- κλείς
- κλείς, κλειδός, ἡ (cp. Lat. ‘clavis’=key; Hom. et al.; ins, pap, LXX; ParJer 4:4 κλεῖδας [κλεῖς cod. C]; loanw. in rabb.; Just., D. 17, 4 [ref. Mt 24:13]) acc. κλεῖδα Lk 11:52 (POxy 113, 3; LXX [Thackeray 150]) and κλεῖν Rv 3:7; 20:1 (both κλεῖδα v.l.; SIG 996, 24; POxy 1127, 25), pl. κλεῖδας Mt 16:19; 1 Cl 43:3 (OGI 229, 96 and 98; PHerm 8 II, 5; BGU 253, 18) and κλεῖς Mt 16:19 v.l.; Rv 1:18 (Ctesias [IV B.C.]: 688 Fgm. 13, 16 Jac.=Persians 14 ὸ̔ς τὰς κλεῖς πάσας τῶν βασιλείων εἶχε; POxy 729, 23 [137 A.D.]; BGU 75, 13; Just., D. 17, 4.—B-D-F §47, 3; W-S. §9, 7; Mlt-H. 131f; Mayser 272 [lit.]; Reinhold 51).① someth. used for locking, key lit. σφραγίζειν τὰς κ. 1 Cl 43:3 (ins [218 B.C.]: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ 7, ’34 p. 179, 9f κλεῖδας ἐχέτωσαν, … σφραγιζέσθωσαν).—The foll. exprs. come close to the fig. mng.: κ. τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου (ᾅδης 1) Rv 1:18 (cp. IKourion 127, 53=IDefixAudollent 22). κ. τῆς ἀβύσσου 20:1 or κ. τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου 9:1 (ἄβυσσος 2; on key to the netherworld s. Paus. 5, 20, 3; PGM 4, 341–42; New Docs 1, no. 8 ln. 3 and p. 5: “the notion of Anoubis as the custodian of the keys of Hades [no. 8, 3] is a standard element in magical charms”). Likew. the portrayal of Peter as the keeper of heaven’s gate δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖδας τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν Mt 16:19 (cp. Ctesias above; s. JGrill, D. Primat des Petrus 1904; WKöhler, ARW 8, 1905, 214ff [lit.]; ADell, ZNW 15, 1914, 27ff, esp. 33ff; VBurch, JBL 52, ’33, 147–52; HvCampenhausen, D. Schlüsselgewalt der Kirche: EvTh 4, ’37, 143–69. S. also on πέτρα 1b and Πέτρος end). ἔχειν τὴν κ. Δαυίδ (cp. Is 22:22 v.l. τὴν κ. οἴκου Δ.) hold the key of David Rv 3:7 (GMinestrina, Bibbia e oriente 20, ’78, 182; on authority over the keys cp. Parmenides 1, 14 Δίκη ἔχει κληῖδας, i.e., of the gate that leads to the realm of light and knowledge; OGI 229, 56 [III B.C.] κυριεύσοντα τῶν κλειδῶν; likewise Polyb. 4, 18, 2. The phrase ἔχειν τὰς κλεῖς=hold the keys Rv 1:18; cp. 3:7; 20:1 is as early as Pind., P. 8, 4).② a means of acquiring access to someth., key fig. (for other types of fig. use s. Diod S 2, 8, 3 καθαπερεὶ τὰς κλεῖς ἔχειν=hold the keys as it were; Artem. 3, 54 κλείς is a symbol of πίστις=trust) αἴρειν τὴν κλεῖδα τῆς γνώσεως take away the key (to the door) of knowledge Lk 11:52; cp. here the badly damaged apocryphal gospel fragment POxy 655, 41–46 (A Syn. 194, 135) and the restoration [τὴν κλεῖδα] τῆς [γνώσεως]. AHultgren, Forum 7, 91, 165–82.—B. 468f. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW.
Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά παλαιοχριστιανική Λογοτεχνία. 2015.