pvj-04: Word Studies — Greek Terms Baseline¶

This is the PRIMARY output file for pvj-04. For each of the 7 Greek words, this document records: (a) the lexical data, (b) how Jesus uses it, (c) how Paul uses it, (d) whether they use it with the same or different semantic range.

1. nomos (G3551) — Law¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: nomos (nom-os)
Part of Speech: masculine noun
Root: from nemo (to parcel out, especially food or grazing)
Core meaning: law, custom, principle
NT occurrences: 169 (BLB count: 197 including variant readings)
KJV translations: "law" (95x), "the law" (49x), "of the law" (14x), "a law" (2x), others

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses nomos approximately 8-10 times in the Synoptic Gospels. His usage falls into these categories:

The Torah/Mosaic Law as authoritative Scripture:
Mat 5:17 — "Think not that I am come to destroy the law" — nomos = the Torah as permanent divine instruction
Mat 5:18 — "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law" — nomos = the written Torah in its entirety
Luk 16:17 — "easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail"
The law as a summary category ("the law and the prophets"):
Mat 7:12 — "this is the law and the prophets" — nomos = the OT Scriptures as a body
Mat 11:13 — "all the prophets and the law prophesied until John"
Mat 22:40 — "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets"
Specific legal provisions:
Mat 12:5 — "have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests..."
Mat 22:36 — "which is the great commandment in the law?"
Mat 23:23 — "the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith"

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for nomos: Jesus uses nomos to mean (a) the Torah as authoritative divine instruction, (b) the OT Scriptures collectively, (c) specific legal provisions within the Torah. He treats nomos as permanently valid (Mat 5:17-18) and hierarchically organized (Mat 23:23 — some matters are "weightier").

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses nomos approximately 118 times in his epistles — predominantly in Romans (74x) and Galatians (32x). His usage is more complex and falls into these categories:

The Mosaic Law as a whole system:
Rom 2:12 — "as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law"
Rom 3:19 — "what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law"
Gal 3:17 — "the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after"
The law as a standard that reveals sin but cannot justify:
Rom 3:20 — "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified... by the law is the knowledge of sin"
Rom 7:7 — "I had not known sin, but by the law"
Gal 2:16 — "a man is not justified by the works of the law"
Gal 3:11 — "no man is justified by the law in the sight of God"
The law as holy and good:
Rom 7:12 — "the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good"
Rom 7:14 — "the law is spiritual"
1 Tim 1:8 — "we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully"
The law as fulfilled in love:
Rom 13:8 — "he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law"
Rom 13:10 — "love is the fulfilling of the law"
Gal 5:14 — "all the law is fulfilled in one word... Thou shalt love thy neighbour"
Gal 6:2 — "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ"
The law as established (not voided) by faith:
Rom 3:31 — "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Rom 8:4 — "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us"
"Law" used metaphorically (as a principle):
Rom 3:27 — "by the law of faith"
Rom 7:21,23 — "a law... the law of my mind... the law of sin"
Rom 8:2 — "the law of the Spirit of life... the law of sin and death"

Summary of Paul's semantic range for nomos: Paul uses nomos to mean (a) the Mosaic Law as a system, (b) the law as revealer of sin, (c) the law as holy/spiritual, (d) the law as fulfilled in love, (e) the law as established by faith, (f) any principle or governing pattern ("the law of faith," "the law of the Spirit"). His widest usage is broader than Jesus's, especially in senses (b), (e), and (f).

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both Jesus and Paul use nomos to refer to the Torah/Mosaic Law as authoritative Scripture. Both speak of the law in connection with "the prophets." Both affirm the law's ongoing validity — Jesus in Mat 5:17-18 ("I came not to destroy"), Paul in Rom 3:31 ("we establish the law") and Rom 7:12 ("holy, just, good"). Both connect law-fulfillment with love (Mat 22:37-40; Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:14).

Divergence: Paul uses nomos more broadly than Jesus does. Paul employs nomos in senses Jesus does not — particularly (1) the law as a system that cannot justify (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16), (2) the law as a metaphorical "principle" (Rom 3:27; 7:21,23; 8:2), and (3) the law's relationship to grace/faith as contrasting soteriological principles (Rom 6:14; Gal 2:21; 3:11-12). Jesus does not discuss the law's inability to justify. Jesus does not use nomos metaphorically for abstract principles.

