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the popular cry against the early Christians was “away with the atheists” (see the account
of the martyrdom of Polycarp, in Eusebius,
, ! B !
iv. 15, 19).¶
GODDESS
(
1
, 2299) is found in Acts 19:27 (in some mss. in vv. 35, 37).¶
For
GODHEAD
see
DIVINE
,
DIVINITY
GODLINESS, GODLY
A. Nouns.
1.
$
(
' !
, 2150), from
$
, “well,” and
, “to be devout,” denotes
that piety which, characterized by a Godward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to
Him. This and the corresponding verb and adverb (see below) are frequent in the Pastoral
Epistles, but do not occur in previous epistles of Paul. The apostle Peter has the noun four
times in his 2nd Epistle, 1:3, 6, 7; 3:11. Elsewhere it occurs in Acts 3:12; 1 Tim. 2:2;
3:16; 4:7, 8; 6:3, 5, 6, 11; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:1. In 1 Tim. 6:3 “the doctrine which is
according to godliness” signifies that which is consistent with “godliness,” in contrast to
false teachings; in Titus 1:1, “the truth which is according to godliness” is that which is
productive of “godliness”; in 1 Tim. 3:16, “the mystery of godliness” is “godliness” as
embodied in, and communicated through, the truths of the faith concerning Christ; in 2
Pet. 3:11, the word is in the plural, signifying acts of “godliness.”¶
2.
(
!
, 2317) denotes “the fear or reverence of God,” from
,
“god,” and
(see No. 1), 1 Tim. 2:10.¶ Cf. the adjective
, “God-fearing,”
John 9:31.¶ In the Sept., Gen. 20:11 and Job 28:28.¶
Note:
For
$
, “godly fear,” Heb. 5:7; 12:28 see
FEAR
, A, No. 3; for
$
,
“to reverence,” Heb. 11:7 (“for His godly fear”) see
FEAR
, D, No. 2; for the verb
$
,
“to show piety,” 1 Tim. 5:4; “to worship,” Acts 17:23, see
PIETY
and
WORSHIP
.¶
B. Adjective.
$
(
' )
, 2152), akin to A, No. 1, denotes “pious, devout, godly,” indicating
reverence manifested in actions; it is rendered “godly” in 2 Pet. 2:9. See
DEVOUT
.
C. Adverb.
$
(
'
, 2153) denotes “piously, godly”; it is used with the verb “to live”
(of manner of life) in 2 Tim. 3:12; Titus 2:12.¶
Notes:
(1) In the following the word “godly” translates the genitive case of the noun
, lit., “of God,” 2 Cor. 1:12,
KJV
, “godly (sincerity),”
RV
, “(sincerity) of God”; 2
Cor. 11:2, “a godly jealousy,” lit., “a jealousy of God” (
RV
, marg.); 1 Tim. 1:4,
RV
, “a
dispensation of God” (
, in the best mss.),
KJV
, “godly edifying” (
lit.,
“an edifying of, i.e., by, God”). (2) In 2 Cor. 7:10, “godly (sorrow),” and in vv. 9 and 11,
“after a godly sort,” are in all three place, lit., “according to God.” (3) In 3 John 6, where
the
KJV
translates the adverb
@
, with the noun
, “after a godly sort,” the
RV
rightly substitutes “worthily of God.”
GODWARD