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alpha and omega

 
Dictionary: alpha and omega

n.
  1. The first and the last: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord" (Revelation 1:8).
  2. The most important part.

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Idioms: alpha and omega
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The beginning and the end, the first and the last, as in She had to master the alpha and omega of the new computer program before she could even begin. This idiom and its meaning, based on the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, appears in the New Testament (Revelation 1:8): "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord," where it is repeated three more times.


Bible Dictionary: alpha and omega
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(al-fuh; oh-may-guh, oh-meg-uh, oh-mee-guh)

The beginning and the end. In the Greek alphabet, in which the New Testament was written, alpha is the first letter and omega is the last. In the Book of Revelation, God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” meaning that God remains from the beginning to the end of time.

WordNet: alpha and omega
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: the first and last; signifies God's eternity

Meaning #2: the basic meaning of something; the crucial part


Wikipedia: Alpha and Omega
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The labarum or chi-rho symbol with alpha and omega
The coat of arms of the Anglican diocese of Trinidad
Coat of arms of Principality of Asturias (Spain)


The term Alpha and Omega comes from the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" (Koiné Greek: τὸ Α καὶ τὸ Ω), an appellation of Jesus[1] in the Book of Revelation (verses 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13).

In the Book of Revelation, it reads “I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.”[2]. The first part of this phrase (“I am the Alpha and Omega”) is first found in Chapter 1 verse 8, and is found in every manuscript of Revelation that has 1v8. Several later manuscripts repeat “I am the Alpha and Omega” in 1v11 too, but it does not receive support here from most of the oldest manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, Sinaitic, and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. It is, therefore, omitted in some modern translations. Scholar Robert Young stated, with regards to “I am the Alpha and Omega” in 1v11, that the “oldest MSS. omit” it.[3]

Contents

Summary

Its meaning is found in the fact that alpha (Α) and omega (Ω) are respectively the first and last letters of the Classical (Ionic) Greek alphabet. This would be similar to referring to someone in English as the "A and Z". Thus, twice when the title appears it is further clarified with the additional title "the beginning and the end" (21:6, 22:13).

Though many commentators and dictionaries apply this title both to God and to Christ, secular scholars note otherwise.[4] Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament (1974) observes: "It cannot be absolutely certain that the writer meant to refer to the Lord Jesus specifically here... There is no real incongruity in supposing, also, that the writer here meant to refer to God as such." However, most Christian denominations teach that it does apply to Jesus and God as they are one.

Therefore the letters Alpha and Omega in juxtaposition are often used as a Christian visual symbol (see examples).

This symbol was suggested by the Apocalypse, where many believe that Christ, as well as the Father, is "the First and the Last" (ii, 8); "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (cf., xxii, 13; i, 8). Clement of Alexandria (2nd century, philosopher and commentator on pagan and Christian information) speaks of the Word as "the Alpha and the Omega of Whom alone the end becomes beginning, and ends again at the original beginning without any break" (Stromata, IV, 25). Tertullian (lawyer, theologian) also alludes to Christ as the Alpha and Omega (De Monogamiâ, v), and from Prudentius (Cathemer., ix, 10) we learn that in the fourth century the interpretation of the apocalyptic letters was still the same: "Alpha et Omega cognominatus, ipse fons et clausula, Omnium quae sunt, fuerunt, quaeque post futura sunt." It was, however, in the monuments of early Christianity that the symbolic Alpha and Omega had their greatest vogue.

This phrase is interpreted by many Christians to mean that Jesus existed from eternity (as the second person of the Trinity), and will exist eternally.

Judaism

Emet (אמת), literally "truth", one of the names of God in Judaism, has been interpreted as consisting of the first, middle and final letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Islam

Similarly, al-Awwal (الأول), literally "the First" is one of the Names of God in the Qur'an appearing in the Chapter of Iron (al-Hadeed) with its corresponding name al-Akhir (الأخر), "the Last", which are sometimes rendered "Alpha" and "Omega" in reference to the verse in the Book of Revelation.

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CP27RevelationRed.htm
  2. ^ http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CP27RevelationRed.htm
  3. ^ Young's Concise Commentary on the Holy Bible p. 180 1977
  4. ^ The New Bible Dictionary, edited by Alton Bryant; Bible Dictionary WM. Smith; and the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia All indicate it does apply to God and Jesus

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Bible Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Alpha and Omega" Read more