Assessment: The core referent (Torah/Mosaic Law) is the same. Paul's semantic range is a superset of Jesus's — Paul uses all the senses Jesus uses plus additional senses. This is not contradiction but vocabulary expansion due to Paul's different argumentative context (addressing Gentile inclusion and the role of Torah in justification).

2. pistis (G4102) — Faith¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: pistis (pis-tis)
Part of Speech: feminine noun
Root: from peitho (to persuade)
Core meaning: persuasion, credence, moral conviction, trust, faithfulness
NT occurrences: 222 (BLB count: 244)
KJV translations: "faith" (153x), "of faith" (22x), "By faith" (15x), "the faith" (10x)

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses pistis approximately 24 times in the Gospels. His usage falls into these categories:

Trust/confidence in God's power (healing contexts):
Mat 8:10 — "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (centurion's confidence)
Mat 9:2 — "Jesus seeing their faith" (paralytic's friends)
Mat 9:22 — "thy faith hath made thee whole" (woman with issue of blood)
Mat 9:29 — "According to your faith be it unto you" (blind men)
Mat 15:28 — "O woman, great is thy faith" (Canaanite woman)
Mrk 5:34; Luk 7:50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42 — "thy faith hath saved/made thee whole"
Trust/confidence that moves obstacles:
Mat 17:20 — "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove"
Mat 21:21 — "If ye have faith, and doubt not"
Mrk 11:22 — "Have faith in God"
Luk 17:5-6 — "Increase our faith... faith as a grain of mustard seed"
Faithfulness/fidelity as a moral virtue:
Mat 23:23 — "the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith" — pistis = fidelity/faithfulness as an ethical quality alongside justice and mercy
Luk 18:8 — "when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" — pistis = enduring trust/faithfulness

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for pistis: Jesus uses pistis primarily as (a) personal trust in God's power, especially in healing contexts; (b) confidence that overcomes obstacles; (c) faithfulness as a moral virtue. He does not use pistis in the technical sense of "the instrument of justification" or "the means by which righteousness is imputed."

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses pistis approximately 142 times. His usage falls into these categories:

The instrument of justification:
Rom 3:22 — "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ"
Rom 3:28 — "a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law"
Rom 5:1 — "being justified by faith, we have peace with God"
Gal 2:16 — "justified... by the faith of Jesus Christ"
Gal 3:24 — "justified by faith"
Eph 2:8 — "by grace are ye saved through faith"
Trust/belief in Christ:
Rom 1:8 — "your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world"
Rom 10:17 — "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"
Gal 2:20 — "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God"
"The faith" — the body of Christian doctrine:
Gal 1:23 — "he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith"
1 Tim 4:1 — "some shall depart from the faith"
1 Tim 6:10 — "erred from the faith"
1 Tim 6:12 — "Fight the good fight of faith"
Faithfulness/fidelity:
Rom 3:3 — "shall their unbelief [apistia] make the faith [pistis] of God without effect?" — pistis = God's faithfulness
Gal 5:22 — "the fruit of the Spirit is... faithfulness [pistis]"
Tit 2:10 — "shewing all good fidelity [pistis]"
Faith active in love/works:
Gal 5:6 — "faith which worketh by love"
1 Th 1:3 — "your work of faith"
2 Th 1:11 — "fulfil... the work of faith with power"

Summary of Paul's semantic range for pistis: Paul uses pistis as (a) the instrument of justification, (b) trust/belief in Christ, (c) the Christian faith as doctrine, (d) faithfulness/fidelity, (e) faith active in love. His most theologically distinctive use is (a) — pistis as the means by which righteousness is received, in contrast to "works of the law."

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both Jesus and Paul use pistis to mean trust/confidence in God. Both recognize faithfulness as a virtue (Mat 23:23; Gal 5:22). Both connect faith with salvation — Jesus says "thy faith hath saved thee" (Luk 7:50), Paul says "by grace are ye saved through faith" (Eph 2:8).

