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Words and Definitions
Words and Definitions – The Importance and Necessity to Describe and Define
When researching and discussing this topic, it is common that words are created to summarize or explain. It is necessary that all critical words be defined before using. It is essential for communication that everyone use the same meanings for words used.
This is not exclusive to this topic. Words such as Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience are not found in the Bible; nevertheless, were formed to capture concepts of God. Even the word “Trinity” is made-up word to enlist one’s grappling with God being 3 yet 1. Such a process of naming is Biblical. In Genesis 1-2 we see God naming to differentiate; that’s what “night” and “day” does:
Genesis 1:5 [HCSB] God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day.
God in both halves of the Bible (another made up word) chose certain words to capture his meaning. This is seen in how God took a common word, agape, and redefined it by His actions and Jesus’ life. There was not a word that described the type of love He showed and wanted us to emulate so that we could seek the best for others.
Following God’s example, Adam names the animals which defines the animals and differentiates them from the other animals:
Genesis 2:19-20 [HCSB] 19) So the LORD God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20) The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement.
Furthermore, this is how humans communicate even today. What are special words that will help us summarize positions or define our point in the study of the role of women and men? In alphabetical order, here are words that will be introduced and needing defining as we progress through our study (biblical (English, Hebrew, Greek) and “specialized” (created for this topic): Authority (exousia); Complementarian; Disgrace; Economical; Egalitarian; Feminism; Functional; Head (kephale); Hierarchy; Honor (Dishonor); Leadership; Ontological; Patriarchal; Primogeniture; Rule (English and Original languages); Shame (Improper); Subjection; and maybe others.
Defining terms is necessary because one person might use a word differently than another. It is also necessary when possible to use the Biblical definition and not the colloquial definition (i.e. “rule” in Genesis 3:16). Lastly, it is never fair to assign a definition to a word that the user does not intend.
These and others will be defined as we go along, but I highly recommend defining these yourselves before they are introduced into class.
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