perfect fidelity

ἀλήθεια, ας, ἡ (cp. λανθάνω ‘escape notice’ s. DELG s.v. λανθάνω; Schwyzer I 469; Hom. +) prim. ‘hiding nothing’.

① the quality of being in accord with what is true, truthfulness, dependability, uprightness in thought and deed (Alcaeus 57 [366 L.-P.]; Mimnermus 8 al.) of God (Gen 24:27 al.) Ro 3:7; 15:8. Of people (Pittacus in Diog. L. 1, 78; Arrian, Anab. 7, 30, 3; Lucian, Dial. Mort. 11, 6; 4 Km 20:3; Judg 9:15f al.; EpArist 206) ἐν ἀ. λαλεῖν speak truthfully 2 Cor 7:14; (w. εἰλικρίνεια) 1 Cor 5:8; (w. ἀγαθωσύνη and δικαιοσύνη) Eph 5:9; 1 Cl 19:1; 31:2; 35:2; Pol 2:1; ἐν πάσῃ ἀ. w. perfect fidelity 4:2.—Hm 8:9; 12, 3, 1; Hs 9, 15, 2.

② the content of what is true, truth (opp. ψεῦδος)

ⓐ gener. ἀ. λαλεῖν tell the truth (Zech 8:16) Eph 4:25; Hm 3:5; 2 Cl 12:3. ἀ. λέγειν (Hdt. 2, 115 al.; PGiss 84, 14 [II A.D.] τὴν ἀ. εἰπεῖν) Ro 9:1; 1 Ti 2:7. Fut. ἀ. ἐρῶ 2 Cor 12:6. ἀ. ἀγαπᾶν Hm 3:1. Opp. ψεύδεσθαι κατὰ τῆς ἀ. lie against the truth Js 3:14; εἶπεν αὐτῷ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀ. she told him the whole truth Mk 5:33 (cp. Hdt. 9, 89; Thu. 6, 87, 1 al.; Cleopatra ln. 88; POxy 283, 13f [45 A.D.] γνωσθῆναι πᾶσαν τὴν ἀ.; Jos., Bell. 7, 31 πυθόμενος παρʼ αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀ.). ἐν λόγῳ ἀληθείας by truthful speech 2 Cor 6:7; ῥήματα ἀληθείας Ac 26:25; μόρφωσις τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς ἀ. embodiment of knowledge and truth Ro 2:20; ἡ ἁγνότης τῆς ἀ. the purity that belongs to truth Hv 3, 7, 3. ἔξωθεν τῆς ἀ.=ψευδής 3, 4, 3.

