χάρισμα

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /kʰá.riz.ma/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈxa.riz.ma/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈxa.riz.ma/^[1]

Forms

χᾰ́ρῐσμᾰ (khárisma) n (genitive χᾰρῐ́σμᾰτος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is derived from χαρίζομαι (kharízomai, “to show favour, give freely”), with the suffix of result nouns -μα (-ma): “a favour given”.^[1][2][3] The verb comes from χάρις (kháris, “grace, favour”), related to χαίρω (khaírō, “to rejoice”).^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Philo uses it for the grace or favour of God.^[4][2] BDAG notes a use in Alciphron that may come from Attic comedy, but most non-Jewish and non-Christian examples are late.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the New Testament it is a gift of God's grace: Paul uses it for redemption, for eternal life, which he sets against the wages of sin, for the privileges of Israel, and above all for the varied gifts of the Spirit given to individual Christians.^[2][4] Later papyri use it generally for a favour bestowed.^[4][2]

Latin borrowed it as charisma, and Classical Persian as karišma.^[1] English used charism from the 1640s and charisma from 1875 for a spiritual gift divinely conferred.^[3] Modern Greek χάρισμα (chárisma) is an inborn talent, and as an adverb means “free, for nothing”.^[5]

Timeline

• 1st century BC – 1st century AD – Philo uses it for the grace of God.^[4][2]
• 1st century AD – Paul uses it for the gifts of the Spirit.^[2][4]
• 4th century AD – A papyrus uses it for benefits bestowed.^[4][2]
• 1875 – English borrows charisma.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. grace, favour.^[4][1]
2. (New Testament) A gift of God's grace, especially a spiritual gift.^[2][4]
3. (later) A favour or gift bestowed.^[4][2]

Related words

• χαρίζομαι (kharízomai)
• χάρις (kháris)
• χαίρω (khaírō)
• Latin charisma
• English charisma

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki