Week 7 Assignments

1 TRINITY EVANGELICAL DIVINITY SCHOOL A WORD STUDY OF ζωη IN JOHN 1:4.

2 Definitions and Background of the Term ζωη One specific Greek term that I proposed for Greek Word Study is the word ζωη (lexical form: ζωη) 1 which means “life” and is found in verses such as John 1:4. The parsing for ζωη is feminine singular nominative. The word life occurs in John 1:4 of the New Testament and I quote “In him was life; and the life was the light of men”. The definition of the term life ζωη based on its background and as used in the New Testament, ζωη means life in the flesh and life in the Spirit 2 . Life in the flesh implies that all you have is the life you were born with 3 . On the other hand, life in the Spirit implies that you have a new life in Jesus Christ. Therefore, in this assignment, the paper examines the term ζωη including the background of the ζωη, New Testament uses, and interpretation of the term ζωη and a conclusion with brief personal and contemporary application of studying the word ζωη. New Testament Usage of the Term ζωη The new content is given to ζωη term in the NT refers to the divine life as possessed by Jesus Christ. It also indicated the new revelation of the triune life of God. According to Romans 5:15, life is made possible to all men by God in Christ. Life is the spiritual and spirit. This is why Jesus never sinned but died for all the sinners to get safely home to God. According to first Peter 3:18, Jesus' physical death. However, he was raised to live in the Spirit. The second application of the term ζωη is based on the triune life of God. The verses that support the usage include Colossians 1:15, 1 John 1:2, 1 John 5:11, and 1 John 14:16–17. This usage depicts that God is in three persons who live and act. The third application of ζωη is based on life as possessed by Christ. In verses such as Eph 1:3–6, 1 Jn 1:2, Heb 1:2–3, Rom 8:29, Jn 5:26, 2 Cor 4:4, and Col 1:15–17, the term ζωη is used to imply the eternal life that Jesus Christ possesses. The fourth usage of the term ζωη implies a life of the redeemed in Christ. The New Testament used the term ζωη in verses such as Col 1:13, Gal 5:24, Phil 3:8–11, and 2 Cor 4:10 to mean that Christian life is eternal life and if found in the kingdom of God. In Mathew 13:46, the Christian life is also depicted as a pearl of great price 4 . Interpreting the Term ζωη The term ζωή has been used in 1 Cor 15:45 to imply the soul as the seat of natural life, received from Adam According to 1 Cor 15:45, it is stated that “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit 5 ”. In this verse, the term ζωή is used to show the relationship between the natural-born body of Christians and the resurrection bodies of the individuals of the same believers in eternity. In this verse, Paul wrote that there is a natural body—the one we live in now, and therefore, there is a "spiritual body." The natural body and the spiritual body are different but connected. In this particular context, Paul implies the one we will be raised into after God transforms us. It means that there should be a progression from the natural body to the spiritual body. The above interpretation is explained as parallel to how a 1 Danker, Frederick William, ed. “ζωή.” Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3d ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. 2 Brown Colin. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology . 2nd ed. Paternoster Press 1980. 3 Greek Verbs: Tenses and Aspect' 1992, Bible Review 8: 17. 4 The Bible: Authorized King James Version . Edited by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett, Oxford UP, 2008. 5 The Bible: Authorized King James Version . Edited by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett, Oxford UP, 2008.

4 BIBLIOGRAPHY `Greek Verbs: Tenses and Aspect' 1992, Bible Review 8: 17. Brown Colin. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology . 2nd ed. Paternoster Press 1980. Danker, Frederick William, ed. “ζωή.” Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3d ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. Kittel, G., and G. Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament . Translated by G. W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–1976. Porter Stanley E and Andrew W Pitts. “New Testament Greek Language and Linguistics in Recent Research.” Currents in Biblical Research 2008 pp. 214–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476993X07083628 . Strong, J. Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Electronic ed. Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1996. The Bible: Authorized King James Version . Edited by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett, Oxford UP, 2008. Verbrugge Verlyn D. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology . Abridged ed. Zondervan 2004.