Lexical Summary lamprotés: Brightness, Splendor, Radiance Original Word: λαμπρότης Strong's Exhaustive Concordance brightness. From lampros; brilliancy -- brightness. see GREEK lampros NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom lampros Definition brightness NASB Translation brighter (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2987: λαμπρότηςλαμπρότης, λαμπρότητος, ἡ, brightness, brilliancy: τοῦ ἡλίου, Acts 26:13. (From Herodotus (metaphorically) down.) Topical Lexicon Lexical Placement within the Canon The noun occurs a single time in the Greek New Testament, Acts 26:13, where Paul recounts the dazzling brilliance of the risen Christ that outshone the midday sun on the road to Damascus. Its rarity concentrates its theological weight; an uncommon term is chosen to describe an incomparable revelation. Narrative Setting and Immediate Context (Acts 26:12-18) Standing before King Agrippa, Paul testifies that “about noon, O king, I saw on the road a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me” (Acts 26:13). The exceptional wording underscores that the event cannot be reduced to an inner impression or mere meteorological phenomenon. Heaven intervenes with a splendor that eclipses nature’s greatest luminary, thereby authenticating Paul’s apostolic commission. Old Testament Background of Radiant Glory 1. Sinai theophany: Exodus 34:29-35 records Moses’ face shining after communing with the LORD. These antecedents prepare the reader to identify superlative brightness with divine presence. The Damascus vision thus places Jesus unmistakably within the sphere of Yahweh’s glory. Christological Significance Hebrews 1:3 calls the Son “the radiance of God’s glory.” The Acts narrative confirms this identification: the same Shekinah-like splendor now emanates from the exalted Christ. The light Paul witnessed is not borrowed but intrinsic, confirming Jesus’ deity and resurrected life. Soteriological Implications The brightness that blinds Paul simultaneously opens his spiritual eyes (Acts 26:18). Salvation is portrayed as divine illumination—God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The once-hostile Pharisee is transformed into a herald of the gospel, illustrating how sovereign grace overcomes human rebellion. Eschatological Foretaste Revelation 21:23 declares that the New Jerusalem “does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Paul’s midday encounter anticipates that consummate reality: the radiance of Christ replacing created light. Practical and Pastoral Applications 1. Assurance of Divine Initiative: The verb tense and setting stress that conversion begins with God’s self-revelation, not human pursuit. Historical Reception Early church fathers—Chrysostom, Augustine—pointed to Acts 26:13 as evidence that apostolic authority rests on a tangible, public theophany. Medieval commentators linked the episode to transfiguration motifs, reinforcing Trinitarian orthodoxy. Reformers cited the passage to argue that Scripture, not ecclesiastical hierarchy, stands as the blazing norm guiding conscience. Homiletical Themes • “Brighter Than the Sun: The Supremacy of Christ’s Glory” Systematic Theology Linkages Attributes of God – Glory and majesty Christology – Exaltation of Christ Pneumatology – Illumination by the Spirit Ecclesiology – Apostolic foundation Eschatology – Future city of light Conclusion The single occurrence of this term concentrates the full biblical theology of divine brightness into Paul’s Damascus encounter. It testifies that the risen Christ is the ultimate manifestation of God’s glory, the source of saving illumination, and the luminous hope that will one day banish every shadow. Forms and Transliterations λαμπρότης λαμπρότησι λαμπροτητα λαμπρότητα λαμπρότητί λαμπτήρ λαμπτήρα lamproteta lamprotēta lampróteta lamprótētaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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