secret purposes of God

θεός, οῦ (Hom.+; Herm. Wr.; ins, pap, LXX, pseudepigr., Philo, Joseph.) ὁ and ἡ, voc. θεέ (Pisidian ins [JHS 22, 1902, 355] θέ; PGM 4, 218 θεὲ θεῶν; 7, 529 κύριε θεὲ μέγιστε; 12, 120 κύριε θεέ; 13, 997; LXX [Thackeray 145; PKatz, Philo’s Bible ’50, 152f]; ApcMos 42; Jos., Ant. 14, 24 ὦ θεὲ βασιλεῦ τ. ὅλων; SibOr 13, 172 βασιλεῦ κόσμου θεέ) Mt 27:46, more frequently (s. 2 and 3c, h below) ὁ θεός (LXX; ParJer 6:12; ApcEsdr 7:5; ApcMos 32; B-D-F §147, 3m; JWackernagel, Über einige antike Anredeformen 1912; Mlt-H. 120). On the inclusion or omission of the art. gener. s. W-S. §19, 13d; B-D-F §254, 1; 268, 2; Rob. 758; 761; 780; 786; 795; Mlt-Turner 174; BWeiss, D. Gebr. des Artikels bei den Gottesnamen, StKr 84, 1911, 319–92; 503–38 (also published separately). The sg. article freq. suggests personal claim on a deity. ‘God, god’.

① In the Gr-Rom. world the term θεός primarily refers to a transcendent being who exercises extraordinary control in human affairs or is responsible for bestowal of unusual benefits, deity, god, goddess (s. on θεά) Ac 28:6; 2 Th 2:4 (cp. SibOr 5, 34 ἰσάζων θεῷ αὐτόν; Ar. 4, 1 οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί; Tat. 10, 1 θεὸς … κύκνος γίνεται …; Ath. 18, 3 θεός τις δισώματος); θεὸς Ῥαιφάν Ac 7:43 (Am 5:26; s. entry Ῥαιφάν). οὐδεὶς θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς there is no god but one 1 Cor 8:4 (cp. AcPl Ha 1, 17 restored). θεοῦ φωνὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου Ac 12:22.—ἡ θεός the (female) god, goddess (Att., later more rarely; Peripl. Eryth. c. 58; Lucian, Dial. Deor. 17, 2; SIG 695, 28; ins, one of which refers to Artemis, in Hauser p. 81f; Jos., Ant. 9, 19; Ar. 11, 2 [Artemis]; Ath. 29, 2 [Ino]) Ac 19:37.—Pl. Ac 7:40 (Ex 32:1). Cp. 14:11; 19:26; PtK 2 p. 14, 21. εἴπερ εἰσὶν λεγόμενοι θεοί even if there are so-called gods 1 Cor 8:5a; s. vs. 5b (on θεοὶ πολλοί cp. Jos., Ant. 4, 149.—Maximus Tyr. 11, 5a: θ. πολλοί w. εἷς θ. πατήρ). οἱ φύσει μὴ ὄντες θεοί those who by nature are not really gods Gal 4:8b (cp. Ar. 4, 2 μὴ εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν θεόν al.). θεοὶ … λίθινοι etc. AcPl Ha 1, 18 (cp. JosAs 10:13 τοὺς χρυσοῦς καὶ ἀργυροῦς). Of the devil μὴ ὢν θεός AcPlCor 2:15.

