πλήρωμα

πλήρωμα, ατος, τό (πληρόω; Eur., Hdt. et al.; ins, pap, LXX, Philo; Mel., P. 40, 279).

① that which fills

ⓐ that which fills (up) (Eur., Ion 1051 κρατήρων πληρώματα; Hippocr., Aër. 7 τὸ πλ. τῆς γαστρός. Esp. oft. of a crew or cargo of ships since Thu. 7, 12, 3; 14, 1) ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλ. αὐτῆς the earth and everything that is in it 1 Cor 10:26; 1 Cl 54:3 (both Ps 23:1, as also Did., Gen. 74, 8). ἦραν κλάσματα δώδεκα κοφίνων πληρώματα they gathered (enough) pieces to fill twelve baskets, twelve basketfuls of pieces Mk 6:43; cp. 8:20 (s. Eccl 4:6; EBishop, ET 60, ’48, 192f).

ⓑ that which makes someth. full/complete, supplement, complement (Appian, Mithr. 47 §185 τὰ τῶν γυναικῶν πάντα ἐς τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν δισχιλίων ταλάντων συνέφερον) lit. of the patch on a garment Mt 9:16; Mk 2:21 (FSynge, ET 56, ’44/45, 26f).—Fig., perh., of the church which, as the body, is τὸ πλ., the complement of Christ, who is the head Eph 1:23 (so Chrysostom. The word could be understood in a similar sense Pla., Rep. 2, 371e πλ. πόλεώς εἰσι καὶ μισθωτοί). Much more probably the Eph passage belongs under

② that which is full of someth. (Lucian, Ver. Hist. 2, 37; 38 and Polyaenus 3, 9, 55 the manned and loaded ship itself [s. 1a above]; Philo, Praem. 65 γενομένη πλ. ἀρετῶν ἡ ψυχὴ … οὐδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῇ καταλιποῦσα κενόν; Herm. Wr. 12, 15 God is called πλήρωμα τῆς ζωῆς; 6, 4 ὁ κόσμος πλήρωμά ἐστι τῆς κακίας, ὁ δὲ θεὸς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; 16, 3 τ. πάντων τὸ πλ. ἔν ἐστι.—Rtzst., Poim. 25, 1) (that) which is full of him who etc. (so as early as Severian of Gabala [KStaab, Pls-Kommentare ’33, 307] and Theodoret, who consider that it is God who fills the church.—Cp. CMitton, ET 59, ’47/48, 325; 60, ’48/49, 320f; CMoule, ibid. 53 and Col and Phil ’57, 164–69).

③ that which is brought to fullness or completion

ⓐ full number (Hdt. 8, 43; 45 of ships; Aristot., Pol. 2, 7, 22 of citizens; Iren. 1, 1, 3 [Harv. I 11, 11] and Hippol., Ref. 6, 38, 4 as Gnostic t.t.) τὸ πλ. τῶν ἐθνῶν Ro 11:25 (cp. Ael. Aristid. 13 p. 262 D.: πλήρωμα ἔθνους). For 11:12, which is also classed here by many, s. 4 below.

ⓑ sum total, fullness, even (super)abundance (Diod S 2, 12, 2 καθάπερ ἔκ τινος πηγῆς μεγάλης ἀκέραιον διαμένει τὸ πλήρωμα=as if from a great source the abundance [of bitumen] remains undiminished. As gnostic t.t. Iren. 1, 8, 4 [Harv. I, 73, 3]; Hippol., Ref. 8, 10, 3—s. also a) τινός of someth. πλ. εὐλογίας Χριστοῦ the fullness of Christ’s blessing Ro 15:29. πᾶν τὸ πλ. τῆς θεότητος the full measure of deity (s. θεότης) Col 2:9; without the gen., but in the same sense 1:19.—W. gen. to denote the one who possesses the fullness: θεοῦ πατρὸς πλ. IEph ins (s. Hdb. ad loc.). εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλ. τοῦ θεοῦ that you may be filled with all the fullness of God Eph 3:19 (s. πληρόω 1b). Of Christ: ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ J 1:16 (s. Bultmann 51, 7).—Abs. ἀσπάζομαι ἐν τῷ πληρώματι I greet in the fullness of the Christian spirit ITr ins.—On εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Eph 4:13 s. μέτρον 2b.

④ act of fulfilling specifications, fulfilling, fulfillment (=πλήρωσις, as Eur., Tro. 824; Philo, Abr. 268 π. ἐλπίδων) τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν their (the people of Israel) fulfilling (the divine demand) Ro 11:12 (opp. παράπτωμα and ἥττημα). But this pass. is considered by many to belong under 3a above. πλ. νόμου ἡ ἀγάπη 13:10 (on the semantic field relating to love s. TSöding, ETL 68, ’92, 284–330, and Das Liebesgebot bei Paulus ’95).

⑤ the state of being full, fullness of time (πληρόω 2) τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου Gal 4:4 (s. ASP VI, 587, 34 [24/25 A.D.] τοῦ δὲ χρόνου πληροθέντος). τὸ πλ. τῶν καιρῶν Eph 1:10.—Lghtf., Col and Phlm 255–71; ARobinson, Eph 1904, 255ff; HMaVallisoleto, Christi ‘Pleroma’ iuxta Pli conceptionem: Verbum Domini 14, ’34, 49–55; FMontgomery-Hitchcock, The Pleroma of Christ: CQR 125, ’37, 1–18; JGewiess: MMeinertz Festschr. ’51, 128–41; PBenoit, RB 63, ’56, 5–44 (prison epp.); AFeuillet, Nouvelle Revue Theol. (Tournai) 88, ’56, 449–72; 593–610 (Eph 1:23); GMünderlein NTS 8, ’62, 264–76 (Col 1:19); HSchlier, D. Brief an die Epheser⁴, ’63, 96–99; POverfield, NTS 25, ’79, 384–96; CEvans, Biblica 65 ’84, 259–65 (Nag Hammadi).—DELG s.v. πίμπλημι. M-M. EDNT. TW.