Ἰούλιος

Ioúlios

G2457 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A proper name, Julius; a Latin personal name used in the Roman world, referring specifically in the New Testament to a centurion of the Augustan cohort. The name does not convey lexical meaning beyond personal identification but designates a historical individual within Roman society. In biblical usage, it signifies the Roman officer who escorted Paul to Rome (Acts 27).

Semantic Range

proper name of Roman individuals, name of a centurion in Acts 27, used for various persons named Julius in Roman society

Root / Etymology

From the Latin personal name Julius (Iulius); the Greek Ἰούλιος is a direct transliteration of the Latin. The name Julius was common in Roman society, famously the gens name of Julius Caesar.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ἰούλιος appears in Acts 27 as the name of a centurion, highlighting the interaction between Roman authorities and early followers of Jesus. The use of the name reflects both the Roman social context of the New Testament and the movement of individuals across the Mediterranean in the first century CE. Ἰούλιος is not a Greek-origin word but a direct borrowing from Latin, demonstrating the multicultural linguistic environment of the period. Standard English translations preserve the transliterated form 'Julius,' and there is no significant difference in usage between the New Testament and contemporary secular Greek texts, where it designates individuals bearing the Latin name. The name itself does not have a meaning in Greek, functioning solely as a proper noun.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Latin origin; Julius, a centurion:--Julius.

Root Family

Ἰουλ- (Ioulía) — personal name, designation of a woman

Root Ἰουλ- personal name, designate an individual, Julius
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G2456 Ἰουλία Julia

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2457-01 Ἰουλίῳ ioulio N DAT M SG Julius to Julius Ioulios 1
G2457-02 Ἰούλιος ioulios N NOM M SG Julius Julius Ioulios 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2457-01 Acts 27:1 Ἰουλίῳ ioulio N DAT M SG Julius to Julius Ioulios
G2457-02 Acts 27:3 Ἰούλιος ioulios N NOM M SG Julius Julius Ioulios