| 15 | The Greek word "ἐπιούσιος" (epiousios) is considered a hapax legomenon, which means it was coined by the NT authors. Specifically, it is found in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:11 ("τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον") and Luke 11:3 ("τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν").
The precise meaning of "ἐπιούσιος" has been the subject of much scholarly debate, being as it were a fundamental part of the "Lord's Prayer" but it is commonly translated as "daily" or "necessary for existence." Since it does not appear in any other known ancient Greek texts, we must rely on it compound structure and contexts.
Two possibilities are available:
Connection to οὐσία:
- Some scholars, following Origen and Jerome, derive the word from "οὐσία" (essence or substance), translating it as "bread of essence" or "essential bread." This view, however, is complicated by the rare use of "οὐσία" in this sense outside philosophical contexts.
- The phrase ἐπι ούσιος is not a standard or commonly used construction in Greek. However, breaking it down: ἐπι (epi) is a preposition meaning "upon," "on," or "over," and ούσιος (ousios) derives from οὐσία (ousia), meaning "substance," "essence," or "being." In philosophical contexts, οὐσία refers to the fundamental nature or essence of a thing. Therefore, ἐπι ούσιος could be interpreted as "upon essence" or "on being," potentially describing something in relation to the essential nature of a subject. The exact meaning would depend on the broader context in which this phrase is used. It might refer to something that is situated on or over the essence of a thing, though without additional context, this remains speculative.
Connection to the Future Day:
- Other scholars, including Grotius and Lightfoot, argue that "ἐπιούσιος" comes from "ἐπιών" (coming), thus meaning "bread for the coming day," or "food for tomorrow." But ἐπιών means "approaching/coming" and the word "day" is added to force the sense of "coming day."
Aramaic and Hebrew Equivalents:
- Jerome mentioned that in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, "ἐπιούσιος" was rendered as "מְחַר" (machar), meaning "of the morrow" or "crastinus" (tomorrow's). This suggests that Jesus may have originally used an Aramaic expression meaning "for tomorrow."
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