Divergence: Jesus's primary use of pistis is concrete and immediate — trust that God will heal, move mountains, answer prayer. Paul's primary use of pistis is abstract and soteriological — faith as the instrument by which God's righteousness is received apart from law-works. Paul also uses pistis to mean "the faith" (the Christian doctrinal system), a usage absent from Jesus's vocabulary. Jesus never explicitly contrasts pistis with erga nomou (works of the law).

Assessment: The words overlap in their core meaning (trust in God). The divergence is one of application and theological development, not contradictory definitions. Jesus's "thy faith hath saved thee" and Paul's "justified by faith" use the same word with the same basic meaning (trust) applied to different situations (physical healing/forgiveness vs. legal standing before God).

3. dikaiosyne (G1343) — Righteousness¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: dikaiosyne (dik-ah-yos-oo-nay)
Part of Speech: feminine noun
Root: from dikaios (just, equitable)
Core meaning: equity of character or act; right standing; justice
NT occurrences: 80 (BLB count: 92)
KJV translations: "righteousness" (42x), "of righteousness" (18x), "the righteousness" (9x)

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses dikaiosyne approximately 7 times in the Synoptic Gospels (all in Matthew):

Righteousness as right conduct/ethical quality:
Mat 5:6 — "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness" — something to be pursued
Mat 5:10 — "persecuted for righteousness' sake" — a way of life that attracts opposition
Mat 5:20 — "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees" — surpassable quality of life
Righteousness as God's requirement:
Mat 3:15 — "thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness" — a standard to be met
Mat 6:33 — "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" — something actively pursued
Mat 6:1 — "Take heed that ye do not your alms [dikaiosyne in some MSS] before men" — outward religious practice
Righteousness as a path/way:
Mat 21:32 — "John came unto you in the way of righteousness" — a path of right living

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for dikaiosyne: Jesus uses dikaiosyne as (a) ethical conduct that conforms to God's will, (b) a quality of life to be pursued and exceeded, (c) a requirement that can be fulfilled. He does not use dikaiosyne as "imputed legal standing" or "God's act of declaring righteous."

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses dikaiosyne approximately 57 times. His usage falls into these categories:

God's righteousness — his saving action/attribute:
Rom 1:17 — "the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith"
Rom 3:21-22 — "the righteousness of God without the law is manifested... by faith of Jesus Christ"
Rom 3:25-26 — "to declare his righteousness... that he might be just, and the justifier"
Imputed/credited righteousness:
Rom 4:3 — "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness"
Rom 4:5-6 — "his faith is counted for righteousness... God imputeth righteousness without works"
Rom 4:11 — "the righteousness of the faith"
Phil 3:9 — "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ"
Human righteousness (self-achieved) contrasted with God's:
Rom 10:3 — "going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God"
Phil 3:6,9 — "touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless... mine own righteousness, which is of the law"
Righteousness as ethical conduct (same as Jesus):
Rom 6:13 — "yield your members as instruments of righteousness unto God"
Rom 6:16 — "obedience unto righteousness"
2 Cor 6:7 — "the armour of righteousness"
Eph 4:24 — "the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness"
1 Tim 6:11 — "follow after righteousness"
2 Tim 2:22 — "follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace"

Summary of Paul's semantic range for dikaiosyne: Paul uses dikaiosyne as (a) God's saving action/attribute, (b) imputed legal standing credited through faith, (c) human self-righteousness contrasted with God's righteousness, (d) ethical conduct. Senses (a), (b), and (c) are absent from Jesus's vocabulary.

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both use dikaiosyne to mean right conduct/ethical quality. Jesus says "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Mat 5:6); Paul says "follow after righteousness" (1 Tim 6:11). Both treat it as something to be pursued in daily life.

Divergence: Paul's dominant usage is forensic/soteriological — dikaiosyne as God's act of declaring righteous, imputed through faith apart from works (Rom 3:21-22; 4:3-6). Jesus's usage is exclusively ethical/behavioral — dikaiosyne as right conduct that exceeds that of the Pharisees. Paul explicitly distinguishes "God's righteousness" from "one's own righteousness" (Rom 10:3; Phil 3:9); Jesus does not make this distinction.

