The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament: Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-Literary Sources (English and Greek Edition)

Few archaeological discoveries in recent years have awakened more widespread interest than the countless papyrus documents recovered from the sands of Egypt, and it is from them that the principal non-literary illustrations of the “Vocabulary of the Greek Testament” have been drawn. The authors note that it was in no way their aim to provide a complete “Lexicon” to the Greek New Testament, but rather to show the nature of the new light cast upon its language by these rich stores of newly-found contemporary papyri. Apart from the papyri, considerable use has been made of the Greek inscriptions, and evidence from other non-literary sources has been freely cited, wherever it seemed likely to be useful. Very often words have been included for which the authors’ non-literary sources provide no illustration, in order to show from literary evidence, if forthcoming, or from its very absence, the relation of such words to the popular Greek. In a book such as this, whose publication has extended over a number of years, it is inevitable that many new examples of the words treated should have come to light. To have included these in the present volume would have seriously delayed publication and added considerably to cost. In these circumstances, the authors thought it best simply to keep a note of the more important additions which have suggested themselves in the hope of utilizing them at a future date. And this course is further justified by the fact that, a far as the authors can gather, the examples which might have been added would do little more than explain or confirm the conclusions already reached.