pvj-04: Topics — Greek Terms Baseline
Primary Topics
Greek Vocabulary Comparison — Do Paul and Jesus use the same 7 key Greek words with the same semantic range?Semantic Range Analysis — For each word, what meanings does each author employ?Vocabulary as Contradiction Indicator — If the same word carries different meanings in different authors, alleged "contradictions" may be verbal rather than substantive.
The 7 Greek Words Under Study
1. nomos (G3551) — Law
169 NT occurrences, 11 KJV translations
Primary: "law" (95x), "the law" (49x)
Jesus uses nomos in Gospels: Mat 5:17,18; 7:12; 11:13; 12:5; 22:36,40; 23:23; Luk 10:26; 16:16,17
Paul uses nomos extensively in Romans (74x in Romans alone), Galatians, 1 Corinthians
2. pistis (G4102) — Faith
222 NT occurrences, 17 KJV translations
Primary: "faith" (153x), "of faith" (22x), "By faith" (15x)
Jesus uses pistis: Mat 8:10; 9:2,22,29; 15:28; 17:20; 21:21; 23:23
Paul uses pistis: 142+ times across epistles (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, etc.)
3. dikaiosyne (G1343) — Righteousness
80 NT occurrences, 12 KJV translations
Primary: "righteousness" (42x), "of righteousness" (18x)
Jesus uses dikaiosyne: Mat 3:15; 5:6,10,20; 6:1,33; 21:32
Paul uses dikaiosyne: 57+ times (Romans alone has 33+ occurrences)
4. ergon (G2041) — Work/Works
126 NT occurrences, 14 KJV translations
Primary: "works" (60x), "work" (32x)
Jesus uses ergon: Mat 5:16; 11:2; Jhn 5:20,36; 6:28; 9:3; 10:25,32,37,38; 14:10,11; 15:24
Paul uses ergon: Rom 2:6; 3:20,27,28; 4:2,6; 9:12,32; 11:6; Eph 2:9,10; Gal 2:16
5. charis (G5485) — Grace
146 NT occurrences, 24 KJV translations
Primary: "grace" (82x), "Grace" (21x), "favour" (5x)
Jesus uses charis: Luk 6:32,33,34 ("what thank have ye?"); minimal direct usage
Paul uses charis: 100+ times — the dominant NT user of this word
6. entole (G1785) — Commandment
43 NT occurrences, 8 KJV translations
Primary: "commandment" (23x), "commandments" (12x)
Jesus uses entole: Mat 15:3,6; 19:17; 22:36,38,40; Mrk 7:8; 10:5,19; 12:28; Jhn 13:34; 14:15,21; 15:10,12
Paul uses entole: Rom 7:8-13; 13:9; 1 Cor 7:19; Eph 2:15; 6:2
7. agape (G26) — Love
84 NT occurrences, 15 KJV translations
Primary: "love" (45x), "charity" (21x)
Jesus uses agape: Mat 24:12; Luk 11:42; Jhn 5:42; 13:35; 15:9,10,13; 17:26
Paul uses agape: Rom 5:8; 8:35,39; 13:10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; Eph 3:19
Distribution Pattern
Paul is the dominant user of nomos, pistis, dikaiosyne, charis, and ergon in theological contexts
Jesus is the dominant user of entole in the Gospels (especially John)
Both use agape substantially
Jesus uses pistis primarily for trust/healing; Paul uses pistis primarily for justification/salvation