ⓑ esp. of the content of Christianity as the ultimate truth (cp. Plut., Mor. 351e ἀ. περὶ θεῶν; Philo, Spec. Leg. 4, 178, the proselyte is a μεταναστὰς εἰς ἀ.) Eph 4:21 (CScott, Exp. 8th ser. 3, 1912, 178–85; FBriggs, ET 39, 1928, 526). ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀ. the word of truth Eph 1:13; 2 Ti 2:15; Js 1:18. ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀ. τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ παρόντος εἰς ὑμᾶς Col 1:5; cp. 2 Pt 1:12. ἡ ἀ. τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Gal 2:5, 14. ἔστιν ἀ. Χριστοῦ ἐν ἐμοί 2 Cor 11:10. ὁ περὶ ἀ. λόγος Pol 3:2; πείθεσθαι τῇ ἀ. Gal 5:7; πιστεύειν τῇ ἀ. 2 Th 2:12; hence πίστει ἀληθείας belief in the truth vs. 13; δύνασθαί τι κατὰ τῆς ἀ. … ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀ. 2 Cor 13:8; περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀ. 2J 4; 3J 3f (cp. 4 Km 20:3); ζῆν κατὰ ἀ. IEph 6:2; πορεύεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἀ. Pol 5:2; ἐν ἀ. (3 Km 2:4) Hm 3:4; gird oneself w. truth Eph 6:14; cp. Hm 11:4.—Truth expresses itself in virtues like righteousness and holiness, Eph 4:24 (Nicol. Dam.: 90 Fgm. 67, 1 Jac. δικαιοσύνην κ. ἀλ.). Hence it is contrasted w. ἀδικία 1 Cor 13:6; Ro 1:18; 2:8. In the last-named passage a negative attitude toward the truth is called ἀπειθεῖν τῇ ἀ. Also πλανᾶσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀ. wander from the truth Js 5:19; ἀστοχεῖν περὶ τὴν ἀ. 2 Ti 2:18; καταστρέφειν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀ. Hs 6, 2, 1, cp. 4; ἀποστρέφειν τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀ. 2 Ti 4:4 opp. μῦθοι, cp. ἀποστρέφεσθαι Tit 1:14; ἀποστερεῖσθαι τῆς ἀ. 1 Ti 6:5; ἐρευνᾶν περὶ τῆς ἀ. make inquiries about the truth Hm 10, 1, 4; 6; ἀνθίστασθαι τῇ ἀ. oppose the truth (i.e. the gospel) 2 Ti 3:8. Opp. μῦθοι 4:4. Truth can be communicated (cp. Did., Gen. 86, 21): φανερώσει τῆς ἀ. by a clear statement of the truth 2 Cor 4:2 (sim. in later Christian prayer POxy 925, 4f φανέρωσόν μοι τὴν παρὰ σοὶ ἀλ.); is taught D 11:10; recognized 1 Ti 4:3; Hv 3, 6, 2; cp. ἐπίγνωσις τῆς ἀληθείας (Alex. Aphr., Quaest. 3, 12, II 2 p. 102, 3 γνῶσις τ. ἀληθείας) 1 Ti 2:4; 2 Ti 2:25; 3:7; Tit 1:1; Hb 10:26; ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀ.1 Ti 3:15; ὁδὸς τῆς ἀ. 2 Pt 2:2; 1 Cl 35:5 (cp. Pind., P. 3, 103; Eur., Fgm. 289; Gen 24:48 al.; En 104:13; OdeSol 11:3); ὑπακοὴ τῆς ἀ. 1 Pt 1:22; ἀγάπη τῆς ἀ. 2 Th 2:10. God is πατὴρ τῆς ἀ. 2 Cl 3:1; 20:5; φῶς ἀληθείας IPhld 2:1 (cp. Ps 42:3); θεὸς τῆς ἀ. (1 Esdr 4:40) 2 Cl 19:1; cp. 1 Cl 60:2. The reverse genitival constr. in ἀ. τοῦ θεοῦ Ro 1:25, is best rendered truth about God (so Twentieth Century NT, NRSV) as opp. to the deception of polytheists, who in effect lie about God despite their better knowledge described vss. 19–21 (REB et al.: truth of God).—Ἀ. is a favorite word of the Joh. lit., and plays a major role in it. God’s word is truth J 17:17 (Ps 118:142). Truth w. χάρις 1:14, 17; w. πνεῦμα 4:23f; cp. ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀ. 1J 3:18 (opp. λόγῳ, γλώσσῃ). W. ἀγάπη 2J 3. The Spirit leads into truth J 16:13; hence πνεῦμα τῆς ἀ. 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1J 4:6 (cp. Hm 3:4). πνεῦμα is identified w. ἀ. 1J 5:6; it is mediated through Christ J 1:17, who calls himself truth 14:6 (cp. PGM 5, 148 ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια, on the other hand POxy 1380, 63 [early II A.D.] Isis is called ἀ.; Apollonaretal. Berl. Gr. Pap. 11517 [II A.D.]: Her 55, 1920, 188–95 ln. 52 Apollo as the ἀψευδὴς ἀ.; M. Ant., 9, 1, 2 God=Nature ἀλήθεια ὀνομάζεται; Lucian, Hist. Conscr. 61 says of a good history-writer: ἦν ἀλήθεια ἐπὶ πᾶσι); hence as source of praise for a Christian Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται … ὑπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀ. 3J 12. One who possesses Christ knows truth (γινώσκ. τὴν ἀ. as Jos., Ant. 13, 291; Tat. 13, 1; ἀληθείας γνῶσις: Maximus Tyr. 26, 5b; Did., Gen. 116, 17) J 8:32; (cp. 1QS 5:10); 2J 1; does the truth J 3:21, cp. 1J 1:6 (ποιεῖν τὴν ἀ. Gen 32:11; 47:29; Is 26:10 al.; TestReub 6:9; TestBenj 10:3; ἔλεος καὶ ἀ. PsSol 17:15); stands in the truth J 8:44; is of the truth 18:37; cp. 1J 2:21; 3:19 (ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας=corresponding to the truth PTurin I, 6, 13). The truth sets one free J 8:32, but is not present in those who deny the fact of sin in their lives 1J 1:8 or do not heed Christ’s commands. Christ proclaims this truth: λέγειν (Jos., Ant. 10, 124) J 8:45f; 16:7; λαλεῖν 8:40 (also λαλεῖν ἐν ἀ. IEph 6:2); μαρτυρεῖν τῇ ἀ. 18:37. As John the Baptist witnesses to Jesus, he witnesses to the truth 5:33; cp. μαρτυρούντων σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ bear witness to your ( fidelity to the) truth 3J 3; ἵνα συνεργοὶ γινώμεθα τῇ ἀ. vs. 8. In Pilate’s question τί ἐστιν ἀ.; J 18:38 the worldling speaks (cp. 4 Macc 5:10). Opp. θάνατος ISm 5:1.—Mlt-Turner 177f.

