During the period of Prohibition in the United States, the merchandising of alcohol was prohibited. As a result, private and secret clubs called “Speakeasys” emerged. One such Speakeasy was located at 86 Bedford Street in Manhattan. It was typical of these clubs back then to have one or more police officers in their hire, who would tip them off when a raid from the Vice Division was about to be launched. At that point, the bartenders would quickly and loudly inform the patrons to “86” their drinks, lest there be any evidence of alcohol. As a result, the number “86” came to be known in street slang as “dispose of,” “ditch,” or “throw away” even until today.
In this first word study, I’d like to introduce you to the words “old” and “new” as they appear in the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, and help you determine whether you’re holding on to something that needs to be 86’d or not.
As with English, there is more than one Greek word for “old” and “new” and therefore there are many subtle and informative differences and distinctions between the words and how they are used in a particular verse. These polar adjectives figure prominently in a number of different New Testament passages as they contrast law and grace, the Old Testament covenant versus the New Testament covenant, and the new nature that we have as Christians which has replaced–or should be replacing–our old nature. There are actually four Greek words which mean “old” and “new” that are translated into only two English words, even though as I mention above, the Greek words have different meanings or convey the notion of different states which cannot be done justice by two common English words (“old” or “new.”)
Why study individual Hebrew or Greek words in the Bible?
Situations like this are likely difficult ones for Bible translators who of course want accurate translations from the original manuscripts, but who are also required to be succinct in their translations. If, for example, you are trying to translate the phrase “snow skiing” (which does not appear in the Bible of course) into a language of a people living in the tropics who never heard of skiing nor ever saw snow before, how can you discuss skiing apart from a discussion on snow itself. You could easily go through several paragraphs just to make complete and accurate sense of the term! And while different English translations of the Greek New Testament have varying degrees of success in bringing out these nuances, it is easy to see that we can gain greater insight if we understand the different words used and which word appropriate for any given verse.
Old meaning ancient
Archaiosis a Greek word for old which means “original, ancient” and is used of persons belonging to a former age, e.g., “(to) those of old times,” including references to Old Testament prophets in Luke 9:8, 19 and “an early disciple” as mentioned in Acts 21:16, or the inhabitants of the world just previous to the Flood, as in 2 Peter 2:5 according to W.E. Vine. If there was ever a continent called Atlantis as Plato insists, and if there was a race of people who lived (and drowned) on that legendary continent, then archaios would be appropriate to describe them (as a lost race.) Also, the word archaios speaks of the Devil, as “that old serpent” in Revelation 12:9 and also in Revelation 20:2. Here “old” does not again refer to age in years as if the devil has a birthday, but it characterizes “a long period by the evils indicated” (Vine, passim.) We get the word archeology (the study of ancient civilizations) from archaios. So, while the other Greek term in the Bible for “old” is palaios, palaios would not be used ordinarily to describe people. Instead, palaios is used as defined below to describe something as “worn out” such as shoes with holes in their soles or a tire on an old automobile which has been repeatedly patched.
Old meaning worn out
Palaios refers to “what is of long duration, old in years, worn out as with a garment, old wine; of what belongs to the past, e.g., the believer’s former self before his conversion, his or her ‘old man’—old, because it has been superseded by that which is new, as explained in Romans 6:6” (Wuest.) Palaios denotes “once upon a time” . . . “without the reference to beginning and origin” (Vine, passim.) We get the word paleontology (the study of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life) from palaiosbecause dinosaurs belong to the past. Paleobotany, for example, is the study of prehistoric plants.
A good example of the word palaiosis found in Ephesians 4:22 where Paul writes: “Throw off your old (palaios) sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” The text uses the word anthrōpon (translated here as “nature.”) Anthrōpon refers to man as it applies to mankind, not as in male (which refers to a person’s biological sex which is described using a different word.) We get the word “anthropology” (the study of mankind) from this word. Since mankind and not males are mentioned by Paul, this passage refers to women as well. The term “throw off” (apothesthai) is a very interesting term. It is used in Greek to describe a change of clothing, where—for example—a homeless person might be given some new clothes and instructed to remove his threadbare clothing and toss it in a corner, because it is no longer serviceable or useful (as it is worn out beyond repair.) The word means literally “to put off from oneself,” (Vine) as if a model in a fashion show was changing her outfit, or an actor in a play was changing his costume. In both examples, little or no thought is given to the act of undressing, itself, and it is often done rapidly in order to prepare for the next scene. There should be no agonizing or self-loathing, reluctance or hesitation that might be found when a person confesses their sins to God Who, in the process of forgiveness, replaces their metaphorically soiled garments with clean ones.
The soil on their old, worn out and useless garments represents sin and the state of unrighteousness and the clean garments represent righteousness and the new life in Christ. Isaiah 1:18 says: “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.” The crimson is the color found on the old clothes and portrays how one has defiled himself in the process of sinning.
