The Covenant by T. S.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 20, 1874

The Covenant.

By T. S.

Mr. BINGMAN, an educated Disciple, speaking of the two covenants says that diatheke is the Greek word for a commanded covenant, but suntheke for an agreement covenant. How is this? S. OSBORN.

In reply to the foregoing we subjoin the definition given to both these words by Liddell and Scott.

“Diatheke: a disposition, esp. of property by will; a will and testament. II. mystic deposits on which the common weal depended, probably, oracles. III. a convention, arrangement between two parties, covenant. See LXX., N. T., and Eccl. dispensation, N. T.: he Kaine Diatheke, the New Testament; he palaia diatheke, the old dispensation, i. e., the Old Testament applied to the covenant in the books of Moses, N. T.”

“Suntheke; a putting together: esp. of words and sentences, a composition. II. an agreement, arrangement, convention, a contract covenant, treaty; usually in plural, articles of agreement, heads of a covenant.”

It will be seen from the foregoing that these words have a common definition of an agreement, arrangement or covenant between two parties; and all the difference is that diatheke is applied also to a will testament or dispensation; while suntheke has no such definition. T. S.