{"id":1033,"date":"2022-09-26T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fbcmstq.org\/?p=1033"},"modified":"2022-09-26T19:07:16","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T19:07:16","slug":"antichrist-the-words-behind-the-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fbcmstq.org\/?p=1033","title":{"rendered":"Antichrist: the words behind the name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In certain circles, the nature and identity of the Antichrist exercises immense amount of interest, excitement, and speculation. I\u2019m not writing here to talk about end times speculation around this enigmatic figure. Rather, I want to take a step back and consider the Greek word of relevance: \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 (antichristos<\/em>). What does this word mean? More pointedly, I want to look at how our usage of \u201cantichrist\u201d in English obscures certain important facets of what this word means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

⚠️Reader beware: this post strays into what is called etymology\u2014that is, how words are formed and why. Nothing too technical. You have been forewarned. ⚠️<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
On making up words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The word antichrist <\/em>(Greek, \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2) is a Christian innovation. First John contains the earliest recorded use of the word and no one besides Christian authors bothers to use it after that. We can treat antichrist <\/em>(\u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2) as a brand-new word emerging in the particular social and religious context of early Jewish-Christian circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When John mentions antichrist<\/em> in 1 Jn 2.18, he mentions a figure the readers are already familiar with. Both he and they already know what the word is intended to mean. This doesn\u2019t help us that much in figuring out what John intends to communicate. In such a case, we can observe how the word is built (etymology) to help understand it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a potential problem with this otherwise sensible procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A problem in the prefix<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The problem is straightforward: the prefix anti-<\/em><\/strong> in English is far more limited in meaning than the prefix \u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9<\/em><\/strong>– is in Greek. Said a little differently: when we see an English word with anti-<\/em> on the front, we have only one main meaning possibility; Greek words with anti-<\/em> on the front had many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The venerable dictionary.com defines the English anti-<\/em><\/strong> this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a prefix meaning \u201cagainst,\u201d \u201copposite of,\u201d \u201cantiparticle of,\u201d used in the formation of compound words (anticline); used freely in combination with elements of any origin (antibody; antifreeze; antiknock; antilepton).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The English anti- <\/em>has one core sense: against. When we as English readers encounter the word \u201cantichrist,\u201d we only have one meaningful option for what we assume the word means: \u201cagainst Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
English borrowed anti-<\/em><\/a> <\/em>ultimately from Greek, but most directly through Old French and Latin. These borrowings only brought one nuance of the meaning of \u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9- <\/em><\/strong>from Greek.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
When we read \u201canti-\u201d in \u201cantichrist\u201d we do so with blinders on because anti-<\/em><\/strong> only has one meaning. When we read \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 (antichrist<\/em>) in Greek, the \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9- (anti<\/em>) part has a variety of possible meanings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary of the problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When we read antichrist <\/em>(\u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2) in 1 John, we need to be aware of a couple things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
  1. it is a word made up for a purpose<\/li>
  2. the parts of the word, while both meaningful in English, have a greater range of possible meanings in Greek than they do in English<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    In short, John’s reason for using the word antichrist <\/em>may be lost in translation to us because the way our prefix anti- <\/em>functions is much more limited than it was in Greek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    So, what does anti- mean, anyways?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    As a Greek preposition, \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af does not really mean \u201cagainst,\u201d in the sense of \u201cadversarial.\u201d Here is a summation of its basic usages, from The Cambridge Greek Lexicon<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    1. referring to physical location: opposite (side of)<\/li>
    2. referring to comparison or preference: equivalent to, in preference to<\/li>
    3. referring to substitution: in place of, instead of<\/li>
    4. referring to exchange of goods: in return, in exchange for<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      The Greek anti- <\/em>relates two entities to each other in a variety of ways. At its deepest, most abstract meaning, it probably envisions two objects in space facing each other, say on opposite sides of a valley, wall, or tree. This basic idea extends through a variety of uses into meanings which are more specialized, but still involve relating two entities together in space, in valuation (more in a monetary sense), or in how they are esteemed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      👉As a preposition, anti- <\/em>in Greek most basically refers to \u201cagainst\u201d in a spatial sense, not as an adversary.👈<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      There are Greek words where the sense of \u201cagainst\u201d as in \u201cadversary\u201d occur. The core idea of \u201cagainst\u201d each other in space naturally extends to a sense of adversary. Two armies who are opposite to one another in physical space are also in opposition<\/em> to each other in metaphorical space as well. We see this meaning appear in words like (the hyphen makes clear the anti<\/em>– part of the Greek word):<\/p>\n\n\n\n