Neologisms in the New Testament

[rlvaughn]

In the Baptists' Bible Use thread, Rob asked,

And for a sidebar, does anyone have a count of neologisms in the New Testament?

I think that is an interesting topic, so am starting this new thread.

Neologism: a newly coined word or expression; a new word, expression, or usage

I didn't find any such list via a quick Google search. Maybe you know where one is, or can contribute toward creating one?

The Bible itself seems to define χριστιανούς (Christians, in Acts 11:26) as such: "...And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."

Three other words/phrases that I notice were claimed as neologisms are:

• αρσενοκοιται, abusers of themselves with mankind/sodomites in 1 Corinthians 6:9 & 1 Timothy 1:10
• επιουσιον, daily in Matthew 6:11
• θεοδιδακτοι, taught of God in 1 Thessalonians 4:9

 

[Deacon]

Many new words were developed and used in the early English translations to communicate what the biblical authors wrote as well.

Rob

 

[rlvaughn]

Yes. I believe Tyndale originated Passover, and atonement as well.

Rob (BW) may have new English words in mind rather than Greek, so I may have turned the discussion in the wrong direction.

 

[Rob_BW]

Oh no, I was wondering about the Greek. You seem to have snagged the low hanging fruit.

Other than the words you posted, I'm just getting hits from the Septuagint and Maccabees.

 

[rlvaughn]

Other than the words you posted, I'm just getting hits from the Septuagint and Maccabees.

Same here.

 

[rlvaughn]

Looks like the low hanging fruit may just about be the only fruit! I did get a hit that simply asked the question whether κρανιου τοπος in Mark 15:22 was a neologism or an older Greek idiom (it was not answered). The book Contested Issues in Christian Origins and the New Testament: Collected Essays by Luke T. Johnson says ἀπροσωπολήπτως (Romans 2:11, προσωποληψια in Stephanos 1550) "is a New Testament neologism." (p. 593)

Still working. Found this list in The Unity of the Greek Language and Its Significance for Understanding the New Testament by Chrys C. Caragounis. (The copy and paste jumbled the Greek letters into jambayla, but you can see it on page 7 at the link.)

See e.g. such neologisms as ajllotriepivskopo", ajnexivkako", ajnqrwpareskevw, ajpauvgasma, ejlacistovtero", ejpiouvsio", summimhthv", suvsswmo", suvmmorfo", uJperentugcavnw, uJperekperissw'", uJperlivan: See also e.g. Jn 8:25 th;n ajrchvn, treated in my The Development of Greek and the New Testament, 146 and esp. “What Did Jesus Mean by th;n ajrchvn in John 8:25?” NovT 49 2 (2007), pp. 129-47.