ἐπικαλέω

ἐπικαλέω (s. καλέω) 1 aor. ἐπεκάλεσα; fut. mid. ἐπικαλέσομαι; 1 aor. mid. ἐπεκαλεσάμην. Pass.: 1 fut. 3 sg. ἐπικληθήσεται; 1 aor. ἐπεκλήθην; pf. ἐπικέκλημαι, ptc. ἐπικεκλημένος; plpf. 3 sg. ἐπεκέκλητο (in tmesis as early as Hom., otherw. Hdt. et al.; ins, pap, LXX, pseudepigr., Joseph.).

① to call upon deity for any purpose (‘invoke’ Hdt. 2, 39; 3, 8) to call upon, call out 1 Cl 39:7 (Job 5:1). In the mid. to call on, invoke for someth. (ἐ. τοὺς θεούς Hdt. et al.; X., Cyr. 7, 1, 35; Pla., Tim. 27c; Polyb. 15, 1, 13; Diod S 5, 49, 5 calling on the gods by the initiates; Epict. 2, 7, 12; 3, 21, 12 al.; Herm. Wr. 16, 3; OGI 194, 18 [I B.C.]; prayers for vengeance fr. Rheneia 1 [Dssm., LO 352ff/LAE 424ff; SIG 1181]; POxy 1380, 153 [early II A.D.]; 886, 10 [III A.D.]; PGM 3, 8; 43; 4, 1182; 1217; 1345; 13, 138; 270; LXX; PsSol 2:36 al.; JosAs 25:7; EpArist 17; 193; 226; Jos., Ant. 4, 222 al.) ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τ. κύριον (1 Km 12:17f; 2 Km 22:7; PsSol 9:6) Ro 10:12; 2 Ti 2:22; 1 Cl 52:3 (Ps 49:15); 57:5 (Pr 1:28); 60:4. Also ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου (Gen 13:4; 21:33 al.; Jos., Bell. 5, 438; PGM 1, 161; 4, 1209; 1609; 1811; 13, 871) Ac 2:21 (Jo 3:5); 9:14, 21; 22:16; Ro 10:13 (Jo 3:5); 1 Cor 1:2; 1 Cl 64:1. Abs. (Ps 4:2) Ro 10:14; Ac 7:59. εἰ πατέρα ἐπικαλεῖσθέ τινα if you invoke someone as Father 1 Pt 1:17 (P⁷² καλεῖτε, which may be classed under 2).—JTyrer, JTS 25, 1924, 139–50; reply by RConnolly, ibid. 337–68; FNötscher, Epiklese, Biblica 30, ’49, 401–4=Vom A zum NT, ’62, 221–25.

② to address or characterize someone by a special term, call, give a surname (X., Pla. et al.; OGI 603, 10; PFay 12, 1; PTebt 399, 15 al.; 1 Macc 2:2) τινά τι: τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην Βεελζεβούλ call the master of the house Beelzebul Mt 10:25. Pass. ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος who is also called (Socrat., Ep. 21, 3; Diod S 3, 84, 1; Diog. L. 4, 18; Jos., Ant. 18, 206; PYadin 5a I, 5 al.) Ac 10:18; 11:13; 12:12. With Συμεὼν ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος Νίγερ Ac 13:1 D (cp. Diod S 17, 20, 7 Κλεῖτος ὁ Μέλας ἐπικαλούμενος). Lk 22:3 v.l.; Ac 15:22 v.l. Also ὁ ἐπικληθείς (Diog. L. 5, 58 of Strato of Lamps.: φυσικὸς ἐπικληθείς; Jos., Bell. 1, 60, Ant. 13, 103; Just., D. 106, 3; Ath. 28, 4) Mt 10:3 v.l.; Ac 4:36; 12:25; GEb 34, 59. ὸ̔ς ἐπικαλεῖται Ac 10:5, 32. ὸ̔ς ἐπεκλήθη (Jos., Ant. 13, 218; 271) 1:23; cp. Papias (2:9). οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται θεὸς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν to be called their God Hb 11:16. The pass. is used w. ὄνομα, as in the OT, in ἐπικαλεῖται τὸ ὄνομά τινος ἐπί τινα someone’s name is called over someone to designate the latter as the property of the former (KGalling, TLZ 81, ’56, 65–70; of God’s name 2 Km 6:2; 3 Km 8:43; Jer 7:30; 14:9 and oft.) Ac 15:17 (Am 9:12, also 2 Ch 7:14). τὸ καλὸν ὄνομα τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς Js 2:7; cp. Hs 8, 6, 4. Sim. οἱ ἐπικαλούμενοι τ. ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ those who are called by his name 9, 14, 3 (cp. Is 43:7).

③ a request put to a higher judicial authority for review of a decision in a lower court, appeal mid., legal t.t. τινά to someone the Lat. ‘provocatio’ against the ‘coercitio’ of a provincial governor (cp. Plut., Marcell. 299 [2, 7], Tib. Gracch. 832 [16, 1]) Καίσαρα appeal to Caesar Ac 25:11f; 26:32; 28:19. Also τὸν Σεβαστόν 25:25. W. inf. foll. τοῦ δὲ Παύλου ἐπικαλεσαμένου τηρηθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ διάγνωσιν when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision 25:21.—ASherwin-White, Rom. Society and Law in the NT ’63, 57–70; AHMJones, Studies in Rom. Govt. and Law ’60, 53ff; BAFCS III, index.

④ to invoke in an oath, call on someone as a witness mid. τινὰ μάρτυρα legal t.t. (Pla., Leg. 2, 664c) 2 Cor 1:23 (θεοὺς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι μάρτυρας: Polyb. 11, 6, 4; Heliod. 1, 25, 1; Jos., Ant. 1, 243).—M-M. TW. Spicq.