Assessment: The core lexical meaning (rightness/justice) is shared. Paul applies it to a forensic/soteriological context that Jesus does not address in the Gospels. This is vocabulary applied to a different question (legal standing before God) rather than a contradictory definition.

4. ergon (G2041) — Work/Works¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: ergon (er-gon)
Part of Speech: neuter noun
Root: from ergo (to work)
Core meaning: toil, deed, act, labor
NT occurrences: 126 (BLB count: 176)
KJV translations: "works" (60x), "work" (32x), "the works" (9x), "deeds" (7x)

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses ergon approximately 25 times in the Gospels (especially John). His usage falls into:

Visible deeds that demonstrate character:
Mat 5:16 — "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works"
Mat 23:3 — "for they say, and do not" — works as evidence of character
The Father's works done through Jesus:
Jhn 5:20 — "the Father... sheweth him all things that himself doeth"
Jhn 5:36 — "the works which the Father hath given me to finish"
Jhn 9:3 — "that the works of God should be made manifest in him"
Jhn 10:25 — "the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me"
Jhn 10:37-38 — "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not"
Jhn 14:10 — "the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works"
Human deeds as moral evidence:
Jhn 3:19-21 — "men loved darkness... because their deeds were evil... doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest"
Jhn 7:7 — "because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil"
Jhn 8:39 — "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham"
The work of God as faith:
Jhn 6:28-29 — "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered... This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." — ergon = faith itself is the "work" God requires

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for ergon: Jesus uses ergon as (a) visible deeds reflecting character, (b) God's works performed through Christ as evidence, (c) human deeds as moral evidence of character, (d) faith as the work God requires (Jhn 6:29). He never uses ergon negatively or in opposition to faith.

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses ergon approximately 48 times. His usage falls into:

"Works of the law" — legal obedience as a means of justification (used negatively):
Rom 3:20 — "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified"
Rom 3:27 — "By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith"
Rom 3:28 — "justified by faith without the deeds of the law"
Rom 4:2 — "if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory"
Rom 9:32 — "because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law"
Gal 2:16 — "not justified by the works of the law" (3x in one verse)
Gal 3:2,5,10 — "by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
Eph 2:9 — "Not of works, lest any man should boast"
"Good works" — expected fruit of the believer (used positively):
Eph 2:10 — "created in Christ Jesus unto good works"
1 Tim 5:10 — "well reported of for good works"
1 Tim 6:18 — "that they do good, that they be rich in good works"
2 Tim 3:17 — "thoroughly furnished unto all good works"
Tit 2:7 — "a pattern of good works"
Tit 3:8 — "be careful to maintain good works"
Deeds that will be judged:
Rom 2:6 — "who will render to every man according to his deeds"
2 Cor 11:15 — "whose end shall be according to their works"

Summary of Paul's semantic range for ergon: Paul uses ergon in two contrasting ways: (a) negatively — "works of the law" as a failed means of justification, (b) positively — "good works" as the expected fruit of grace-transformed life. He also uses it for (c) deeds that will be judged. The crucial Pauline phrase "works of the law" (erga nomou) is unique to Paul and does not appear in Jesus's vocabulary.

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both use ergon positively for visible deeds that demonstrate character — Jesus's "good works" (Mat 5:16) matches Paul's "good works" (Eph 2:10; Tit 2:7). Both treat works as evidence that will be visible/judged.

Divergence: Paul introduces the phrase "works of the law" (erga nomou) — legal obedience pursued as a means of justification — and contrasts it sharply with faith. Jesus never uses this phrase or this contrast. Jesus says "This is the work of God, that ye believe" (Jhn 6:29), which actually identifies faith as a work — the opposite of Paul's faith-vs-works dichotomy (though Paul might agree that faith is God's work, cf. Eph 2:8 "the gift of God").

Assessment: Both authors use ergon to mean "deeds." Paul adds a specialized theological use ("works of the law" as a failed justification strategy) that Jesus does not employ. However, Paul also uses ergon positively for the same "good works" Jesus commands. The apparent tension is between Paul's negative "works of the law" and Jesus's positive "good works" — but Paul himself makes this same distinction (Eph 2:9 "not of works" followed by 2:10 "unto good works").