② Some writings in our lit. use the word θ. w. ref. to Christ (without necessarily equating Christ with the Father, and therefore in harmony w. the Shema of Israel Dt 6:4; cp. Mk 10:18 and 4a below), though the interpretation of some of the pass. is in debate. In Mosaic and Gr-Rom. traditions the fundamental semantic component in the understanding of deity is the factor of performance, namely saviorhood or extraordinary contributions to one’s society. Dg. 10:6 defines the ancient perspective: ὸ̔ς ἃ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λάβων ἔχει, ταῦτα τοῖς ἐπιδεομένοις χορηγῶν, θεὸς γίνεται τῶν λαμβανάντων one who ministers to the needy what one has received from God proves to be a god to the recipients (cp. Sb III, 6263, 27f of a mother). Such understanding led to the extension of the mng. of θ. to pers. who elicit special reverence (cp. pass. under 4 below; a similar development can be observed in the use of σέβομαι and cognates). In Ro 9:5 the interpr. is complicated by demand of punctuation marks in printed texts. If a period is placed before ὁ ὢν κτλ., the doxology refers to God as defined in Israel (so EAbbot, JBL 1, 1881, 81–154; 3, 1883, 90–112; RLipsius; HHoltzmann, Ntl. Theol.² II 1911, 99f; EGünther, StKr 73, 1900, 636–44; FBurkitt, JTS 5, 1904, 451–55; Jülicher; PFeine, Theol. d. NTs⁶ ’34, 176 et al.; RSV text; NRSV mg.). A special consideration in favor of this interpretation is the status assigned to Christ in 1 Cor 15:25–28 and the probability that Paul is not likely to have violated the injunction in Dt 5:7.—If a comma is used in the same place, the reference is to Christ (so BWeiss; EBröse, NKZ 10, 1899, 645–57 et al.; NRSV text; RSV mg. S. also εἰμί 1.—Undecided: THaering.—The transposition by the Socinian scholar JSchlichting [died 1661] ὧν ὁ=‘to whom belongs’ was revived by JWeiss, D. Urchristentum 1917, 363; WWrede, Pls 1905, 82; CStrömman, ZNW 8, 1907, 319f). In 2 Pt 1:1; 1J 5:20 the interpretation is open to question (but cp. ISmyrna McCabe.0010, 100 ὁ θεὸς καὶ σωτὴρ Ἀντίοχος). In any event, θ. certainly refers to Christ, as one who manifests primary characteristics of deity, in the foll. NT pass.: J 1:1b (w. ὁ θεός 1:1a, which refers to God in the monotheistic context of Israel’s tradition. On the problem raised by such attribution s. J 10:34 [cp. Ex 7:1; Ps 81:6]; on θεός w. and without the article, acc. to whether it means God or the Logos, s. Philo, Somn. 1, 229f; JGriffiths, ET 62, ’50/51, 314–16; BMetzger, ET 63, ’51/52, 125f), 18b. ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου my Lord and my God! (nom. w. art.=voc.; s. beg. of this entry.—On a resurrection as proof of divinity cp. Diog. L. 8, 41, who quotes Hermippus: Pythagoras returns from a journey to Hades and appears among his followers [εἰσέρχεσθαι εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν], and they consider him θεῖόν τινα) J 20:28 (on the combination of κύριος and θεός s. 3c below). Tit 2:13 (μέγας θ.). Hb 1:8, 9 (in a quot. fr. Ps 44:7, 8). S. TGlasson, NTS 12, ’66, 270–72. Jd 5 P⁷². But above all Ignatius calls Christ θεός in many pass.: θεὸς Ἰησοῦς Χριστός ITr 7:1; Χριστὸς θεός ISm 10:1. ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν IEph ins; 15:3; 18:2; IRo ins (twice); 3:3; IPol 8:3; τὸ πάθος τοῦ θεοῦ μου IRo 6:3. ἐν αἵματι θεοῦ IEph 1:1. ἐν σαρκὶ γενόμενος θεός 7:2. θεὸς ἀνθρωπίνως φανερούμενος 19:3. θεὸς ὁ οὕτως ὑμᾶς σοφίσας ISm 1:1.—Hdb. exc. 193f; MRackl, Die Christologie d. hl. Ign. v. Ant. 1914. ὁ θεός μου Χριστὲ Ἰησοῦ AcPl Ha 3, 10; Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ὁ θ[εός] 6, 24; cp. ln. 34 (also cp. Just., A I, 63, 15, D. 63, 5 al.; Tat. 13, 3; Ath. 24, 1; Mel., P. 4, 28 al.).—SLösch, Deitas Jesu u. antike Apotheose ’33. Cp. AWlosk, Römischer Kaiserkult ’78.

③ God in Israelite/Christian monotheistic perspective, God the predom. use, somet. with, somet. without the art.

