Exousia ( el, ἐξουσία) is an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

word used in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, the exact meaning of which is debated by scholars but is generally translated as "authority".

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

wrote that a woman should have ''exousia'' "on r perhaps 'over'her head", but the meaning of the passage is not clear.

Etymology

According to William Edwin Vine's ''

Vine's Expository Dictionary ''An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words'' was written by William Edwy Vine and published as a four volume set in 1940. In common usage, the title is often shortened to ''Vine's Expository Dictionary'', or simply ''Vine's''. It is a cross ...

'', ''exousia'' means "authority". The word derives from the

verb A verb () is a word (part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descri ...

''exesti'' for "it is lawful". It is used over 100 times in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

in different contexts. Used in different contexts in the

Book of Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of J ...

and

First Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author ...

it can mean the power or authority to occupy a position of superiority. In the

Epistle to Philemon The Epistle to Philemon is one of the books of the Christian New Testament. It is a prison letter, co-authored by Paul the Apostle with Timothy, to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and re ...

''parrhesia'' is used in a similar context instead of ''exousia''.

In the Bible

The word is used for the authority of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

to forgive sins (), and Paul invokes it in

2 Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author named Timothy, and is addressed to the church in Corinth and Christians in the ...

for his own apostolic authority: "For though I should boast - somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction." In other contexts it is used when Jesus claimed that "all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (), or similarly "power over all flesh" (), and in

The Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

in reference to the ten kings represented by the horns of the Beast that they "shall give their power and strength unto the beast".Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary The

Book of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

uses the term also in the context of

Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

's judicial power "I have the power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee", and also in Jesus' response "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin" (). It is similarly used in

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

: "And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say".

Book of Revelation

The transfer of ''exousia'' from the two witnesses to the two beasts is a major theme in . At first the authority of the witnesses to perform signs and wonders, and call down judgments, is absolute. The Beast and false prophet receive the authority to kill the two witnesses during the

Tribulation In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation ( grc, θλῖψις μεγάλη, thlîpsis megálē) is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end. At Revelation 7:14, "the Great Tri ...

and to draw the powers of the world to themselves.

In angelology

In Christian angelology, the '' exusiai'' or ''exousiai'' are the "Authorities", the angels who supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies.

References

{{reflist New Testament Greek words and phrases Christian terminology