It was a common practice in the early church to dress their candidates for baptism in white robes to illustrate the spotless apparel God has replaced our stained garments with, and this practice of dressing new converts in white may persist even today in some denominations or in certain parts of the world. Apothesthai is also related to a nautical term which means “cast off,” as in when a deckhand throws the off rope which secures the ship to the dock once the captain of the vessel announces its departure from the port. Another example of the meaning of 86.
These Greek concepts may seem tricky, but they are fairly easy to understand and distinguish one from another nonetheless. You can have a fifty-year old home that is in shambles because of over use and disrepair (palaios) but another home twice that age which, while older (archaios)is still in good shape. So which word to use in a given instance often requires close attention to detail.
Biblical words for “new”
As far as the words for “new” go, (kainos and neos) the Greek word kainos denotes “new,” but not new in terms of time, such as a new born child. Young calves and foals would be described using the adjective neos. Rather, kainos would be used in contrast of something old such as the concept today of quantum computing as a new alternative to the older analog or digital types of computers, or quantum physics versus traditional physics. In Biblical times, it would not be unusual to name a city built from scratch as “Neapolls” which literally means “new city” as opposed to a city raised upon the ruins of an earlier city (as Tokyo was rebuilt after World War II.) Vine illustrates this same nuance with “the new tongues, of Mark 16:17.” These languages “were ‘new’ and ‘different,’ but not in the sense that they had never been heard before, or that they were new to the hearers.” Kainos is also used to designate the new Heaven and Earth of Revelation 21:1 as well as the new Jerusalem of Revelation 21:5. Vine goes further to note another subtle nuisance: “The ‘new man’ in Ephesians. 2:15 (kainos) is ‘new’ in differing in character; so also in Ephesians 4:24; but the ‘new (neos) man’ in Colossians 3:10 stresses the fact of the believer’s ‘new’ experience, recently begun, and still proceeding. ‘The old man in him … dates as far back as Adam; a new man has been born, who therefore is fitly so called “new” [i.e., neos.]” Again, from Vincent: “The ‘new’ wine of Matthew 9:17 is neos, as being of recent production; the ‘new’ wine of the kingdom (Matthew 26:29) is kainos, since it will be of a different character from that of this world.
Kainosis is translated “fresh” in the Revised Version of Matthew 9:17 and Luke uses it to speak of wineskins (5:38.) Both kainos and neos suggest “unfamiliar, unexpected, wonderful and the distinction fades with time” as people become more familiar with what they describe (Bromley.) A new (neos) car, for example is at some point in the future no longer a new car, and a new romantic partner at some point is no longer part of a new romance. Paul is the only one who uses this term in the New Testament. When kainosis contrasted with archaiosorpalaios, there is no implied criticism with archaios or palaios (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich) as we saw in this country in the sixties when the “new morality” of the sexual revolution was thought by many to be more chique than the prevailing morality. Meanwhile, those older people who did not subscribe to the concept of Aquarian age thinking were also quick to condemn it in favor of the status quo ante.
Conclusion
The overall themes or “threads” (if you’ll pardon the pun) in this essay are (firstly) that God transforms unregenerate (unsaved) people into regenerate (saved) people, and over time the resulting transformation, if unimpeded, is striking. The new person has new friends, new habits, new behaviors. The new “woman” generally does not reject her old friends (though sometimes she must depending on the context.) Rather, the old friends reject her, because she’s no longer any fun to be with as far as they are concerned, or her presence makes her old friends feeling nervous, or guilty. The renewal within is not a reform of our old nature, because we are incapable of reforming ourselves and if we were, God would not have had to sacrifice His Son for our sake.
Secondly, we should as quickly remove our acquired sin day-by-day as we would our soiled clothing. And having left our pile of dirty clothes in the hamper, we should give it no further thought. The Apostle John says in his first epistle, chapter one, verse nine: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When we do this, we are replacing our crimson stained clothing with white clothing, indicating our freedom from sin at that moment. This act of confession should be recurring regularly (because we sadly sin regularly) and we should not obsess over it. Don’t cling to your sin or your old nature. Would we sentimentally or nostalgically drag around our old clothing around with us (Why would we want to? To look fashionable? Because they smell so nice?) This only keeps us from being truly free, much as a bag lady’s shopping cart keeps her in bondage. She cannot use a restroom for fear that someone will steal her stuff. This confession should be as routine as tossing dirty clothes into a hamper or basket and dressing in clean, fresh clothes. As I write this, the nation is in the midst of a heat wave. Is there honestly anyone who would prefer to wear the same clothes day after day, week after week if they had the option to receive clean, fresh clothing. I, for one, would vote that they take the clean clothing and quickly and then 86 what they are wearing.
Feature photo credit: flyparade (iStock)