From the Greek apostolos — one sent out on behalf of another. In the NT, applied to those sent by Christ as direct witnesses of his resurrection; the authority is tied to the sending and the witness, not to an institutional title that can be passed down.
An English construction — at-one-ment — coined by Tyndale, not a direct translation. The Hebrew behind it, kaphar, means to cover, sharing its root with kapporeth — the cover of the ark, the mercy seat. The Day of Atonement centers on the High Priest bringing blood to that cover. The act and the object are the same word pointing at…
The English word “church” does not translate the Greek ekklesia — it derives from kyriakos, a pagan term for a building belonging to a lord. The Greek ekklesia — the called-out ones — was used by NT writers to describe both the NT body and Israel in the wilderness (Acts 7:38), connecting directly to the Hebrew qahal, the assembled congregation, which…
Religious vocabulary so overused across so many traditions that it no longer points reliably at anything. Words like “saved,” “grace,” and “repentance” still circulate widely but carry different meanings in different mouths — creating the appearance of shared understanding where little exists.
From the Latin corruptus — broken, destroyed, altered from its original state. In Scripture, describes something changed or turned from what it was meant to be — a neutral description of a process, not primarily a moral label. The word itself has undergone the very process it describes.
Two options that feel like opposites and feel like they cover the ground — but both share an unexamined assumption. The answer is not found between the two positions. It is found by stepping outside the frame that contains them both. Related: Polarization. See: Fulfillments of Christ Simplifies All
The common name obscures the Hebrew Yom Teruah — the Day of Blowing, or sounding. While trumpets were blown, they were also blown on every new moon; what distinguishes this feast is not the instrument but the act itself — breath, sound, something sent out. What that points toward requires a closer look. Synonyms: Yom Teruah, Day…
From the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruach — both meaning breath or wind: invisible in itself, known by its movement and effects. The theological debates surrounding personhood and the Trinity are later developments; the original words are grounded in something physical and immediate. Synonyms: Holy Ghost, pneuma, ruach, Spirit of God, breath, wind.
From the Greek hypokritēs — a stage actor performing behind a mask — and its root components hypo (under) and krites (judge). When Jesus uses this term he is making two simultaneous critiques: religion performed for an audience, and judgment rendered from a concealed position — motives hidden, often even from oneself.
From the Greek dikaiōsis, rooted in dikaios — the Greek rendering of the Hebrew tsaddiq: right, just, in proper relationship and alignment. The process or condition of being brought into right order. The courtroom framing — a judge declaring a verdict — is a later narrowing; the original sense is relational and restorative, not legal. Synonyms: justify, justified, dikaiōsis,…
