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It's Greek to Me (Part 2)

by Lynn Austin

Many words have come into the English language through the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek. Test your "root" knowledge with these Greek/English words.

1. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:4). Which of these three Greek words meant gift?

A. enigma
B. charisma
C. idea

2. Which Greek word did Paul use in this passage: "I did not receive [the gospel] from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:12).

A. theologos
B. genesis
C. apocalypsis

3. "We wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2:13). The Greek word used to describe an appearance of Christ is:

A. epiphania
B. ekstasis
C. exegesis

4. "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). Our word psalm comes from the Greek psalmos which meant to:

A. pluck a harp
B. recite poetry
C. sing

5. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come (Matt. 12:32). Which Greek word was used in this passage?

A. apostasia
B. stigma
C. blasphemia

6. "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church" (1 Cor. 14:26). In the early church, a hymnos was:

A. a word of testimony
B. a praise song
C. a Scripture verse

Answers to Build Your BIBLE Power

1. B. charisma. A charisma was a natural gift or talent given by God's grace to meet the needs of his body. Today, if a person has a natural gift of leadership and an ability to inspire devotion or enthusiasm in others, he is said to have "charisma."

2. C. apocalypsis. Apocalypsis means "uncovering" or "revelation" and refers to the disclosure of hidden, divine truth. The English word "apocalypse" comes from the biblical book of Revelation where the future battle between good and evil was revealed to John while he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos. The title Revelation in Greek is Apocalypsis, from the opening words: "The revelation of Jesus Christ … " (Rev. 1:1).

3. A. epiphania. Epiphania means "an appearance" and was often used by Greek writers to describe a manifestation of their gods, especially if those gods were coming to help humans. Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem and thus the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.

4. A. pluck a harp. Psalmos is related to the word psalterion, an ancient Greek musical instrument similar to a harp. When used in the New Testament, psalmos, usually refers to the "Book of Psalms" quoted 116 times in the New Testament.

5. C. blasphemia. Unlike the English word "blasphemy," the Greek blasphemia wasn't necessarily spoken against God. It meant evil-speaking, mocking, or slander in general. In the Old Testament, blasphemy involved the improper use of God's name (Lev. 19:12) or claiming Divine attributes for oneself. It was punishable by death. The Jewish leaders sentenced Jesus to death for blasphemy (Matt. 26:65).

6. B. a praise song. Our word "hymn" comes from the Greek hymnos, which was a song of praise to the gods or an ode to national heroes. The early church regularly used the Psalms in their worship, but also composed new hymns, in the style of Greek odes, to honor Christ. Philippians 2:6-11 might be one of these hymns.

Copyright © 1997 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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