5. charis (G5485) — Grace¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: charis (khar-ece)
Part of Speech: feminine noun
Root: from chairo (to rejoice)
Core meaning: graciousness, grace, favor, gratitude, pleasure
NT occurrences: 146 (BLB count: 156)
KJV translations: "grace" (82x), "Grace" (21x), "favour" (5x), "thank" (4x)

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses charis rarely — approximately 3-4 times in the Gospels proper:

"What thank/credit have ye?":
Luk 6:32 — "if ye love them which love you, what thank [charis] have ye?" — charis = credit, reward, thing worthy of thanks
Luk 6:33 — "if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank [charis] have ye?"
Luk 6:34 — "if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank [charis] have ye?"
Note: The statements about grace in John 1:14,16,17 are the evangelist's narration, not Jesus's direct speech.

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for charis: Jesus uses charis almost exclusively in the sense of "credit" or "thing worthy of thanks" (Luk 6:32-34). He does not use charis in the theological sense of "God's unmerited favor" or "the means of salvation." This does not mean Jesus lacked the concept — he spoke of God's mercy and forgiveness extensively — but he did not use the specific word charis for it.

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses charis approximately 100+ times — making him the dominant NT user. His usage falls into:

God's unmerited favor toward sinners (soteriological grace):
Rom 3:24 — "justified freely by his grace"
Rom 5:15 — "the grace of God, and the gift by grace"
Rom 5:20 — "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound"
Eph 2:5 — "by grace ye are saved"
Eph 2:8 — "by grace are ye saved through faith"
Tit 2:11 — "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared"
2 Tim 1:9 — "who hath saved us... according to his own purpose and grace"
Grace contrasted with works/law:
Rom 4:4 — "to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt"
Rom 6:14 — "ye are not under the law, but under grace"
Rom 11:6 — "if by grace, then is it no more of works"
Gal 2:21 — "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law..."
Gal 5:4 — "whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace"
Grace as divine empowerment for service:
Rom 1:5 — "we have received grace and apostleship"
Rom 12:6 — "gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us"
1 Cor 3:10 — "according to the grace of God which is given unto me"
1 Cor 15:10 — "by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace... was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly"
2 Cor 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for thee"
Greeting/benediction formula:
Rom 1:7 — "Grace to you and peace from God our Father"
(Appears in virtually every Pauline epistle opening and closing)

Summary of Paul's semantic range for charis: Paul uses charis as (a) God's unmerited saving favor, (b) grace contrasted with law/works, (c) divine empowerment for ministry, (d) greeting formula. His most distinctive usage is (a) and (b) — charis as the basis of salvation that excludes human merit.

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both use charis in its general Greek sense of "favor/gratitude." Jesus's "what thank have ye?" (Luk 6:32-34) and Paul's greeting "grace to you" both employ standard Koine Greek meanings.

Divergence: Paul's dominant usage — charis as God's saving favor contrasted with law/works — is entirely absent from Jesus's direct speech. Jesus never uses the word charis in a soteriological sense. This is the widest vocabulary gap among the 7 words studied. Paul uses charis 100+ times; Jesus uses it 3-4 times with a different sense.

Assessment: This divergence reflects vocabulary preference, not conceptual contradiction. Jesus expressed the concept of God's unmerited favor using different vocabulary — parables (Prodigal Son, Laborers in the Vineyard, Pharisee and Publican), direct statements about forgiveness (Luk 7:47-48), and the concept of God seeking the lost (Luk 15). The concept is present in Jesus's teaching; the specific Greek word charis is not.

