Kyrios (Biblical Term)

''Kyrios'' or ''kurios'' ( grc, κύριος, kū́rios) is a Greek word which is usually translated as "lord" or "master". It is used in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures about 7000 times, in particular translating the name God YHWH (the Tetragrammaton), and it appears in the Koine Greek New Testament about 740 times, usually referring to Jesus.''The Christology of the New Testament'' by Oscar Cullmann 1959 pages 234-23

/ref>

Classical Greece

In Classical Athens, the word ''kyrios'' referred to the head of the household, who was responsible for his wife, children, and any unmarried female relatives. It was the responsibility of the ''kyrios'' to arrange the marriages of his female relatives, provide their dowries, represent them in court, if necessary, and deal with any economic transactions they were involved in worth more than a ''medimnos'' of barley. When an Athenian woman married, her husband became her new ''kyrios''.
The existence of the system of ''kurioi'' elsewhere in ancient Greece is debated, and the evidence is not clear-cut, but Cartledge has argued that in Sparta ''kurioi'' existed, although in Gortyn they do not appear to have done.

The term "κύριος" is still in use in the Modern Greek language and is the equivalent to the English terms " mister" (title conferred on an adult male), "master" (someone who has control over something or someone), and "sir" (an address to any male). For example, the English term "Mr. Smith" is translated to "" (''kyrios'' Smith) in Greek.

New Testament

''Kyrios'' appears about 700 times in the New Testament, usually referring to Jesus. The use of ''kyrios'' in the New Testament has been the subject of debate among modern scholars, and three schools of thought exist on that topic. The first school is that based on the Septuagint usage, the designation is intended to assign to Jesus the Old Testament attributes of God. The reasoning here is that at the time that the Septuagint was written, when reading out loud Jews pronounced '' Adonai'', the Hebrew word for "Lord", when they encountered the name of God, "YHWH", which was thus translated into Greek from 3rd century CE onwards in each instance as ''kyrios'' and ''theos''.George Howard.
The Tetragram and the New Testament
, included in ''The Anchor Bible Dictionary'', Volume 6, Edited by David Noel Freedman Anchor Bible: New York. 1992 Also, the early Christians, the majority of whom were speakers of Greek, would have been deeply familiar with the Septuagint. The second school is that as the early Church expanded, Hellenistic influences resulted in the use of the term. The third is that it is a translation of the Aramaic title ''Mari'' applied to Jesus.''Mercer dictionary of the Bible'' by Watson E. Mills, Roger Aubrey Bullard 1998 pages 520-52

/ref>
In everyday Aramaic, ''Mari'' was a very respectful form of polite address, well above "teacher" and similar to rabbi. In Greek this has at times been translated as ''kyrios''. While the term Mari expressed the relationship between Jesus and his disciples during his life, Christians eventually came to interpret the Greek ''kyrios'' as representing lordship over the world.''The Christology of the New Testament'' by Oscar Cullmann 1959 page 20

/ref>

The Gospel of John seldom uses ''kyrios'' to refer to Jesus during his ministry, but does so after the Resurrection, although the vocative ''kyrie'' (meaning sir) appears frequently. The Gospel of Mark never applies the term ''kyrios'' as a direct reference to Jesus, unlike Paul who uses it 163 times. When Mark uses ''kyrios'' (e.g., in 1:3, 11:9, 12:11, etc.) it is in reference to YHWH/God. Mark does, however, use the word in passages where it is unclear whether it applies to God or Jesus, e.g., in 5:19 or 11:3.''The Gospel to the Romans: the setting and rhetoric of Mark's Gospel'' by Brian J. Incigneri 2003 pages 168-169

''Kyrios'' is a key element of the Christology of Apostle Paul. Most scholars agree that the use of ''kyrios'', and hence the Lordship of Jesus, predated the Pauline Epistles, but that Saint Paul expanded and elaborated on that topic. More than any other title, ''kyrios'' defined the relationship between Jesus and those who believed in him as Christ: Jesus was their Lord and Master who was to be served with all their hearts and who would one day judge their actions throughout their lives.

The ''kyrios'' title for Jesus is central to the development of New Testament Christology, for the early Christians placed it at the center of their understanding and from that center attempted to understand the other issues related to the Christian mysteries.''Christology: Biblical And Historical'' by Mini S. Johnson, 2005 pages 229-23

/ref>

''kyrios'' is also essential in the development of the Trinity as well as New Testament Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit). 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The phrase "The Lord is the Spirit" in verse 17 is ' (). In verse 18 it is ' ().

In some cases, when reading the Hebrew Bible

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases