Deep Dive into θειότης

The history of the Greek verb for "to will" reveals a distinct cyclic evolution. In Homeric and archaic literature, the longer form ethelo was dominant. However, during the classical prose period, writers like Herodotus and Polybius largely replaced it with boulomai. This trend reversed decisively in the Koine dialect; by the time of the New Testament and Epictetus, the shortened form thelo became the standard, and ethelo disappeared entirely, surviving only in grammatically augmented past tenses.

Theologically, the New Testament noun thelema is used almost exclusively in the singular to signify the powerful unity of God’s sovereign resolve. This effective divine will stands in sharp contrast to the "impotent will" of the human under the Law. As analyzed in Romans 7, the unredeemed man possesses the thelein—the readiness or purpose to do good—but lacks the power to execute it due to the bondage of the flesh. Later Monothelite controversies further dissected these concepts, distinguishing thelesis (the faculty of willing) from thelema (the content willed), though the biblical text focuses primarily on the objective content.

Furthermore, a precise distinction exists between the terms for deity. Theotēs (Colossians 2:9) denotes the absolute essence or state of being God. In contrast, theiotēs (Romans 1:20 ) refers to the observable attributes or quality of divinity. Historically, theiotēs was not a tautology for "god" but described the active manifestation of power, such as healing or rule. Consequently, it could be applied not only to deities like Artemis but also to exalted human figures like Roman emperors or prophets, defining them by their divine-like performance rather than their absolute nature.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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