③ an actual event or state, reality (Diogenes 21 p. 114, 10 al. Malherbe; Mel., P. 4, 33; 42, 289 [opp. τύπος] Diod S 2, 8, 4) as opposed to mere appearance (opp. πρόφασις) Phil 1:18. κατὰ ἀλήθειαν rightly Ro 2:2 (cp. Diod S 4, 64, 2 οἱ κατʼ ἀλήθειαν γονεῖς; M. Ant. 2, 11, 3; 4, 11; Damianus of Larissa p. 20, 2 [ed. Schöne 1897]; PCairZen 202, 7 [254 B.C.]; EpArist 140; 4 Macc 5:18; Just. A I, 2, 1; Ath., R. 66, 11; Orig., C. Cels. 2, 13, 84; PGM 12, 235). ἐν ἀληθείᾳ indeed, truly (Jer 33:15; ἀγαπᾶν PsSol 6:6; 10:3; 14:1 al.) Mt 22:16; J 17:19; 1 Cl 63:1 (s. also 2b on 1J 3:18). ἐπιγινώσκειν τὴν χάριν ἐν ἀλ. Col 1:6; οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀλ. 2J 1, cp. 3J 1, belongs here (like the epist. formulas PFay 118, 26; 119, 26 [100–110 A.D.] τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἀ.=‘really and truly’). ἐπʼ ἀληθείας in accordance w. the truth, truly (Demosth. 18, 17; SIG 495, 174 [III B.C.]; PAmh 68, 33; POxy 480, 9; Job, Da; Philo, Leg. ad Gai. 60; 248): διδάσκειν Mk 12:14; Lk 20:21; εἰπεῖν Mk 12:32; λέγειν Lk 4:25; συνάγεσθαι Ac 4:27; καταλαμβάνεσθαι 10:34; τελειοῦν 1 Cl 23:5; ἐπιστέλλειν 47:3; ἐπʼ ἀ. καὶ οὗτος μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἦν certainly this fellow (s. οὗτος 1aα) was with him, too Lk 22:59.—GStorz, Gebr. u. Bedeutungsentwicklg v. ἀλήθεια u. begriffsverwandten Wörtern, diss. Tüb. 1922; WLuther, ‘Wahrheit’ u. ‘Lüge’ im ältest. Griechentum ’35; HBraun, Qumran und d. NT II ’66, 118–44; I de la Potterie, TU 73, ’59, 277–94 (John); BJackayya, CTM 41, ’70, 171–75 (John); RBultmann, Untersuchungen z. J. Ἀλήθεια: ZNW 27, 1928, 113–63.—EDNT. M-M. TW. Spicq. Sv.