The World of the "New Testament"

The World of the "New Testament"

by Francis A. Beffert

A great many people are confused by the scriptural use of the term "world." The term is rendered from four different Greek terms that have different meanings, but often have similar applications. Here are the four Greek words and their definitions.

Kosmos—regular/normal disposition, present order, orderly or harmonious arrangement, constitution, order.

Aion—age, perpetuity, time.

Oikoumene—land, the world (generally the Roman Empire), the inhabited earth.

Ge—soil, the ground, earth, a region, territory, land within fixed boundaries.

The first thing to be noticed is that it was a mistake to render "aion" as world. The NASB did so on 37 occasions, which only added to the confusion. While the terms "kosmos," "oikoumene" and "ge" often have broad applications, on many occasions, these terms referred to the land or nation of the Jews.

I glorified Thee on the earth (ge), having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do [John 17:4].

Jesus confined His efforts to the Jews to whom He was sent.

…and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth (ge) will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory [Matthew 24:30].

Jesus was speaking of God’s judgment of the Jews. They were a nation of tribes.

I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth (ge) [Luke 18:8]?

Here, Jesus was speaking a parable to the Jews.

While "kosmos" is generally regarded in the broadest sense, it also was used to refer to the Jews. This is graphically seen in John 17, where the prayer of Jesus, prior to His crucifixion, is recorded.

I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world (kosmos); Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word [John 17:6].

"Manifested" is past tense; therefore, Jesus was speaking of His present disciples, who were all Jews.

I have given them Thy word; and the world (kosmos) has hated them, because they are not of the world (kosmos), even as I am not of the world (kosmos). (16) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (kosmos) [John 17:14, 16].

At the time that Jesus was speaking, His teaching had been confined to the "kosmos" of the Jews. Were Jesus’ disciples in the "world?" Of course! However, they were no longer a part of the "existing arrangement" of Judaism, as they had followed Jesus.

As Thou didst send Me into the world (kosmos), I also have sent them into the world (kosmos) [John 17:18].

Jesus came to the "existing arrangement" of the Jews and sent His disciples to preach to the same.

But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" [Matthew 15:24].

…and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised [Galatians 2:9].

Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world (kosmos) [John 17:24].

The Father loved the Son before the establishment of the "orderly arrangement" of Judaism.

O righteous Father, although the world (kosmos) has not known Thee, yet I have known Thee; and these have known that Thou didst send Me [John 17:25].

And so they were saying to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me, nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also" [John 8:19].

… in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world (kosmos), may be charged against this generation [Luke 11:50].

Jesus was obviously speaking of the "existing arrangement" of Judaism as they were the ones who killed the prophets.

We find the first century understanding of the "oikoumene" in the writings of Josephus.

I am at amity with and well respected by the Romans, who, I may say so are rulers of the whole world (oikoumene) Josephus, Antiquities, 15.11.1.

...and the inhabitable world (oikoumene) was subjected to them Josephus, antiquities, 19.2.4.

I know of no one that would argue that the Romans ruled the entire globe in the first century A.D..

As one can see, it is extremely important to consider the context when assigning a meaning to the terms rendered as "world," as well as the time and understanding of the people being addressed.