Lexical Summary rhadiourgia: Villainy, Mischief, Deceit Original Word: ῥᾳδιουργία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance mischief. From the same as rhaidiourgema; recklessness, i.e. (by extension) malignity -- mischief. see GREEK rhaidiourgema NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as rhadiourgéma Definition ease in doing, laziness, recklessness, hence wickedness NASB Translation fraud (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4468: ῤᾳδιουργίαῤᾳδιουργία, ῤᾳδιουργίας, ἡ (see ῤᾳδιούργημα, cf. πανουργία); 1. properly, ease in doing, facility. 2. levity or easiness in thinking and acting; love of a lazy and effeminate life (Xenophon). 3. unscrupulousness, cunning, mischief (A. V. villany): Acts 13:10. (Polybius 12, 10, 5; often in Plutarch.) The noun ῥᾳδιουργία appears only once in the New Testament, in Acts 13:10, where Paul rebukes the sorcerer Elymas: “O full of all deceit and trickery, you son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Berean Standard Bible). The term gathers the ideas of calculated mischief, shameless moral laxity, and an ease in practicing evil schemes. Word Background and Nuance Built from elements meaning “easy” and “work,” the word paints a picture of wickedness carried out with casual effort—wrongdoing that costs its perpetrator little because his conscience is already seared. It is not mere impulsiveness but a practiced, deliberate readiness to employ any means for personal or demonic advantage. Historical Context in Acts 13 Elymas confronted Paul and Barnabas on Cyprus at the outset of their first missionary journey. The Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent ruler, had summoned the missionaries to hear the word of God (Acts 13:7). Seeing gospel advance threaten his influence, Elymas sought to “turn the proconsul from the faith.” Paul discerned the depth of the sorcerer’s malice and exposed it with the charged expression containing ῥᾳδιουργία. The immediate divine judgment—temporary blindness—mirrored the spiritual darkness Elymas was perpetuating and authenticated apostolic authority before a watching governmental official. Theological Significance 1. Opposition to the Gospel. The term encapsulates Satanic resistance that combines deceit, moral indifference, and persistence. Scripture consistently portrays the gospel’s advance meeting precisely this kind of opposition (2 Thessalonians 2:9–10; 2 Timothy 3:8). Related Concepts in Scripture • Craftiness of the serpent (Genesis 3:1) and those “cunning in evil” (Micah 2:1). Practical Ministry Applications • Gospel workers should expect calculated opposition and be equipped with prayerful discernment. Conclusion ῥᾳδιουργία signals more than generic wrongdoing; it is a chilling reminder that evil can be pursued with effortless readiness and calculated finesse. Acts 13:10 stands as both a warning to would-be corrupters of the faith and a reassurance that Christ’s servants, armed with discernment and the Spirit’s authority, can expose and overcome such treachery. |
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