ⓐ ὁ θεός Mt 1:23; 3:9; 5:8, 34; Mk 2:12; 10:18; 13:19 (cp. TestJob 37:4); Lk 2:13; J 3:2b; Ac 2:22b; Gal 2:6 al. With prep. εἰς τὸν θ. Ac 24:15. ἐκ τοῦ θ. J 8:42b, 47; 1J 3:9f; 4:1ff, 6f; 5:1, 4; 2 Cor 3:5; 5:18 al.; ἐν τῷ θ. Ro 5:11; Col 3:3 (Ath. 21, 1). ἔναντι τοῦ θ. Lk 1:8; ἐπὶ τὸν θ. Ac 15:19; 26:18, 20 (Just., D. 101, 1); ἐπὶ τῷ θ. Lk 1:47 (Just., D. 8, 2); παρὰ τοῦ θ. J 8:40 (Ar. 4, 2; Just., A I, 33, 6 al.; without art. Just., D. 69, 6 al.). παρὰ τῷ θ. Ro 2:13; 9:14 (Just., A I, 28, 3; Tat. 7, 1; Ath. 31, 2 al.); πρὸς τὸν θ. J 1:2; Ac 24:16; AcPl Ha 3, 8 (Just., D. 39, 1 al.; Mel., HE 4, 26, 13 al.); τὰ πρὸς τὸν θ. Hb 2:17; 5:1; Ro 15:17 is acc. of respect: with respect to one’s relation to God or the things pert. to God, in God’s cause (s. B-D-F §160; Rob. 486. For τὰ πρὸς τ. θ. s. Soph., Phil. 1441; X., De Rep. Lac. 13, 11; Aristot., Pol. 1314b, 39; Lucian, Pro Imag. 8; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 109, 3 [III B.C.] εὐσεβὴς τὰ πρὸς θεούς; Ex 4:16; 18:19; Jos., Ant. 9, 236 εὐσεβὴς τὰ πρὸς τ. θεόν). τὰ πρὸς τ[ὸν] θεὸν ἐτήρουσαν, when they were observant of matters pert. to God AcPl Ha 8, 13 (=τα π̣ρος θ̣̄ν̄| ἐτήρουσαν Ox 1602, 10f=BMM recto 16 restored after the preceding).

ⓑ without the art. Mt 6:24; Lk 2:14; 20:38; J 1:18a; Ro 8:8, 33b; 2 Cor 1:21; 5:19; Gal 2:19; 4:8f; 2 Th 1:8; Tit 1:16; 3:8; Hb 3:4; AcPl Ha 8, 20=BMM recto 25 (s. also HSanders’ rev. of Ox 1602, 26, in HTR 31, ’38, 79, n. 2, Ghent 62 verso, 6); AcPlCor 1:15; 2:19, 26. W. prep. ἀπὸ θεοῦ J 3:2a; 16:30 (Just., A II, 13, 4 τὸν … ἀπὸ ἀγεννήτου … θεοῦ λόγον). εἰς θεόν IPhld 1:2. ἐκ θεοῦ (Pind., O. 11, 10, P. 1, 41; Jos., Ant. 2, 164; Just., A I, 22, 2; Mel., P. 55, 404) Ac 5:39; 2 Cor 5:1; Phil 3:9. ἐν θεῷ J 8:21; Ro 2:17; Jd 1; AcPl Ha 1, 15; 2, 35. ἐπὶ θεόν AcPl Ha 2, 29 (cp. πρὸς θεόν Just., D. 138, 2). κατὰ θεόν acc. to God’s will (Appian, Iber. 19 §73; 23 §88; 26 §101, Liby. 6 §25, Bell. Civ. 4, 86 §364) Ro 8:27; 2 Cor 7:9ff; IEph 2:1. ἡ κατὰ θ. ἀγάπη godly love IMg 1:1; cp. 13:1; ITr 1:2. παρὰ θεῷ (Jos., Bell. 1, 635) Mt 19:26; Lk 2:52.

