Honor and Shame, Part 4

While I catch up after spending a week in USDA training, I'm pleased to have another entry from Manwe Sulimo on honor and shame to use. I'm keeping the original font this time so I don't foul up the Greek characters.

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When a person reads the Bible, they can be clued in on some of the underlying subtext by the words used in a text. When looking for instances of honor and shame in the New Testament, a reader can (at least in part) sometimes recognize them by the following terms (this list is not exhaustive either in the terms or the examples of them):

Greek Words for "Honor"

• Honor
  
  GREEK: τιμή, timē
  EXAMPLES: John 4:44, Romans 2:7, 2:10, 9:21, 12:10, 13:7, 1st Peter 1:7, 2:7, 2:17, 1st Corinthians 12:23-24
  NOTE: Most commonly used to refer to humans
• Glory / Reputation
  
  GREEK: δόξα, doxa
  EXAMPLES: John 5:44, 7:18, 8:50, Revelation 4:10-11, 5:12-13, Romans 9:23, 11:36, 16:27, 1st Corinthians 2:8, 1st Thessalonians 2:6
  NOTE: Primarily, but not exclusively, used to refer to God
• Praise
  
  GREEK: ἔπαινος, epainos
  EXAMPLES: Romans 2:29, 13:3, 1st Corinthians 4:5, 8:18, Ephesians 1:6, 1:12, 1:14, Philippians 1:11, 4:8, 1st Peter 1:7, 2:14
  NOTE: Another word for praise (αινος, ainos) is used exclusively for God (Matthew 21:16, Luke 18:43)

Greek Words for Seeking Honor

• Boast / Boasting
  
  GREEK: καυχάομαι, kauchaomai
  EXAMPLES: Romans 2:17, 2:23, 5:3, 1st Corinthians 1:29, 1:31, 3:21, 2nd Corinthians 10:13, Galatians 6:14, Ephesians 2:9, Philippians 3:3

Greek Words for "Shame"

• Shame
  
  GREEK: αἰσχρός, aischros and words with the αἰσχ- stem.
  EXAMPLES: Luke 9:26, 1st Corinthians 1:26, 11:4-6, Romans 1:16, 5:5, 6:21, 9:33, 10:11, Hebrews 12:2, Titus 1:11
• Dishonor
  
  GREEK: ἀτιμία, atimia and words with the ἀτιμ- stem.
  EXAMPLES: Mark 12:4, John 8:49, 1st Corinthians 4:10, 11:14, 12:23, Romans 1:24, 1:26, 9:21
• Reproach / Disgrace
  
  GREEK: ὄνειδος, oneidos
  EXAMPLES: Luke 1:25, Romans 15:3, 1st Timothy 3:7, Hebrews 10:33, 11:26, 13:3
• Scorn
  
  GREEK: καταγελάω, katagelaō
  EXAMPLES: Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:40, Luke 6:21, 6:25, 8:53
• Slander / Blaspheme
  
  GREEK: βλασφημέω, blasphēmeō
  EXAMPLES: Matthew 9:3, 27:39, Mark 3:28, Acts 13:45, 18:6, 19:37, Romans 2:24, 3:8, 1st Corinthians 4:13, 10:30, 1st Timothy 1:20, 6:1, Titus 2:5, James 2:7, 1st Peter 4:4, 2nd Peter 2:10, Jude 1:8

Let me reiterate that this list is far from exhaustive, neither in the list of terms nor the examples given for each. But this should start as an introduction and should remind everyone that honor and shame so ubiquitously permeate the Scriptures that, should we wish to study them, it would behoove us all to have the Bible in one hand and a solid social science interpretative book in the other.

Sources

• Halvor Moxnes and Richard Rohrbaugh, ed., The Social Sciences and New Testament Interpretation, (Massachusetts: Baker Academic, 1996), 23-24..
• David A. deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2000), 27-28.
• “Strong's Concordance and Lexicon,” Study Bible, http://www.studybible.info/strongs/