Hypocrisy
Excerpt
[Hypocrisy is] a term and idea that are primarily limited to the Bible to the NT writings. The Greek word transliterated into English as ‘hypocrite’ was used to denote an actor, one who performed behind a mask. Thus the popular understanding came to be that of persons who pretended to be something that they were not. It is interesting to note, however, that hypocrisy does not appear to be so limited in meaning in the NT. The term can sometimes denote general wickedness or evil, self-righteousness, pretense, or breach of ‘contract.’
Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper & Row, and Society of Biblical Literature. Harper’s Bible dictionary 1985: 414. Print.
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