ⓒ w. gen. foll. or w. ἴδιος to denote a special relationship: ὁ θ. Ἀβραάμ Mt 22:32; Mk 12:26; Lk 20:37; Ac 3:13; 7:32 (all Ex 3:6). ὁ θ. (τοῦ) Ἰσραήλ (Ezk 44:2; JosAs 7:5) Mt 15:31; Lk 1:68; cp. Ac 13:17; 2 Cor 6:16; Hb 11:16. ὁ θ. μου Ro 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; 2 Cor 12:21; Phil 1:3; 4:19; Phlm 4. OT κύριος ὁ θ. σου (ἡμῶν, ὑμῶν, αὐτῶν) Mt 4:7 (Dt 6:16); 22:37 (Dt 6:5); Mk 12:29 (Dt 6:4); Lk 1:16; 4:8 (Dt 6:13); 10:27 (Dt 6:5); Ac 2:39. ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θ. ἡμῶν Rv 4:11 (Just., D. 12, 3; the combination of κύριος and θεός is freq. in the OT: 2 Km 7:28; 3 Km 18:39; Jer 38:18; Zech 13:9; Ps 29:3; 34:23; 85:15; 87:2; TestAbr A 3 p. 79, 19 [Stone p. 6]; JosAs 3:4; 12:2 κύριε ὁ θ. τῶν αἰώνων. But s. also Epict. 2, 16, 13 κύριε ὁ θεός [GBreithaupt, Her. 62, 1927, 253–55], Herm. Wr.: Cat. Cod. Astr. VIII/2, p. 172, 6 κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, the PGM ref. at the beg. of this entry, and the sacral uses τ. θεῷ κ. κυρίῳ Σοκνοπαίῳ [OGI 655, 3f—24 B.C.]; PTebt 284, 6; τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ Ἀσκληπίῳ [Sb 159, 2]; deo domino Saturno [ins fr. imperial times fr. Thala in the prov. of Africa: BPhW 21, 1901, 475], also Suetonius, Domit. 13 dominus et deus noster [for the formulation s. 4a: PMich 209]; Ar. 15, 10; Just., D. 60, 3 al.) τὸν ἴδιον θ. AcPl Ha 3, 22.—ὁ θ. τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰ. Χ. Eph 1:17.

ⓓ used w. πατήρ (s. πατήρ 6a) ὁ θ. καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Ro 15:6; 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3; Col 1:3; 1 Pt 1:3. ὁ θ. καὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν Gal 1:4; Phil 4:20; 1 Th 1:3; 3:11, 13. ὁ θ. καὶ πατήρ 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 5:20; Js 1:27. θ. πατήρ Phil 2:11; 1 Pt 1:2; cp. 1 Cor 8:6. ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ro 1:7b; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; Phlm 3; ἀπὸ θ. π. Gal 1:3 v.l.; Eph 6:23; 2 Th 1:2; 2 Ti 1:2; Tit 1:4; παρὰ θεοῦ π. 2 Pt 1:17; 2J 3.

ⓔ w. gen. of what God brings about, in accordance w. the divine nature: ὁ θ. τῆς εἰρήνης Ro 15:33; 1 Th 5:23. τῆς ἐλπίδος the God fr. whom hope comes Ro 15:13. πάσης παρακλήσεως 2 Cor 1:3b. ὁ θ. τῆς ἀγάπης 13:11. ὁ θ. πάσης χάριτος 1 Pt 5:10. In οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀκαταστασίας ὁ θεός 1 Cor 14:33, θεός is to be supplied before ἀκατ.: for God is not a God of disorder.

ⓕ The gen. (τοῦ) θεοῦ is

α. subj. gen., extremely freq. depending on words like βασιλεία, δόξα, θέλημα, ἐντολή, εὐαγγέλιον, λόγος, ναός, οἶκος, πνεῦμα, υἱός, υἱοί, τέκνα and many others. Here prob. (s. β) belongs τὸ μωρὸν τ. θ. the (seeming) foolishness of G. 1 Cor 1:25 (s. B-D-F §263, 2).

