StrongerBible

epignōsis

ἐπίγνωσις

GreekG1922“knowledge, acknowledgment, ...”

Appears 20 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Rom 1:28Rom 3:20Rom 10:2Eph 1:17Eph 4:13Php 1:9Col 1:9Col 1:10Col 2:2Col 3:101Ti 2:42Ti 2:252Ti 3:7Tit 1:1Phm 1:6Heb 10:262Pe 1:22Pe 1:32Pe 1:82Pe 2:20
Root family
Word studyResearch-gradeeh-PIG-noh-sisnoun

What epignōsis means

recognizing, wholehearted knowledge: to know God, Christ, or the truth in a way that acknowledges and acts on what is known, not merely to hold information about it

TranslatabilityPartialCertaintyStrong

This word is built from the ordinary Greek word for knowledge plus a prefix. An older view held that the prefix made it a deeper or fuller grade of knowledge, but most scholars now think the prefix simply points knowledge at a definite object. The extra weight the word often seems to carry comes not from the prefix but from what is being known, which is almost always God, Christ, God's will, or the truth of the gospel.

Behind it lies the Hebrew idea of knowing God. In the Old Testament, to know God was never just to have facts about him; it meant living in relationship with him and acting accordingly. When early Greek-speaking Christians read the phrase knowledge of God, they heard that covenant background, not cool philosophical study.

So across the New Testament this word stays remarkably consistent. It is personal, relational, and moral: a knowing that shows up in how a person lives. In several books it names the very moment a person comes to know God savingly. It is never secret, elitist, or reserved for an inner circle.

Nuances

1arecognizing and owning what is truly there: acknowledging God, discerning what he is doing, or facing up to sin
Rom 1:28Rom 3:20Rom 10:2
1bpersonal, growing knowledge of God, of Christ, and of his will that shapes how a person lives
Eph 1:17Eph 4:13Php 1:9Col 1:9Col 1:10Col 2:2Col 3:10Phm 1:6
1ccoming to the knowledge of the truth: a settled New Testament phrase for embracing the Christian gospel and turning to God
1Ti 2:42Ti 2:252Ti 3:7Tit 1:1Heb 10:26
1dthe foundational knowledge of God and Christ received when a person is first saved, the ground from which Christian growth then proceeds
2Pe 1:22Pe 1:32Pe 1:82Pe 2:20

What scholars say about epignōsis

The core lexical sense (knowledge directed at an object, especially God, Christ, or the truth) is well established across BDAG, LSJ, Louw-Nida, NIDNTTE, Moulton-Milligan, and Spicq. The long-running debate is whether the prefix epi- intensifies, so that epignosis is a fuller or more thorough knowledge than gnosis (Trench, Lightfoot), or is merely directive, aiming knowledge at a particular object (J. Armitage Robinson). Bultmann pressed further, denying any lexical difference from gnosis while conceding that in the Pastorals, Hebrews, and 2 Peter the word functions almost as a technical term for the knowledge of God involved in conversion. The modern consensus, reinforced by James Barr's critique of root-based semantics, follows the Robinson-Bultmann line: any extra weight comes from object, context, and the Hebrew covenantal background of da'at elohim, carried in through the Septuagint (Proverbs 2:5; Hosea 4:1, 4:6, 6:6), not from the prefix. Bauckham's reading of 2 Peter, distinguishing foundational epignosis received at conversion from the progressive gnosis added over the Christian life, is widely followed. Narrower disagreements remain over whether the word carries an inherent decisive or ingressive nuance and how strictly the Pastorals phrase functions as a conversion formula.

Where scholars disagree about epignōsis

Whether the prefix on this word makes it a fuller or higher grade of knowledge than the ordinary Greek word for knowledge (gnosis), or simply points knowledge toward a definite object.

  • minorityThe prefix is intensive: epignosis denotes a deeper, more thorough, more complete knowledge than gnosis.; R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, §75; J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, on Colossians 1:9
  • majorityThe prefix is directive rather than intensive: it aims knowledge at a particular object, the two words overlap heavily and are often interchangeable, and any extra weight comes from context and the Hebrew background of knowing God.; J. Armitage Robinson, St Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, excursus on the meaning of ἐπίγνωσις; BDAG, s.v. ἐπίγνωσις; Rudolf Bultmann, γινώσκω κτλ., TDNT 1:689-719
In-depth research

This is a research paper, so it may be hard to read without scholarly background. It is useful if you want to dig even deeper into this word.

Sources

  • BDAG, s.v. ἐπίγνωσιςlexicon
  • LSJ, s.v. ἐπίγνωσιςlexicon
  • R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, §75monograph
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, on Colossians 1:9commentary
  • J. Armitage Robinson, St Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, excursus on the meaning of ἐπίγνωσιςcommentary
  • Rudolf Bultmann, γινώσκω κτλ., TDNT 1:689-719dictionary
  • Moisés Silva (ed.), NIDNTTE, s.v. γινώσκω / ἐπίγνωσιςdictionary
  • James Barr, The Semantics of Biblical Languagemonograph
  • Richard Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter (Word Biblical Commentary), pp. 169-170commentary
  • I. Howard Marshall (with P. H. Towner), The Pastoral Epistles (ICC)commentary
  • Robert E. Picirilli, The Meaning of Epignosis, Evangelical Quarterly 47 (1975)article

AI-generated word study · claude-opus-4-8

All attested forms of ἐπίγνωσις

accusative f s

ἐπίγνωσιν

Rom 10:2, Col 1:9, Col 2:2, Col 3:10, 1Ti 2:4, 2Ti 2:25, 2Ti 3:7, Tit 1:1

dative f s

ἐπιγνώσει

Rom 1:28, Eph 1:17, Php 1:9, Col 1:10, Phm 1:6, 2Pe 1:2, 2Pe 2:20

genitive f s

ἐπιγνώσεως

Eph 4:13, 2Pe 1:3

nominative f s

ἐπίγνωσις

Rom 3:20