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Nomos

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Nomos is the Greek word for law, but in the New Testament and especially in Paul its force depends on context and does not always reduce to one fixed sense.

At a Glance

Nomos is the Greek word for law, but in the New Testament and especially in Paul its force depends on context and does not always reduce to one fixed sense.

Key Points

Description

The Greek word for law, used with different shades of meaning depending on context. More fully, this category belongs to the technical work of grammar, lexicography, manuscript study, or discourse analysis. Handled responsibly, it sharpens exegesis; handled carelessly, it can be used to smuggle in conclusions that the context itself does not justify.

Biblical Context

In the New Testament, nomos can denote the Mosaic law, Scripture considered as law, the law's covenantal administration, or even a governing principle in a more extended sense. Its force in Paul must therefore be decided passage by passage.

Historical Context

Greek nomos can refer broadly to law, custom, or norm, but Jewish and Christian usage is deeply marked by Torah. Debates about law in the first century therefore involve both ordinary legal language and covenantal scriptural meaning.

Jewish and Ancient Context

For Jewish hearers, nomos was bound up with Torah, covenant identity, and obedience before God. That background is indispensable for reading New Testament arguments about the law's goodness, limits, and fulfillment in Christ.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

Nomos can denote Mosaic law, Scripture considered as law, a legal norm, or a governing principle, depending on context. Pauline uses must be read in relation to argument, covenant setting, and immediate literary context rather than forced into one invariant sense.

Theological Significance

The term matters theologically because faithful doctrine depends on faithful reading. Precision in language and text serves the church by making interpretation more exact, more transparent, and less dependent on guesswork or rhetoric.

Philosophical Explanation

Nomos raises questions about normativity, covenant order, and the relation between command and life. Biblical theology treats law neither as evil nor as ultimate, but as holy and good within God's redemptive economy.

Interpretive Cautions

Technical terms should not be used as conversation-stoppers. Context, usage, syntax, discourse, and the actual textual evidence remain decisive.

Major Views

Text-critical and linguistic discussions often involve genuine methodological disagreement, but such debates should be conducted on explicit evidence rather than slogan-level appeals to one tradition or another.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Technical language should serve exegesis and theology without being mistaken for theology itself.

Practical Significance

For students and teachers of Scripture, this term helps cultivate disciplined reading, better translation judgment, and more careful handling of biblical evidence.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

Machine-readable JSON for Nomos

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