β. obj. gen. ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θ. love for God Lk 11:42; J 5:42; ἡ προσευχὴ τοῦ θ. prayer to God Lk 6:12. πίστις θεοῦ faith in God Mk 11:22. φόβος θεοῦ fear of, reverence for God Ro 3:18 al. (s. φόβος 2bα) If 1 Cor 1:25 is to be placed here (s. α above), τὸ μωρὸν τ. θ. refers to apostolic allegiance to God, which is viewed by outsiders as folly.

γ. τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ the things, ways, thoughts, or secret purposes of God 1 Cor 2:11. φρονεῖν τὰ τ. θ. Mt 16:23; Mk 8:33 s. φρονέω 2b (ἀτιμάζοντας τὰ τοῦ θ. Just., D. 78, 10 al.). ἀποδιδόναι τὰ τ. θ. τῷ θεῷ give God what belongs to God Mt 22:21; Mk 12:17; Lk 20:25.

δ. Almost as a substitute for the adj. divine IMg 6:1f; 15 (cp. Ath. 21, 4 οὐδὲν ἔχων θεοῦ [of Zeus]).

ⓖ The dat. τῷ θεῷ (s. B-D-F §188, 2; 192; Rob. 538f; WHavers, Untersuchungen z. Kasussyntax d. indogerm. Sprachen 1911, 162ff) is

α. dat. of advantage (cp. e.g. Ath. 26, 3 ὡς ἐπηκόῳ θεῷ) for God 2 Cor 5:13. Perh. (s. β) ὅπλα δυνατὰ τῷ θ. 10:4. The dat. of Ro 6:10f rather expresses the possessor.

β. ethical dat. in the sight of God, hence w. superl. force (s. Beginn. IV, 75, on Ac 7:20) very: μεγάλοι τῷ θ. B 8:4 (cp. Jon 3:3). ἀστεῖος τῷ θ. Ac 7:20. Perh. (s. α) ὅπλα δυνατὰ τ. θ. weapons powerful in the sight of God 2 Cor 10:4. This idea is usu. expressed by ἐνώπιον τοῦ θ.

ⓗ ὁ θ. is used as a vocative Mk 15:34 (Ps 21:2. θεός twice at the beginning of the invocation of a prayer: Ael. Dion. θ, 8; Paus. Attic. θ, 7 ‘θεὸς θεός’ ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐπέλεγον ἐπιφημιζόμενοι); Lk 18:11; Hb 1:8 (Ps 44:7; MHarris, TynBull 36, ’85, 129–62); 10:7 (Ps 39:9); AcPl Ha 3, 10; 5, 12; 31. S. also 2 and 3c and the beg. of this entry.

ⓘ θ. τῶν αἰώνων s. αἰών 3 and 4; θ. αἰώνιος s. αἰώνιος 2; θ. ἀληθινός s. ἀληθινός 3b; εἷς ὁ θεός s. εἷς 2b; (ὁ) θ. (ὁ) ζῶν s. [ζάω] 1aε.—ὁ μόνος θεός the only God (4 Km 19:15, 19; Ps 85:10; Is 37:20; Da 3:45; Philo, Leg. All. 2, 1f; s. Norden, Agn. Th. 145) J 5:44 (some mss. lack τοῦ μόνου); 1 Ti 1:17.—ὁ μόνος ἀληθινὸς θ. (Demochares: 75 Fgm. 2 p. 135, 7 Jac. [in Athen. 6, 62, 253c] μόνος θ. ἀληθινός) J 17:3. cp. the sim. combinations w. μόνος θ. Ro 16:27; Jd 25. μόνος ὁ θεὸς μένει AcPl Ha 2, 27.—θ. σωτήρ s. σωτήρ 1.—OHoltzmann, D. chr. Gottesglaube, s. Vorgesch. u. Urgesch.1905; EvDobschütz, Rationales u. irrat. Denken über Gott im Urchristent.: StKr 95, 1924, 235–55; RHoffmann, D. Gottesbild Jesu ’34; PAlthaus, D. Bild Gottes b. Pls: ThBl 20, ’41, 81–92; Dodd 3–8; KRahner, Theos im NT: Bijdragen (Maastricht) 11, ’50, 212–36; 12, ’51, 24–52.

