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ἀντίθεσις

antíthesis

G477 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Primarily, a setting against, opposition; the act or state of placing one thing against or in contrast to another, especially in argument or discourse. In specific contexts, refers to a contrast or contradiction between statements, ideas, or practices, often within a rhetorical or polemical setting; also used for formal objections or counter-arguments in a discussion or debate.

Semantic Range

setting against, opposition in argument, rhetorical contrast, contradiction, debate, counter-proposition, formal objection

Root / Etymology

From ἀντί (against, opposite) + θέσις (a placing, setting; from τίθημι, to put or place), thus literally 'a placing against.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀντίθεσις denotes the rhetorical device of antithesis—setting opposing ideas or statements in parallel for effect or clarification. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it could also refer to actual opposition in debates or polemic discourse, including philosophical argumentation. In the New Testament, the word appears in 1 Timothy 6:20 where it describes oppositional arguments, contrasting with apostolic teaching. The Septuagint does not employ the term, but cognates and the root experience similar rhetorical uses in later Greek literature. English renderings as 'opposition' or 'contradiction' capture part of the nuance, but can understate the formal sense of deliberate rhetorical or logical contrast inherent in the Greek. The concept finds analogy in classical rhetoric (e.g., Aristotle) and was familiar in the intellectual climate of Second Temple and Greco-Roman debates.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a compound of ἀντί and τίθημι; opposition, i.e. a conflict (of theories):--opposition.

Root Family

ἀντίθεσις (antithesis) — setting against, opposition, contrast, counter-argument

Root ἀντιθεσ- to set against, to oppose

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G477-01 ἀντιθέσεις antitheseis N ACC F PL oppositions counter-positions counter-positions 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G477-01 1 Timothy 6:20 ἀντιθέσεις antitheseis N ACC F PL oppositions counter-positions counter-positions
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