Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, I attended the Society of Biblical Literature meeting held in Baltimore. I gave a paper for the Biblical Lexicography section entitled: “Greek Words and Roman Meanings: (Re)mapping Righteousness Language in Greco-Roman Discourse as a Prolegomenon to Paul.” The paper summarized the work I have done to remap the definitions for δικαιοσύνη, δίκαιος, and δικαιόω according to their Κοινή or “common” every day use in Greco-Roman discourse. The problem with BDAG and other lexicons like it is their dependence on Septuagintal uses for defining the δικ(αιο)- word group. Letting the LXX define major semantic classifications is putting the proverbial cart before the horse. First we should examine how the words are commonly understood in the everyday discourse of the 1st century Mediterranean world. Then we examine how Paul might modify the definitions by quoting the Septuagint and its dependence on the Hebrew correlatives tsedek/tsedekah to define what the Greek words mean. So the Greco-Roman usages become the baseline for evaluating the likelihood of an echo.
The more unique the definition, or in other words, the further away Paul’s specialized usage of δικ(αιο)- lexemes is from their “normal” Κοινή use, the greater burden is placed on the exegete that the OT echo does indeed extend the normal meanings of Greek words in that direction.
This is not to say that the LXX is not important to the understanding of Paul’s soteriological terms in his letters. Paul likely uses Septuagintal echoes in his letters to redefine the meaning of the δικ(αιο)- word group. However, these definitions are specialized and should not constitute a major semantic classification.
Here’s a sample of what I did with δίκαιος . The left column are the definitions in my alternative lexicon based on Κοινή usages. The right column are the entries of BDAG. The full study will be published in the form of two essays in the forthcoming Festschrift for Dr. Seyoon Kim: Fire in My Soul: Essays on Pauline Soteriology and the Gospels in Honor of Seyoon Kim (eds. Soon Bong Choi, Jin Ki Hwang, and Max J. Lee; Wipf&Stock, Mar/April 2014).
Lexeme
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Lee*
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BDAG
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δίκαιος:
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(A1): in accordance with the expectations, customs or decorum of the community; right, fitting, appropriate, customary[1]
(A2): in accordance to the rules or civic laws which govern society; just, equitable, fair, lawful[2]
(A2.1; as a substantive): the right to do something as guaranteed by law or custom; legal license or civic liberty; right, freedom[3]
(A2.2; as a substantive): punitive action; punishment[4]
(A3): in accordance to moral integrity; righteous, upright, honest[5]
(A4): judged in the right; justified[6]
unattested [[(A4.1): judged innocent; acquitted; innocent; free]][7]
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(1) pertaining to being in accordance with high standards or rectitude, upright, just, fair
(a) of humans
(α) In Gr-Rom. tradition a δίκαιος person upholds the customs and norms of behavior . . . In keeping with OT tradition . . . δίκαιος like tsaddiq = conforming to the laws of God and people
(β) of things relating to human beings . . . αἷμα δικαίου (Jo 4:19; La 4:13 = Pr 6:17 αἷμα δικαίον) blood of an upright, or better, an innocent man
(b) of transcendent beings
(α) God and deities are just or fair in their judgments
(β) of Jesus who, as the ideal of an upright person, is called simply ὁ δίκαιος the upright one
(2) obligatory in view of certain requirements of justice, right, fair, equitable
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