a circumstance favorable for our attainment of salvation

σωτηρία, ας, ἡ (Trag., Hdt.+)

① deliverance, preservation, w. focus on physical aspect: fr. impending death, esp. on the sea (IMaronIsis 11; Diod S 3, 40, 1 λιμὴν σωτηρίας; 2 Macc 3:32; GrBar 1:3; Philo, Mos. 1, 317; Jos., Ant. 7, 5; 183; Ar. 3, 2) Ac 27:34; Hb 11:7. Of the deliverance of the Israelites fr. Egyptian bondage (Jos., Ant. 2, 331) Ac 7:25 (διδόναι σωτηρίαν on the part of a deity: Menand., Col. Fgm. 292, 5=1, 5 Kö.). Survival of a hand punished by fire GJs 20:3. A transition to mng. 2 is found in Lk 1:71, where σωτηρία ἐξ ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν deliverance from the hand of our enemies is expected (cp. Ps 105:10 and ApcPt Rainer ἐν σωτηρίᾳ Ἀχερουσίας λίμνης, where the ref. is to a baptism marking the beginning of life in Elysium); 1 Cl 39:9 (Job 5:4).—S. λίμνη, end.

② salvation, w. focus on transcendent aspects (LXX, Just., Iren; cp. Herm. Wr. 7, 2 [on salvation through gnosis s. GLuck, SBLSP 24, ’85, 315–20]; Ael. Aristid., Sacr. Serm. 3, 46 p. 424 Keil ἐγένετο φῶς παρὰ τῆς Ἴσιδος καὶ ἕτερα ἀμύθητα φέροντα εἰς σωτηρίαν; the Hymn to Attis in Firmicus Maternus, De Errore Prof. Relig. 22, 1 Θαρρεῖτε μύσται τοῦ θεοῦ σεσωσμένου. Ἔσται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐκ πόνων σωτηρία [HHepding, Attis, seine Mythen u. sein Kult 1903, 167]. The Lat. ‘salus’ in the description of the Isis ceremony in Apuleius corresponds to the Gk. σωτηρία [GAnrich, Das antike Mysterienwesen 1894, 47f; Rtzst., Mysterienrel.³ 39]). In our lit. this sense is found only in connection w. Jesus Christ as Savior. This salvation makes itself known and felt in the present, but it will be completely disclosed in the future. Opp. ἀπώλεια Phil 1:28 (Mel., P. 49, 356; on the probability of military metaphor s. EKrentz, in Origins and Method, JHurd Festschr., ed. BMcLean, ’93, 125f); θάνατος (cp. Damasc., Vi. Isid. 131: through Attis and the Mother of the Gods there comes ἡ ἐξ ᾅδου γεγονυῖα ἡμῶν σωτ.) 2 Cor 7:10; ὀργή 1 Th 5:9. W. ζωή 2 Cl 19:1; ζωὴ αἰώνιος IEph 18:1. σωτηρία αἰώνιος (Is 45:17) Hb 5:9; short ending of Mk; ἣ κοινὴ ἡμῶν σωτ. Jd 3 (SIG 409, 33f ἀγωνιζόμενος ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας); σωτ. ψυχῶν salvation of souls 1 Pt 1:9 (ς. τῶν ψυχῶν Hippol., Ref. 10, 19, 3); cp. vs. 10 (ESelwyn, 1 Pt ’46, 252f). σωτηρία ἡ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν MPol 22:1. ἡ τῶν σῳζομένων σωτ. 17:2 (ἡ ς. τῶν μετανοούντων Did., Gen. 71, 28; σωτηρία τῶν ἀγαθῶν Hippol., Ref. 7, 28, 6; ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ς. Orig., C. Cels. 4, 73, 13). On κέρας σωτηρίας Lk 1:69 s. κέρας 3. σωτηρίας