βασιλεύς

βασιλεύς, έως, ὁ (Hom. +; loanw. in rabb.)

① one who rules as possessor of the highest office in a political realm, king, gener. of a male ruler who has unquestioned authority (exceptions are client rulers who owe their power to the grace of Rome) in a specific area ποιεῖν τινα β. make someone king J 6:15. βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς earthly kings Mt 17:25; Rv. 1:5; 6:15 (Ps 2:2; 88:28) al.; Ac 4:26 (Ps 2:2); β. τῶν ἐθνῶν Lk 22:25; (w. ἡγεμόνες; cp. ἡγούμενοι ἐθνῶν καὶ β. Orig., C. Cels. 2, 32, 22) Mt 10:18; Mk 13:9; Lk 21:12. Of kings gener. (w. προφῆται; 2 Macc 2:13; Boll 139) Lk 10:24. Of Pharaoh Ac 7:10 (Tat. 38, 1); David Mt 1:6; Ac 13:22 (Just., A I, 35, 6); Herod I (Jos., Ant. 14, 382; 385; OGI 414, 2; 415, 1; 416, 2; 417, 3; Just., A I, 40, 6; D. 78, 1]) Mt 2:1, 3; Lk 1:5; Herod Antipas (not really a king [Jos., Ant. 17, 188; OGI 414, 2; 415, 1; 416, 2; 417, 3], but occasionally given that title: Cicero, Verr. 4, 27) Mt 14:9; Mk 6:14; GPt 1:2 (ASyn. 341, 20); Herod Agrippa I (Jos., Ant. 18, 237; 19, 274; OGI 418, 1; 419, 1; 428, 4) Ac 12:1; Agrippa II (Jos., Bell. 2, 223; OGI 419, 2; 423, 1; 425, 3; 426, 2) 25:13, 24, 26; Aretas, king of the Nabataeans 2 Cor 11:32; Melchizedek, king of Salem Hb 7:1f (Gen 14:18). Of the Rom. emperor (Appian, Iber. 102 §444, Bell. Civ. 2, 86 §362 Ῥωμαίων β. Ἁδριανός al.; Herodian 2, 4, 4; IG III, 12, 18; CIG II, 2721, 11; POxy 33 II, 6; 35 verso, 1; BGU 588, 10; PGM 4, 2448 Ἁδριανὸς β.; 2452; Jos., Bell. 3, 351; 4, 596; 5, 563, Vi. 34; Magie 62; βασιλεῦ Ar. 1, 1 al. Tat. 4, 1; 19, 1; Mel., HE 4, 26, 6) 1 Ti 2:2 (the pl. is generic as Appian, Prooem. 15 §62; Jos., Ant. 2, 71; PEg² 48; on the topic s. LBiehl, D. liturg. Gebet für Kaiser u. Reich ’37); 1 Pt 2:13, 17 (s. Pr 24:21 and esp. Vi. Aesopi I c. 26 p. 288, 17 Eberh.: τέκνον, πρὸ πάντων σέβου τὸ θεῖον, τὸν βασιλέα δὲ τίμα); Rv 17:9; 1 Cl 37:3.

② one who possesses unusual or transcendent power, ext. of mng. 1 (Ael. Aristid. 46 p. 285 D.: β. Θεμιστοκλῆς) esp.

ⓐ of the Messianic king β. τῶν Ἰουδαίων (so Alex. Jannaeus: Jos., Ant. 14, 36; Herod 16, 311; Aristobolus: Diod S 40, 2) Mt 2:2; 27:11, 29, 37; Mk 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26; Lk 23:3, 37f; J 18:33 al.; β. (τοῦ) Ἰσραήλ Mt 27:42; Mk 15:32; J 1:49; 12:13; GPt 3:7 (ASyn. 341, 20); 4:11 (ASyn. 344, 74). Hence of Jesus as king of the Christians (Orig., C. Cels. 1, 61, 27; Did., Gen. 215, 10) MPol 9:3; 17:3; AcPl BMM verso 37 (difft. AcPl Ha 8, 29). He is also the κύριος referred to D 14:3, which quotes β. μέγας fr. Mal 1:14; for the latter phrase s. also AcPl Ha 9:1f (cp. 9:7). Cp. Mt 21:5 (Zech 9:9); 25:34, 40; J 18:37 (for the judge’s question: βασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; cp. Μαρτύριον Κάρπου 24, in: Musurillo, Ac. Chr. M. p. 24: βουλευτὴς εἶ;). β. βασιλέων (as 2 Macc 13:4; Philo, Spec. Leg. 1:18, Decal. 41; cp. PGM 13, 605.—Of Zeus: Dio Chrys. 2, 75) Rv 17:14; 19:16 (GBeale, NTS 31, ’85, 618–20, w. ref. to Da 4:37; in support TSlater, ibid. 39, ’93, 159f); this title is still current for kings in the early Christian era (Dssm., LO 310f [LAE 367f]; Diod S 1, 47, 4 an ancient royal inscr. β. βασιλέων; 1, 55, 7 β. βασιλέων καὶ δεσπότης δεσποτῶν Σεσόωσις; Memnon [I B.C./I A.D.] 434 Fgm. 1, 31, 3 Jac. βας. βας. of Tigranes; Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 67 §278; Ezk 26:7; Da 2:37; 2 Esdr 7:12; Mussies 96f; WHuss, Der ‘König der Könige’ und der ‘Herr der Könige’: ZDPV 93, ’77, 131–40) and purposely reserved by the Christians for their Lord, in strong contrast to earthly kings (cp. Pass. Scilit. 6 p. 24 vGebh.).—B 11:5 (Is 33:17). ὁ β. τῶν οὐρανῶν AcPl Ha 7, 29.

ⓑ of God (Pla., Ep. 2, 312e ὁ πάντων βασιλεύς; Plut., Mor. 383a: ἡγεμών ἐστι κ. βασιλεὺς ὁ θεός of human souls who have entered eternal bliss) μέγας β. (SEG VIII, 32, 3 [III A.D.] of Zeus; Tob 13:16; Philo, Migr. Abr. 146 al.; SibOr 3, 499 and 616; of human kings since Hdt. 1, 188, 1; Jdth 2:5; 3:2; EpArist; Philo) Mt 5:35 (cp. Ps 47:3); Hv 3, 9, 8; β. τῶν ἐθνῶν (Jer 10:7; s. ed. HSwete v.l.) Rv 15:3; β. τῶν αἰώνων (Tob 13:7, 11; En 9:4; cp. Ps 144:13; Ex 15:18; Jos., Ant. 1, 272 δέσποτα παντὸς αἰῶνος, also 14:24 β. τῶν ὅλων [β. τῶν ὅλων is also a designation of the god Uranus in Diod S 3, 56, 5]; PGM 12, 247 αἰώνων βασιλεῦ καὶ κύριε) 1 Ti 1:17; Rv 15:3 v.l.; ἐπουράνιος β. τῶν αἰ. 1 Cl 61:2; β. τῶν βασιλευόντων 1 Ti 6:15 (as 3 Macc 5:35 v.l.; Pel.-Leg. 21, 8; 24, 21). β. τῆς δόξης AcPl BMM verso 24; 26. WGrafBaudissin, Kyrios III 1929, 70–76.

ⓒ of a king of spirits in the nether world, Abaddon Rv 9:11.—WSchubart, Das hell. Königsideal nach Inschr. u. Pap., APF 12, ’37, 1–26; PCarlier, La royauté en Grèce avant Alexandre ’84 (for summary and ins reff. s. SEG XXXIX, 1792).—B. 1321; 1324. M-M. TW. Sv.