④ that which is nontranscendent but considered worthy of special reverence or respect, god (Artem. 2, 69 p. 161, 17: γονεῖς and διδάσκαλοι are like gods; Simplicius in Epict. p. 85, 27 acc. to ancient Roman custom children had to call their parents θεοί; s. 2 above and note on σέβομαι).

ⓐ of humans θεοί (as אֱלֹהִים) J 10:34f (Ps 81:6; humans are called θ. in the OT also Ex 7:1; 22:27; cp. Philo, Det. Pot. Insid. 161f, Somn. 1, 229, Mut. Nom. 128, Omn. Prob. Lib. 43, Mos. 1, 158, Decal. 120, Leg. All. 1, 40, Migr. Abr. 84). θ. γίνεται τῶν λαμβανόντων (a benefactor) proves to be a god to recipients Dg 10:6 (cp. Pliny, NH 2, 7, 18; s. 2 above, beg.—Aristot., Pol. 3, 8, 1, 1284a of the superior pers. as a god among humans; Arcesilaus [III B.C.] describes Crates and Polemo as θεοί τινες=‘a kind of gods’ [Diog. L. 4, 22]; Antiphanes says of the iambic poet Philoxenus: θεὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἦν [Athen. 14, 50, 643d]; Diod S 1, 4, 7 and 5, 21, 2 of Caesar; for honors accorded Demetrius, s. IKertész, Bemerkungen zum Kult des Demetrios Poliorketes: Oikumene 2, ’78, 163–75 [lit.]; Dio Chrys. 30 [47], 5 Πυθαγόρας ἐτιμᾶτο ὡς θεός; Heliod. 4, 7, 8 σωτὴρ κ. θεός, addressed to a physician; BGU 1197, 1 [4 B.C.] a high official, and 1201, 1 [2 B.C.] a priest θεός and κύριος; PMich 209, 11f [II/III A.D.] οἶδας ἄδελφε, ὅτει οὐ μόνον ὧς ἀδελφόν σε ἔχω, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς πατέρα κ. κύριον κ. θεόν; Just., A I, 26, 2 [Σίμων] θεὸς ἐνομίσθη καὶ … ὡς θεὸς τετίμηται; Tat. 3, 2 μὴ θεὸς ὤν [Empedocles]; Ath. 30, 2 Ἀντίνους … ἔτυχε νομίζεσθαι θεός of benefactors in gener. AcJ 27 [Aa II/1, 166, 4]).—JEmerton, JTS 11, ’60, 329–32.

ⓑ of the belly (=appetite) as the god of certain people Phil 3:19 (cp. Athen. 3, 97c γάστρων καὶ κοιλιοδαίμων. Also Eupolis Com. [V B.C.] Fgm. 172 K. [in Athen. 3, 100b]; on the use of θ. in ref. to impersonal entities [e.g. Eur., Cyclops 316 of wealth as a god] s. DDD 693f).

⑤ of the devil ὁ θ. τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου 2 Cor 4:4 (s. αἰών 2a and WMüllensiefen, StKr 95, 1924, 295–99).—668–99. RAC XI 1202–78; XII 81–154; B. 1464. LfgrE s.v. θεός col. 1001 (lit.). Schmidt, Syn. IV 1–21. DELG. M-M. TW. Sv.

-ου ⁺ τό N 2 0-0-0-17-14=31 Dn 2,18.19.27

mystery, secret rite, ceremony (mostly pl.; in relig. sense) Wis 14,15; mystery, secret (in secular sense)

Tob 12,7; secret (in mil. sense) 2 Mc 13,21; τὰ μυστήρια the mysteries Dn 2,28

τὸ μυστήριον τῆς βουλῆς secret designs Jdt 2,2; οὐκ ἔγνωσαν μυστήρια θεοῦ they have not understood the mysteries of God (God’s unfathomable purposes) Wis 2,22

Cf. BROWN, R. 1958, 422-427; CARAGOUNIS 1977 22-26. 119-127; HATCH 1889, 57-58; LARCHER 1983

264-265; 1984 435-436; 1985 811.827; VON SODEN 1911, 197-199; →TWNT