Kurios

[leftrightleftrightleft]

What did Paul mean when he wrote the word "kurios" or "kuriou"? In basically any Bible, it is translated to English as "Lord" but if you go to any Greek translator, "kurio" is translated as "Master" or "Sir". It is a word denoting respect that you would follow someone and it would be the same word a slave would use to refer to their owner in ancient Greece.

So, it seems that whenever Paul uses the word "kurios" he is not referring to God in any way but is rather referring to Jesus Christ, whom he is a follower of. But "Lord" does not equal "God", at least in the New Testament.

With this realization it seems that Paul almost never attributes God's qualities (theos) to Jesus Christ (kurios). Reading it this way it seems that there's less evidence for the fact that Paul thought that Jesus Christ and God were the same entity. Was Paul a Trinitarian?

This is also evidenced by the fact that Jews of the day (and today) believed a Messiah would come (a Christos) but they did not think he would be divine and he would simply be akin to Moses or Elijah. So while Paul likely believed Jesus was the Christ/Messiah (because he refers to Jesus as "Lord Jesus Christ" many, many times). But is it arguable that Paul did not believe Jesus was divine?

 

[drich0150]

What did Paul mean when he wrote the word "kurios" or "kuriou"? In basically any Bible, it is translated to English as "Lord" but if you go to any Greek translator, "kurio" is translated as "Master" or "Sir". It is a word denoting respect that you would follow someone and it would be the same word a slave would use to refer to their owner in ancient Greece.

So, it seems that whenever Paul uses the word "kurios" he is not referring to God in any way but is rather referring to Jesus Christ, whom he is a follower of. But "Lord" does not equal "God", at least in the New Testament.

With this realization it seems that Paul almost never attributes God's qualities (theos) to Jesus Christ (kurios). Reading it this way it seems that there's less evidence for the fact that Paul thought that Jesus Christ and God were the same entity. Was Paul a Trinitarian?

This is also evidenced by the fact that Jews of the day (and today) believed a Messiah would come (a Christos) but they did not think he would be divine and he would simply be akin to Moses or Elijah. So while Paul likely believed Jesus was the Christ/Messiah (because he refers to Jesus as "Lord Jesus Christ" many, many times). But is it arguable that Paul did not believe Jesus was divine?

That is a huge leap is it not? Because, Paul often identifies himself as a slave to Christ hence the title. Never one did he segregate the authority of Christ, from the Spirit, or the Father. Because He yields to the Authority of Christ and Christ Himself authenticates His own deity, then that would mean Paul acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God.

 

[Chief117]

I'm not an expert in the Greek. But I find the book of Hebrews (if authored by Paul), and other passages (such as Romans 8) very interesting in response to your question. (That, being, was Paul a 'trinitarian.')

In Romans 8, for example, there is much Trinitarian language. 'The Spirit of God' and 'The Spirit of Christ' can live in you, for example. Paul also describes Christ as God's Son - which in my understanding goes beyond "traditional Jewish" beliefs regarding the nature of the Messiah. Sonship implies divinity to me here.

Of course I could just be groping here...

 

[Chief117]

And I can't believe I forgot my favorite passage in Scripture - Colossians is another great example. In it, Paul clearly attributes creation to Christ (which only God could have done). Furthermore, in Colossians 2:9 Paul wrote that "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form..."

Just some quick observations.

 

[Jpark]

Is it really that hard? In John 1:14, the word εϲκηνωϲεν eskenosen is often rendered as dwelt. But the proper translation is tabernacled.

Was the Tabernacle God's permanent home?

No.

Is this universe His permanent home? No (2 Chronicles 6:18, Job 34:14-15).

Preceding tabernacled is "the Word became flesh", indicating that Jesus was a human and is not presently a human. So what is He if He's not a human?

He is God (Prov. 30:4, John 3:13). Has any man come out of the highest heaven? Only theopanies of God.



John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1 John 1:1-2 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ This is the true God and eternal life.

John 1:9-10 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

 

[ebia]

What did Paul mean when he wrote the word "kurios" or "kuriou"? In basically any Bible, it is translated to English as "Lord" but if you go to any Greek translator, "kurio" is translated as "Master" or "Sir". It is a word denoting respect that you would follow someone and it would be the same word a slave would use to refer to their owner in ancient Greece.

So, it seems that whenever Paul uses the word "kurios" he is not referring to God in any way but is rather referring to Jesus Christ, whom he is a follower of. But "Lord" does not equal "God", at least in the New Testament.

With this realization it seems that Paul almost never attributes God's qualities (theos) to Jesus Christ (kurios). Reading it this way it seems that there's less evidence for the fact that Paul thought that Jesus Christ and God were the same entity. Was Paul a Trinitarian?

This is also evidenced by the fact that Jews of the day (and today) believed a Messiah would come (a Christos) but they did not think he would be divine and he would simply be akin to Moses or Elijah. So while Paul likely believed Jesus was the Christ/Messiah (because he refers to Jesus as "Lord Jesus Christ" many, many times). But is it arguable that Paul did not believe Jesus was divine?

Paul very often takes Old Testament phrases about YHWH, which in the LXX have Kyrios in place of YHWH, and uses them to talk about Jesus as Lord (Kyrios). He makes it quite clear that when he says "Lord" he means it to have all the connotations of YWHW that it has in the LXX as well as all the important connotations it has in the Greco-Roman world (eg as a reference to Caesar).

 

[razeontherock]

Yes!

 

[zaksmummy]

What did Paul mean when he wrote the word "kurios" or "kuriou"? In basically any Bible, it is translated to English as "Lord" but if you go to any Greek translator, "kurio" is translated as "Master" or "Sir". It is a word denoting respect that you would follow someone and it would be the same word a slave would use to refer to their owner in ancient Greece.

So, it seems that whenever Paul uses the word "kurios" he is not referring to God in any way but is rather referring to Jesus Christ, whom he is a follower of. But "Lord" does not equal "God", at least in the New Testament.

With this realization it seems that Paul almost never attributes God's qualities (theos) to Jesus Christ (kurios). Reading it this way it seems that there's less evidence for the fact that Paul thought that Jesus Christ and God were the same entity. Was Paul a Trinitarian?

This is also evidenced by the fact that Jews of the day (and today) believed a Messiah would come (a Christos) but they did not think he would be divine and he would simply be akin to Moses or Elijah. So while Paul likely believed Jesus was the Christ/Messiah (because he refers to Jesus as "Lord Jesus Christ" many, many times). But is it arguable that Paul did not believe Jesus was divine?

Paul is not a trinitarian, because the trinity as a concept did not exist until after he died.

What he believes is what John believes, that Jesus is "the word", "logos" in greek, or in Arameic "Memra". Memra is Gods active creative force in the world, Gods right hand so to speak, not sperate from God but is God. He is Memra made flesh.