Lexical Summary aphelotés: Simplicity, sincerity, frankness Original Word: ἀφελότης Strong's Exhaustive Concordance singleness, simplicityFrom a compound of a (as a negative particle) and phellos (in the sense of a stone as stubbing the foot); smoothness, i.e. (figuratively) simplicity -- singleness. see GREEK a HELPS Word-studies 858 aphelótēs (derived from 1 /A "not" and phelleus, "stony ground") – properly, without rocks (the opposite of phelleus, "rocky land"), i.e. smoothness (a level plain); (figuratively) what is uncomplicated and unencumbered, i.e. without hindrances or stumbling blocks (J. Thayer). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom aphelés (without a stone, even, smooth) Definition simplicity NASB Translation sincerity (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 858: ἀφελότηςἀφελότης, ἀφελοτητος, ἡ (from ἀφέλῃς without rock, smooth, plain, and this from φελλεύς rocky land), simplicity (A. V. singleness): καρδίας, Acts 2:46 (found only here (and in ecclesiastical writings). The Greeks used ἀφελεια). Topical Lexicon Definition and Nuance Ἁφελότης (Strong’s Greek 858) conveys “simplicity, unaffected sincerity, singleness of motive.” While related to ἁπλότης (Strong’s Greek 572), which stresses generosity and openness, ἁφελότης carries the additional idea of freedom from pretense or artifice, an unembellished genuineness. Classical writers applied it to straightforward speech or uncluttered style; Luke employs it once, describing the communal life of the Pentecost church. Singleness in Early Church Practice (Acts 2:46) “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread from house to house and ate together with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46). In the newborn Jerusalem fellowship, ἁφελότης surfaces as a hallmark of shared meals, worship, and possessions (Acts 2:44-45). The word highlights: • Undivided devotion – Their interior motives matched their outward acts of hospitality. Thus Luke links the Spirit’s filling (Acts 2:4) with a community ethic that rejects calculation or hypocrisy. Relationship to Other Biblical Terms of Sincerity Haplotes (e.g., 2 Corinthians 1:12; 11:3), eilikrineia (“pure sincerity,” Philippians 1:10), and akakos (“guileless,” Hebrews 7:26) overlap conceptually. Ἁφελότης, however, focuses on a single-hearted posture rather than an outward gift. Where ἁπλότης urges generous sharing, ἁφελότης accents the inward authenticity that makes such sharing credible. Both qualities converge in Christian stewardship: “He who sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6), but the sowing must arise from a heart free of ulterior motives (compare Matthew 6:1-4). Old Testament Background Hebrew concepts of תֹּם (tōm, “integrity”) and לֵבָב שָׁלֵם (lēvāv shālēm, “undivided heart”) anticipate ἁφελότης. David prays, “Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11), longing for wholeness that excludes duplicity. Proverbs opposes “the integrity of the upright” to the twisted schemes of the wicked (Proverbs 11:3). Luke, steeped in Septuagint vocabulary, draws on this ethical lineage to describe Pentecost believers as the righteous remnant marked by integrity. Theological Significance 1. Trinitarian work: The risen Christ pours out the Spirit (Acts 2:33) who forges a community characterized by ἁφελότης. Authenticity is not merely moral effort but Spirit-produced fruit. Pastoral Implications • Worship: Liturgical excellence must be married to genuine affection; otherwise form becomes facade (John 4:24). Historical Usage in Early Christian Literature Early apologists prized the virtue. The Epistle of Barnabas urges readers to “cling to simplicity and not to hypocrisy,” echoing Acts 2. Shepherd of Hermas commends believers who “serve in simplicity.” These writings confirm that the earliest generations saw ἁφελότης as indispensable to Christian identity, guarding against the rhetorical sophistication and religious syncretism of surrounding culture. Contrast with Hypocrisy Jesus repeatedly denounces pretenders (Matthew 23). Ἁφελότης stands at the opposite moral pole. Where hypocrisy masks selfishness behind pious display, simplicity unmasks the heart and thereby glorifies God. Acts 5:1-11, the account of Ananias and Sapphira, forms a narrative foil: their deceit shatters the very ἁφελότης that characterized the church in Acts 2:46. Eschatological Horizon Scripture envisions an eschaton in which believers stand “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish” (Philippians 2:15). Present exercises in ἁφελότης anticipate that future wholeness. Thus the virtue is not merely social but eschatological, aligning the church with her coming perfection. Summary Ἁφελότης embodies single-hearted devotion that is Spirit-wrought, community-building, mission-advancing, and eschatologically oriented. The lone New Testament occurrence in Acts 2:46 offers a snapshot of the church at its healthiest—glad, generous, and genuine. Modern disciples, called to be “sincere and blameless” (Philippians 1:10), find in ἁφελότης both a challenge and a promise: by yielding to the Spirit, they too may enjoy the glad simplicity that marked the first believers and that will one day characterize the perfected bride of Christ. Forms and Transliterations αφελοτητι αφελότητι ἀφελότητι αφελώς apheloteti aphelotēti aphelóteti aphelótētiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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