as objective gen. dependent upon various nouns: γνῶσις σωτηρίας Lk 1:77; ἐλπὶς σωτ. (TestJob 24:1; cp. Philemo Com. 181 οἱ θεὸν σέβοντες ἐλπίδας καλὰς ἔχουσιν εἰς σωτηρίαν) 1 Th 5:8; 2 Cl 1:7; ἔνδειξις σωτ. Phil 1:28 (opp. ἀπώλεια). τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν Eph 1:13. ὁ λόγος τῆς σωτηρίας ταύτης Ac 13:26. ὁδὸς σωτηρίας way to salvation 16:17; περιποίησις σωτ. 1 Th 5:9. ἡμέρα σωτηρίας (quot. fr. Is 49:8) of the day when the apostle calls them to salvation 2 Cor 6:2ab (cp. the mystery in Apuleius, Metam. 11, 5 ‘dies salutaris’ = ‘day of initiation’). Christ is ὁ ἀρχηγὸς τῆς σωτ. Hb 2:10 (ἀρχηγός 3). ὁ θεὸς τῆς σωτ. μου 1 Cl 18:14 (Ps 50:16).—Used w. verbs: ἔχειν σωτηρίαν Hv 2, 2, 5; 3, 6, 1; m 10, 2, 4; 12, 3, 6. κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν Hb 1:14. τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτ. κατεργάζεσθαι Phil 2:12 (κατεργάζομαι 2). σωτηρίας τυχεῖν τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰ. 2 Ti 2:10 (τυχεῖν σωτηρίας: Diod S 11, 4, 4; 11, 9, 1). εἰς σωτηρίαν for salvation (i.e. to appropriate it for oneself or grant it to another) Ro 1:16; 10:1, 10; 2 Cor 7:10; Phil 1:19 (ἀποβαίνω 2); 2 Th 2:13; 2 Ti 3:15; 1 Pt 2:2. πόρρω … ἀπὸ τῆς σωτ. 1Cl 39:9 (Job 3:4). τὰ ἀνήκοντα εἰς σωτηρίαν the things that pertain to salvation 1 Cl 45:1; B 17:1 (cp. SIG 1157, 12f).—σωτηρία is plainly expected to be fully culminated w. the second coming of the Lord Ro 13:11; Hb 9:28; 1 Pt 1:5.—(ἡ) σωτηρία without further qualification= salvation is also found Lk 19:9 (cp. GJs 19:2); J 4:22 (ἡ σωτ. ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν); Ac 4:12 (cp. Jos., Ant. 3, 23 ἐν θεῷ εἶναι τ. σωτηρίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἄλλῳ); Ro 11:11; 2 Cor 1:6; Hb 2:3 (τηλικαύτη σωτ.); 6:9. ἡ σωτ. ἡμῶν 2 Cl 1:1; 17:5; B 2:10.—Christ died even for the salvation of the repentant Ninevites in the time of Jonah 1 Cl 7:7; cp. vs. 4.—σωτηρία stands by metonymy for σωτήρ (in the quot. fr. Is 49:6) τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς Ac 13:47; B 14:8. On the other hand, for a circumstance favorable for our attainment of salvation ἡγεῖσθαί τι σωτηρίαν 2 Pt 3:15.—In the three places in Rv in which σωτ. appears as part of a doxology we have a Hebraism (salvation as victory intimately associated w. God; PEllingworth, BT 34, ’83, 444f; cp. Ps 3:9 and PsSol 10:8 τοῦ κυρίου ἡ σωτηρία) 7:10; 12:10; 19:1.—LMarshall, Challenge of NT Ethics ’47, 248–66; HHaerens, Σωτήρ et σωτηρία dans la religion grecque: Studia Hellenistica 5, ’48, 57–68; FDölger, Ac 6, ’50, 257–63.—DELG s.v. σῶς. RLoewe, JTS 32, ’81, 341–68 (ins pp. 364–68). DBS XI 486–739. M-M. TW. Spicq. Sv.