6. entole (G1785) — Commandment¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: entole (en-tol-ay)
Part of Speech: feminine noun
Root: from entellomai (to enjoin)
Core meaning: injunction, authoritative prescription, commandment
NT occurrences: 43 (BLB count: 71)
KJV translations: "commandment" (23x), "commandments" (12x), "precept" (2x)

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses entole approximately 20+ times in the Gospels (especially John). His usage falls into:

God's commandments (the Decalogue and Torah):
Mat 15:3 — "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
Mat 19:17 — "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments"
Mrk 7:8 — "laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men"
Mrk 10:19 — "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery..."
Luk 18:20 — "Thou knowest the commandments"
The greatest/first commandment:
Mat 22:36-38 — "which is the great commandment in the law?... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God"
Mrk 12:28 — "Which is the first commandment of all?"
Jesus's own commandments:
Jhn 13:34 — "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another"
Jhn 14:15 — "If ye love me, keep my commandments"
Jhn 14:21 — "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me"
Jhn 15:10 — "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments"
Jhn 15:12 — "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you"
The Father's commandment to Jesus:
Jhn 10:18 — "This commandment have I received of my Father"
Jhn 12:49 — "the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment"

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for entole: Jesus uses entole as (a) God's commands in the Torah, especially the Decalogue, (b) the greatest commandment (love God/neighbor), (c) his own commands to his disciples (love one another), (d) the Father's command to him. He treats commandment-keeping as evidence of love (Jhn 14:15) and as a condition of entering life (Mat 19:17).

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses entole approximately 14 times. His usage:

The Torah's commandments:
Rom 7:8-12 — "sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence... the commandment holy, and just, and good"
Rom 7:13 — "sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful"
Rom 13:9 — "if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended... Thou shalt love thy neighbour"
Commandment-keeping affirmed:
1 Cor 7:19 — "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God"
Eph 6:2 — "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise"
The commandments' ceremonial/ordinance aspect (set aside):
Eph 2:15 — "having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances"
Apostolic authority:
1 Cor 14:37 — "the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord"

Summary of Paul's semantic range for entole: Paul uses entole as (a) Torah commandments that are holy and good, (b) commandments of God to be kept (1 Cor 7:19), (c) ceremonial ordinances abolished in Christ (Eph 2:15), (d) apostolic commands with the Lord's authority. His treatment of entole is more nuanced than Jesus's — he distinguishes the commandment as "holy, just, and good" (Rom 7:12) from its inability to give life due to sin (Rom 7:10-11), and he distinguishes moral commandments (1 Cor 7:19; Eph 6:2) from "commandments contained in ordinances" (Eph 2:15).

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both use entole for God's commandments in the Torah. Both affirm commandment-keeping — Jesus says "keep the commandments" (Mat 19:17), Paul says "the keeping of the commandments of God" matters (1 Cor 7:19). Both connect commandments with love — Jesus: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (Jhn 14:15); Paul: "love thy neighbour... comprehends every commandment" (Rom 13:9).

Divergence: Paul discusses the commandment's relationship to sin in a way Jesus does not — "sin, taking occasion by the commandment" (Rom 7:8). Paul distinguishes commandments in ordinances (Eph 2:15, abolished) from commandments of God (1 Cor 7:19, to be kept). Jesus does not make this distinction explicitly.

Assessment: The core meaning (authoritative divine instruction) is identical. Both affirm commandment-keeping. Paul adds theological analysis of how sin exploits the commandment (Rom 7) and distinguishes categories of commandments that Jesus does not explicitly distinguish.

7. agape (G26) — Love¶

Lexical Data¶

Greek: agape (ag-ah-pay)
Part of Speech: feminine noun
Root: possibly from agan (much)
Core meaning: love, affection, benevolence; a love feast (plural)
NT occurrences: 84 (BLB count: 117)
KJV translations: "love" (45x), "charity" (21x), "of love" (4x)

Jesus's Usage (Gospels)¶

Jesus uses agape approximately 10 times in the Gospels:

Love of God/for God:
Luk 11:42 — "pass over judgment and the love of God"
Jhn 5:42 — "ye have not the love of God in you"
Mutual love among disciples:
Jhn 13:35 — "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another"
Jhn 15:13 — "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life"
Jesus's love / the Father's love:
Jhn 15:9 — "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love"
Jhn 15:10 — "ye shall abide in my love"
Jhn 17:26 — "that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them"
Love growing cold:
Mat 24:12 — "because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold"

Summary of Jesus's semantic range for agape: Jesus uses agape as (a) God's love, (b) love among disciples as the identifying mark of discipleship, (c) self-sacrificial love, (d) love that can grow cold under persecution. He connects love with commandment-keeping (Jhn 15:10) and makes it the central ethical demand.

