Words of Sin in the New Testament
Words of Sin in the New Testament Romans 5:12-21 Excerpt The principal NT term is hamartia (and cognates), which is equivalent to ḥṭ’ . In classical Gk. it is used for missing a target or taking a wrong road. It is the general NT term for sin as concrete wrongdoing, the violation of God’s law ( Jn. 8:46 ; Jas. 1:15 ; 1 Jn. 1:8 ). In Rom. 5–8 Paul personifies the term as a ruling principle in human life ( cf . 5:12 ; 6:12 , 14 ; 7:17 , 20 ; 8:2 ). paraptōma occurs in classical contexts for an error in measurement or a blunder. The NT gives it a stronger moral connotation as misdeed or trespass ( cf . ‘dead through … ’, Eph. 2:1 ; Mt. 6:14 f.). parabasis is a similarly derived term with similar meaning, ‘transgression’, ‘going beyond the norm’ ( Rom. 4:15 ; Heb. 2:2 ). asebeia is perhaps the profoundest NT term and commonly translates pš‘ ...