φίλος

φίλος, η, ον (Hom.+; ins, pap, LXX, EpArist, Philo, Joseph., Test12Patr)

① pert. to having a special interest in someone (superl. φίλτατος PLond I, 130, 33 p. 134 [I/II A.D.]; JosAs cod. A 4, 7 and 10 [p. 44, 3 and 10 Bat.] and Pal. 364; Just., D. 8, 3; 141, 5; Tat. 2, 2; Ath., R. 8 p. 56, 31), both pass. beloved, dear, and act. loving, kindly disposed, devoted (both since Hom. [JHooker, Homeric φίλος: Glotta 65, ’87, 44–65]) in the latter sense w. dat. of pers. (X., Cyr. 1, 6, 4; Dio Chrys. 52 [69], 4 θεοῖς) Ac 19:31.

② subst., one who is on intimate terms or in close association w. another (cp. Aristotle’s definition: μία ψυχὴ δύο σώμασιν ἐνοικοῦσα ‘one soul inhabiting two bodies’ Diog. L. 5, 20)

ⓐ ὁ φίλος friend (male in sing., sometimes generic in pl.)

α. lit. Lk 7:6; 11:5a; 16:9 (Plut., Mor. 175e ἀφʼ ὧν … φίλον σεαυτῷ πεποίηκας); 23:12; Ac 16:39 D; 27:3. The use 3J 15ab, perh. also Ac 27:3, suggests a communal assoc. (on φίλοι=Christians: communication [’67] from HCadbury [who also compared J 11:11; 15:14f]; a society honors one of its associates ZPE 36, ’79, 171–72, no. 29, 4 [170/71 A.D.]; on this s. New Docs 4, 17f); Hm 5, 2, 2 (on Ac and 3J s. Harnack, Mission⁴ I 1923, 435f). φίλοι w. γείτονες Lk 15:6 (s. γείτων); w. συγγενεῖς 21:16; w. σύμβουλοι Hs 5, 2, 6 (Leutzsch, Hermas 471, 68). Opp. δοῦλοι (unknown comic poet vol. III Fgm. 166 Kock; Chariton 7, 3, 2 δούλους οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι τοὺς φίλους) J 15:15 (ABöhlig, Vom ‘Knecht’ zum ‘Sohn’ ’68, 63); cp. Hs 5, 2, 6; 11; 5, 4, 1; 5, 5, 3 (in Hermas we have the tetrad δεσπότης, υἱός, δοῦλος, φίλοι). On οἱ ἀναγκαῖοι φίλοι Ac 10:24 s. ἀναγκαῖος 2 and Jos., Ant. 7, 350. φίλε as familiar address friend Lk 11:5b; 14:10 (Just., D. 63, 1; pl. 27, 2). W. subjective gen. (TestAbr A 9 p. 87, 8 [Stone p. 22]; TestJob 39:4; JosAs 23:5; GrBar 15:2; Tat. 17, 1; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 109) Lk 11:6, 8; 12:4; 14:12; 15:29; J 11:11; 15:13f (s. EPeterson, Der Gottesfreund: ZKG n.s. 5, 1923, 161–202; MDibelius, J 15:13: Deissmann Festschr. 1927, 168–86; REgenter, Gottesfreundschaft 1928; HNeumark, D. Verwendung griech. u. jüd. Motive in den Ged. Philons über d. Stellung Gottes zu s. Freunden, diss. Würzb. ’37; WGrundmann, NovT 3, ’59, 62–69. Also AvHarnack, Die Terminologie der Wiedergeburt: TU 42, 1918, 97ff). Jesus is τελωνῶν φίλος καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν Mt 11:19; Lk 7:34. Joseph of Arimathaea is ὁ φίλος Πιλάτου καὶ τοῦ κυρίου GPt 2:3. Rarely w. gen. of thing φίλος τοῦ κόσμου Js 4:4. Cp. 2 Cl 6:5.

β. in a special sense (Hdt. 1, 65=Galen, Protr. 9 p. 28, 26 J.: Lycurgus as φίλος of Zeus; Diod S 5, 7, 7 διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας φίλον τῶν θεῶν ὀνομασθῆναι; Ael. Aristid. 27, 36 K.=16 p. 297 D.: θεῶν φίλοι; Maxim. Tyre 14, 6 φίλος θεοῦ as opposed to being δεισιδαίμων i.e. in a state of religious anxiety; JosAs 23:10 cod. A [p. 75, 4 Bat.; δοῦλος Philonenko] Jacob; SibOr 2, 245 Moses as ὁ μέγας φίλος Ὑψίστοιο; Just, D. 8, 1 χριστοῦ φίλοι [prophets]): on Abraham as φίλος (τοῦ) θεοῦ (TestAbr A 4 p. 81, 8 [Stone p. 10], B 4 p. 109, 1 [St. p. 66]) Js 2:23; 1 Cl 17:2; cp. 10:1 and s. Ἀβραάμ and MDibelius, exc. on Js 2:23. On ὁ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου J 3:29 s. νυμφίος (cp. Sappho, Fgm. 124; Paus. Attic. [II A.D.] ζ, 3 [HErbse ’50]). On φίλος τοῦ Καίσαρος J 19:12 s. Καῖσαρ and EBammel, TLZ 77, ’52, 205–10; New Docs 3, 87–89 (noting that it is questionable whether Pilate’s fortunes were closely bound up with those of Sejanus after the latter’s fall out of imperial favor, s. JLémonon, Pilate et le gouvernement de la Juée ’81, esp. 275f).

ⓑ ἡ φίλη (woman) friend (X., Mem. 2, 1, 23; Jos., Ant. 9, 65 al.) pl. τὰς φίλας her women friends GPt 12:51. W. γείτονες Lk 15:9 (s. γείτων).—GFuchs, D. Aussagen über d. Freundsch. im NT vergl. m. denen d. Aristot., diss. Leipzig 1914; FHauck, D. Freundschaft b. d. Griechen u. im NT: Festgabe f. TZahn 1928, 211–28. RAC VIII 418–24; DKonstan, JECS 4, ’96, 87–113. S. ἑταῖρος.—MLandfester, Das griechische Nomen ‘philos’ und seine Ableitungen ’66. DELG. M-M. TW. Spicq. Sv.