By: Obed Pineda
When studying Holy Scripture, it is valuable to remember that it was not originally written in any of today’s modern languages. It has long since been discovered, and verified, that the original manuscripts of Holy Writ were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Koine Greek, and Aramaic. For this reason, certain words, idioms, or expressions can oftentimes miss the target of their purpose or lose impact on the Bible student when he chooses not to conduct a deeper study of the Scripture, and instead settles for what is on the surface only. It is worthy to keep in mind that what one reads may have a more profound meaning in its original tongue, because it will lead to a better (more profound) understanding of God’s holy Word. One extraordinary example of this reality is the use of etymology in our personal study. Etymology is defined as “1) the study of the structure and history of words. 2) the derivation or history of a given word” (The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary, 3rd Edition). This word derives from the Greek word “etymos” which means “true.” Ergo, it may be said that etymology is researching the origin of a word to learn about the true sense of the word. Learning about the origin of a word, expression, or idiom as was used in the past, sprouts forth a better, deeper meaning of its true intent. It provides a tiny glimpse of what life was like back in the olden days. For example, during the first century, it would have been a common practice for a person to purchase their dishes directly from a potter since retail stores such as Walmart or Target were not yet in existence. Ergo, the clay dishes made by the potter were out in the open, displaying the quality of his workmanship. This allowed the consumer the opportunity to examine the utensils to verify its integrity as well. It was not uncommon for a potter to use wax on a jar or a cup, to cover up a small blemish such as a hairline crack on his handiwork. If the potter was very skilled with his craft, the crack would be hidden in plain sight and the customer would purchase the clay jar unsuspecting that his product was flawed. This was true, unless the customer making the purchase was wise and knew to judge the integrity of the jar in the rays of the sun. An experienced consumer was aware of this potter’s trick and also knew that pouring water into the bowl, jar, or cup was an insufficient test, too, because wax can serve as a water sealant. Although the wax could blend in well with the clay (if expertly applied), its presence could never hide from the sunlight. Thus, the sage purchaser would take the bowl and raise it into the sun’s rays, to ensure that the quality of the product he sought to buy was indeed as it appeared. This process of proving the integrity of the clay cup by sunlight is called eilikrinēs in Koine Greek. According to the lexicons, this term is a combination of the words heile (the sun’s rays; sunlight) and krino (to judge; to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong, Thayer G1506). Thayer’s lexicon further states that eilikrinēs was used when a product was “found pure when unfolded and examined by the sun’s light. According to Trench, ‘freedom from the falsehoods.’” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines eilikrinēs as an adjective that refers to something that is “unalloyed; it was used of unmixed substances. In the New Testament it is used of moral and ethical purity” (Vine’s, “pure, pureness, purity,” pp. 903-904). Both lexicons agree that this Greek term is found only twice in the New Testament, and in both instances it is used in reference to the Christian’s mind. The apostle Paul (by inspiration) wrote, “For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:8-10). Eilikrinēs in this Scripture is translated by the English word “sincere,” and is used to speak about possessing an honest, genuine heart that exercises spiritual discernment judiciously. Paul’s prayer was that the Philippians’ love would grow the right way; with knowledge and discernment. The purpose of his prayer was that their love would remain untainted from clouded judgment, by balancing emotion with wise perception (cf. Jeremiah 17:5-10). Notice that the light of the Word of God would reveal the entirety of the situations they would be confronted with. Within the immediate context of the pericope, Paul declares, “I want you to know, brethren, that the things that happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having bcome confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear” (Philippians 1:12-14). It is true that Paul’s unjust imprisonment would have naturally been a cause for sorrow and pain to the brethren at Philippi who loved and valued him greatly (cf. Philippians 4:15-16). Yet, the apostle sought to uplift the spirits of his “beloved and longed-for brethren, [his] joy and crown” by revealing to them that his imprisonment had produced joy because God had used it to make manifest the light of the power found in His Word (Philippians 4:1, addition OP). Paul’s illumined understanding of God’s will mirrors Joseph’s when he assured his brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:7-8). Their complete reliance on God’s purpose throughout their situations unveils that they held no resentment nor grudge toward God for their misfortune, but rather trusted in His power to transform it into a blessing. The second passage where eilikrinēs is used by Holy Writ reads, “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (2nd Peter 3:1-2). In this Scripture, the Greek term is translated as “pure” and once again it is in reference to the state of mind of the audience the inspired Peter is addressing with his letter. Both apostles highlight the sincerity of the attitude that must dwell in the Christian who daily renews his/her mind with the Word of God (cf. Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4:20-24). Holy Writ reveals that those who have truly given their hearts over to God, comprehend and trust that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Therefore, the matured, spiritual mind of a person is unveiled when heavenly wisdom is applied to worldly problems. A mind that successfully passes the sunlight’s test will rejoice when adversity appears, seeing an opportunity to be further perfected (cf. James 1:2-4).