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VIII. STYLE AND LANGUAGE

The language of the Epistle is both in vocabulary and style purer and more vigorous than that of any other book of the N.T.
i. The vocabulary is singularly copious. It includes a large number of words which are not found elsewhere in the apostolic writings, very many which occur in this book only among the Greek Scriptures, and some which are not quoted from any other independent source. Even when allowance is made for the requirements of the peculiar topics with which the writer deals, the number of peculiar words is still remarkable. In the Pastoral Epistles however the proportion is still greater.


Dr Thayer reckons the same number of peculiar words (168) in the Pastoral Epistles and the Epistle to the Hebrews, but the latter is the longer in about the proportion of 21 to 15.

The following words are not quoted from any source independent of the Epistle: ajgenealovghto" (Heb. 7:3); aiJmatekcusiva (9:22); e[ktromo" (12:21 marg.); eujperivstato" (12:1); qeatrivzein (10:33; ejkqeatrivzein in Polyb.); misqapodovth" (11:6) and misqapodosiva (2:2; 10:35; 11:26) for the Classical misqodovth" and misqodosiva ; provscusi" (11:28); sugkakoucei'n (11:25); teleiwthv" (12:2).

The list of classical words which are found in the Epistle and in no other part of the Greek Scriptures is large: ajklinhv" (10:23); ajkroqivnion (7:4); ajlusitelhv" (13:17); ajmhvtwr, ajpavtwr (7:3); ajnalogivzesqai (12:3); ajnastaurou'n (6:6); ajntagwnivzesqai (12:4); diovrqwsi" (9:10); ejkdochv (10:27); ejklanqavnein (12:5); ejnubrivzein (10:29); ejpeisagwghv (7:19); eujarevstw" (12:28); katavdhlo" (7:15); kataskiavzein (9:5); o[gko" (12:1); paraplhsivw" (2:14); sumpaqei'n (4:15; 10:34); sunepimarturei'n (2:4); tomwvtero" (4:12); uJpeivkein (13:17).

Other words peculiar to the Epistle among Biblical writings belong to the later stage of Greek Literature:
ajqevthsi" (7:18; 9:26); a[qlhsi" (10:32); ajkatavluto" (7:16); ajmetavqeto" (6:17 f.); ajparavbato" (7:24); ajfora'n (12:2); dusermhvneuto" (5:11); eujpoii?a (13:16); katagwnivzesqai (11:33); Leuitikov" (7:11); mesiteuvein (6:17); metriopaqei'n (Heb. 5:2); polumerw'", polutrovpw" (1:1); sabbatismov" (4:9); trachlivzein (4:13); tumpanivzein (11:35); uJpostolhv (10:39).


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