarded according to their faithful labors, but the other (heteros, a wicked man) was faithless and hence severely judged. When Christ was led away for crucifixion, there were two others (heteroi), malefactores, taken as well (Luke 23:32). Yes, completely different types, the innocent and the guilty. Somewhat similarly, Paul and some other (heterous) prisoners bound for Rome were committed to the centurion, Julias (Acts 27:1). Those other prisoners were doubtless law breakers, but Paul was a prisoner for Christ. In Thessalonica Jason and certain brethren were charged before the city rulers with acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar and saying, "that there is another (heteron) king, one Jesus" (Acts 17:7). These brethren confessed serving a king, but one who was in an entirely different class from Caesar.
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