Paul's Usage (Epistles)¶

Paul uses agape approximately 75 times. His usage:

God's love toward humanity:
Rom 5:8 — "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
Rom 8:35,39 — "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?... the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus"
Eph 2:4 — "for his great love wherewith he loved us"
Love as the supreme virtue:
1 Cor 13:1-13 — the extended love chapter: "the greatest of these is charity [agape]"
1 Cor 14:1 — "Follow after charity"
Col 3:14 — "above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness"
Love as the fulfillment of the law:
Rom 13:10 — "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law"
Gal 5:6 — "faith which worketh by love"
Gal 5:13 — "by love serve one another"
Love among believers:
Rom 12:9 — "Let love be without dissimulation"
1 Th 1:3 — "labour of love"
1 Th 3:12 — "the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another"

Summary of Paul's semantic range for agape: Paul uses agape as (a) God's love in Christ, (b) the supreme Christian virtue, (c) the fulfillment of the law, (d) the bond of Christian community. His usage is entirely compatible with Jesus's.

Semantic Range Comparison¶

Overlap: Both use agape for (a) God's love, (b) love among disciples/believers, (c) self-sacrificial love. Both make love the central ethical demand. Both connect love with commandment-keeping. Jesus: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love" (Jhn 15:10); Paul: "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom 13:10).

Divergence: The divergence is minimal. Paul develops agape more extensively (1 Cor 13) and explicitly connects it with law-fulfillment (Rom 13:10; Gal 5:14), a connection that is implicit but not explicit in Jesus's teaching. Paul also treats agape as explicitly superior to faith and hope (1 Cor 13:13), a ranking Jesus does not state.

Assessment: Of all 7 words studied, agape shows the greatest semantic overlap between Jesus and Paul. Both authors use the word in essentially the same way, for the same concept, with the same ethical implications. This is the strongest shared vocabulary.

Summary Table: Semantic Range Comparison¶

Word	Jesus's Primary Use	Paul's Primary Use	Overlap	Divergence
nomos	Torah as authoritative Scripture	Torah as system; law cannot justify; law established by faith	Torah as Scripture; law fulfilled in love	Paul adds: cannot justify; metaphorical "law of faith"
pistis	Personal trust (healing, miracles)	Instrument of justification; "the faith" (doctrine)	Trust in God	Paul adds: justification instrument; doctrinal system
dikaiosyne	Ethical conduct to pursue/exceed	God's saving act; imputed through faith	Righteous conduct	Paul adds: forensic/imputed righteousness
ergon	Visible deeds showing character; God's works	"Works of the law" (negative); "good works" (positive)	Good deeds as evidence	Paul adds: "works of the law" as failed justification
charis	"Credit/thanks" (Luk 6:32-34)	God's unmerited saving favor	Minimal	Widest gap — Jesus rarely uses the word; Paul's dominant term
entole	God's commandments to keep	Commandments holy/good; categories distinguished	Commandment-keeping affirmed	Paul adds: sin exploits commandment; ceremonial/moral distinction
agape	God's love; discipleship mark	God's love; supreme virtue; law-fulfillment	Nearly complete overlap	Minimal — Paul extends but does not change meaning

Conclusions for Later Studies¶

charis has the widest vocabulary gap — Paul uses it 100+ times in senses Jesus never employs the word for, though Jesus teaches the underlying concept through other vocabulary.
agape has the narrowest gap — both authors use it in essentially the same way.
nomos, pistis, dikaiosyne, and ergon all show a pattern where Paul's semantic range is a superset of Jesus's — Paul uses all the senses Jesus uses plus additional forensic/soteriological senses that Jesus does not employ.
entole shows substantial overlap with Paul adding theological nuance about the commandment's relationship to sin.
For contradiction studies: When Paul says "not justified by works of the law" and Jesus says "keep the commandments," the words nomos, ergon, and entole carry overlapping but not identical semantic ranges. Whether this constitutes contradiction depends on whether Paul's specific phrase "works of the law" (erga nomou) covers the same ground as Jesus's entole — this is a question of scope, not of contradictory vocabulary.