Arche
A. The noun arche (a)rxh~) has the following cognates:
1. Aparche (a)parxhv) (noun), “firstfruit.”
2. Archaios (a)rxai~o$) (adjective), “ancient, old.”
3. Archegos (a)rxhgov$) (noun), “leader, ruler, prince.”
4. Archieratikos (a)rxieratikov$) (adjective), “belonging to the office of the high priest.”
5. Archiereus (a)rxiereuv$) (noun), “high priest.”
6. Archipoimen (a)rxipoivmhn) (noun), “chief shepherd.”
7. Archisunagogos (a)rxisunavgwgo$) (noun), “ruler of a synagogue, presiding officer.”
8. Architekton (a)rxitevktwn) (noun), “master builder, an architect.”
9. Architelones (a)rxitelwvnh$) (noun), “chief tax collector, a chief publican.”
10. Archo (a&rxw) (verb), “to rule, begin, reign.”
11. Archon (a&rxwn) (noun), “ruler, prince, leader.”
12. Ethnarches (e)qnavrxh$) (noun), “governor, ethnarch.”
13. Hekatontarches (e(katontavrxh$) (noun), “centurion.”
14. Hekatontarchos (e(katovntarxo$) (noun), “centurion, captain.”
15. Enarcho (e)navrxw) (verb), “to begin, make a beginning.”
16. Eparcheios (e)pavrxeio$) (adjective), “governed province.”
17. Eparchia (e)parxiva) (noun), “province.”
18. Patriarches (patriavrxh$) (noun), “father of a nation, patriarch.”
19. Peitharcheo (peiqarxevw) (verb), “to obey, follow the advice of, submit to.”
20. Politarches (politavrxh$) (noun), “civil magistrate, ruler.”
21. Proenarchomai (proenavrxomai) (verb), “to begin previously.”
22. Tetrarcheo (tetrarxevw) (verb), “to be a tetrarch.”
23. Huparxis (u^parci$) (noun), “existence, substance, property.”
24. Huparcho (u(pavrxw) (verb), “to pre-exist, to exist from eternity past.”
25. Chiliarchos (xilivarxo$) (noun), “a commander.”
B. Classical
1. The noun arche appears in classical Greek from Homer onwards.
2. The word functions both in an ordinary sense and in a philosophical sense.
3. It is an important term in Greek philosophy.
4. The noun arche always signifies “primacy,” whether in time, “beginning,” or in rank, “power, dominion,
office.”
5. Arche in philosophical discussions denoted the much sought after origin and cause of the physical universe.
6. The word can have the following meanings:
a. beginning, start
b. starting point, original beginning
c. the first cause
d. power, authority, rule
7. Arche developed a special meaning in Greek philosophy.
8. Philosophers debated about a precise “starting point” of the universe.
9. It denotes the point at which something new begins in time, the end of which can be seen from the first.
10. Temporally, it denotes “beginning” in the exact sense or in other words the place in a temporal sequence at
which something new, which is also finite, commences.
11. When one spoke of the beginning (arche), the end (telos) was also in view.
12. Since the beginning comes out of the infinite, so the end will also lose itself in it.
13. It is the starting point, the cause, the first cause of all that is, the basic principle of all, e.g. for Thales,
water; for Anaximander, infinity; for Anaximenes, air.
14. Gradually, arche developed its meaning from the underlying cause to the underlying laws, which determine
the development and progress of the cosmos.
15. Philo consistently used the word to denote non-eternity.
16. Philosophically, the term arche is of greatest significance in cosmic physics.
17. In this area, it denotes original material from everything has evolved.
2002 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries
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18. In this sense, however, it gradually was replaced by stoichein.
19. It is still reserved, however, for the fundamental laws which control the evolution of the world both in great
things and small.
20. To the Stoics theos, “God” was identical with arche.
C. LXX
1. The LXX uses arche and its cognates to translate over 30 Hebrew terms.
2. In the LXX, arche usually denotes temporal beginning.
3. Arche is used for “dominion, power, position of power, official posts, leading position, person who
exercises influence.”
4. When arche and its cognates were used in the LXX to translate Hebrew concepts into Greek language, it
naturally resulted in an exchange between the Hebrew and the Greek.
5. Semitic concepts were attached to Greek words.
6. This became especially important in the NT’s understanding.
7. NT writers used a language which carried the thoughts of 2 different worldviews.
8. Arche acquired a broad usage in the LXX when it was used as a translation for otherwise unrelated words
which fell in very different contexts.
9. It is used to translate the Hebrew terms `olam (sl*w{u) and qedhem (sd#q)# .
10. Both of these words have different nuances in different contexts.
11. Olam involves the Hebraic concept of eternity.
12. At certain times, qedhem indicates that which is “from the beginning (in time) as well as the “first” in rank
or worth.
13. Arche appears in reference to rule or authority in the Satan’s military hierarchy who control and influence
the cosmic system in Daniel 7:27.
14. Paul adopted this word’s usage in his writings regarding spiritual combat with the kingdom of darkness.
D. NT
1. The noun arche appears 56 times in the NT.
2. When the NT uses the arche word group, it implies, as does secular Greek, a certain priority, both of time
and of standing and prestige.
3. In other words, the NT employs the concepts in much the same way as secular Greek.
4. This word group is used to denote a first point in time and to indicate an area of authority.
5. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (volume 1, pages 166-167):
a. beginning, commencement
b. absolute beginning
c. first cause
d. power, authorities, rulers
e. angelic power
6. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (volume 1, pages 481-482):
a. beginning
b. power
7. The New Thayer’s Greek Lexicon (pages 76-77):
a. beginning, origin
b. the person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader
c. that by which anything begins to be, the origin, active cause
d. the extremity of a thing
e. the first place, principality, rule, magistracy
8. The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (page 53):
a. a beginning
b. an extremity, corner, or an attached cord
c. first place, headship; high estate, eminence
d. authority
e. an authority, magistrate
f. a principality, prince, of spiritual existence
g. from the first, originally
h. in the beginning of things
i. at the first
j. used adverbially, wholly, altogether
2002 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries
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9.
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (pages 111-112):
a. beginning
b. concrete, plural corners of a sheet
c. beginning, at first, from the beginning, at the beginning
d. beginning, origin in the absolute sense
e. figurative of persons
f. the first cause
g. ruler, authority, the officials
h. rule, office, domain, sphere of influence
10. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (volume 2):
a. to initiate an action, process, or state of being – ‘to begin, to commence, beginning’ (page 655).
b. a point of time at the beginning of a duration – ‘beginning, to begin’ (page 637).
c. one who or that which constitutes an initial cause – ‘the first cause, origin’ (page 779).
d. the sphere of one’s authority or rule – ‘sphere of authority, limit of one’s rule’ (page 478).
e. one who rules or governs – ‘ruler, governor’ (page 478).
f. a supernatural power having some particular role in controlling the destiny and activities of human
beings – ‘power, authority, lordship, ruler, wicked force’ (pages 147-148).
g. elementary and preliminary aspects of defining the nature of something – ‘elementary aspect, simple
truth’ (page 588).
h. the corner of a two-dimensional object, such as sheet of cloth – ‘corner’ (page 704).
2002 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries
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