γράμμα, ατος, τό,
Dor. γράθμα, prob. in IG 4.506 (Heraeum, vi/v B. C.), cf. An.Ox. 1.102, but γράσσμα, IG 4.554 (Argos, v B. C.): late Aeol. pl. γρόππατα, Epigr.Gr. 990.11 (Balbilla): (γράφω): -
I that which is drawn: pl., lines of a drawing, picture, etc., E. Ion 1146 (of tapestry), Theoc. 15.81; picture, Ἀπέλλεω γ. Herod. 4.73, cf. AP 6.352 (Erinna): sg., drawing, picture, Pl. R. 472d, Cra. 430e, cf. 431c: pl., figures in a picture, Procop.Gaz. Ecphr. p.157B.
II written character, letter, Hdt. 1.139, 148, etc.: in pl., letters, characters, γραμμάτων τε συνθέσεις A. Pr. 460; πηλίκοις γ. [Gal 6:11]; the letters, the alphabet, Hdt. 5.58; τὰ γ. καὶ τὰς συλλαβάς Pl. Cra. 390e; γ. Φοινίκια S. Fr. 514; Ἀσσύρια, Ἑλληνικά, Hdt. 4.87; γράμματα ἐπίστασθαι Pl. Lg. 689d; μαθεῖν to have learnt to read, Id. Prt. 325e; γ. μὴ εἰδέναι SIG 2844.6; ἐδίδασκες γράμματα, ἐγὼ δ’ ἐφοίτων you kept school - I went there, D. 18.265; ἤτοι τέθνηκεν ἢ διδάσκει γ. Com.Adesp. 20; παιδεύειν γράμματα Arist. Pol. 1337b24; τέχνη ἡμῶν γ. our profession is that of the scribe, PTeb. 316.16 (i A. D.). articulate sound, letter, Pl. Phlb. 18c; τὰ γ. πάθη ἐστὶ τῆς φωνῆς Arist. Pr. 895a12; γράμματα φθέγγεσθαι ib. 8, cf. PA 660a5. παρὰ γράμμα λέγοντα.. σκοπεῖν etymologically, Id. MM 1185b39; τὰ παρὰ γ. σκώμματα puns, Id. Rh. 1412a28; but ἀρετὴν παρὰ γ. διώκοντες, with ref. to Νικαρέτη, the mistress of Stilpo, Crates Theb.
1. inscription, τὸ Δελφικὸν γ. Pl. Phdr. 229e, cf. Chrm. 164d, X. Mem. 4.2.24, etc., IG 2.2876, al.: prov., εἰς πέλαγος.. γράμματα γράψαι Epigr.Gr. 1038.8 (Attalia).
2. in pl., notes in music, AP 11.78 (Lucill.).
3. mathematical diagram, Epigr. ap. D.L. 8.12.
4. letter inscribed on the lots which the δικασταί drew, Ar. Pl. 277, al., Arist. Ath. 64.4; practically, = division of dicasts, ἐν ὁποίῳ γ. δειπνεῖ Ar. Ec. 683; ἁ κατὰ γράμμα φυλακά the roster of guards, SIG 569.21 (Cos, iii B. C.). quarters of a town, PRein. 49.2; accent, EM 240.42, Zonar.
5. a small weight, 1 / 24 ounce, scruple, Androm. ap. Gal. 13.114, Gp. 7.13.2, PLips. 62 ii 27 (iv A. D.).
III in pl.,
1. set of written characters, piece of writing, Hdt. 1.124: hence, letter, Id. 5.14, IG 22.103.8, etc.; γραμμάτων πτυχαί S. Fr. 144, cf. E. IT 594, al., Pl. 347c; inscription, epitaph, etc., ἐκόλαψε ἐς τὸν τάφον γράμματα λέγοντα τάδε Hdt. 1.187, cf. 4.91, And. 3.12, Theoc. 18.47, IG 3.751.
2. papers, documents, Antipho 1.30, D. 36.21, etc. (sg., D.Chr. 65.14); τούτων τὰ γ. the documents to prove this, Lys. 32.14; τὰ γ. τῆς δίκης Ar. Nu. 772; τὰ δημόσια γ. the public records, Decr. ap. D. 18.55; title-deeds, D.C. 65.14; account of loans, D. 49.59; ἐπικαρπίαν ἐν γράμμασιν ἀποφέρειν Pl. Lg. 955d; contract or estimate, BCH 46.323 (Teos); catalogue, X. Cyr. 7.4.12: in sg., bond, [Luk 16:7]; note of hand, J. AJ 18.6.3.
3. a man’s writings, i.e. book, treatise, τὰ τοῦ Ζήνωνος γ. Pl. Prm. 127c (but sg., ib. 128a): pl., books, X. Mem. 4.2.1; Πλάτωνος τὸ περὶ ψυχῆς γ. Call. Epigr. 25, cf. AP 9.63 (Ascl), Gal. 18(2).928; τὰ ἱερὰ γ. the Holy Scriptures, OGI 56.36 (iii B. C.), Ph. 2.574, [2Ti 3:15], J. [Rev 1:10]; ἱερὰ γ., = Imperial rescripts, IG 12(5).132 (Paros, iii A. D.); = hieroglyphics, OGI 90.54 (Rosetta, ii B. C.): in sg., the Law of Moses, [Rom 2:27], al.; opp. πνεῦμα, ib.29: sg., article of a treaty, Th. 5.29.
4. laws or rules, Pl. R. 425b, Plt. 292a, al., Ar. Ec. 1050; κατὰ γράμματα ἄρχειν, opp. ἄνευ γραμμάτων, Pl. Plt. 293a; ἡ κατὰ γ. καὶ νόμους πολιτεία Arist. Pol. 1286a15, cf. 1272a38: οἱ κατὰ γ. νόμοι, opp. οἱ κατὰ τὰ ἔθη, ib. 1287b5, cf. Pl. Plt. 299d; κατὰ γράμματα ἰατρεύεσθαι Arist. Pol. 1287a34; ἡ ἐκ τῶν γ. θεραπεία ib. 40. in pl., also, letters, learning, ἀπείρους γραμμάτων Pl. Ap. 26d, etc.
G1121 — γράμμα
γράμματος, τό (γράφω), that which has been written;
1. a letter i. e. the character: [Luk 23:38] (R G L brackets Tr marginal reading brackets); [Gal 6:11].
2. any writing, a document or record;
a. a note of hand, bill, bond, account, written acknowledgment of debt (asscriptio in Varro sat. Men. 8, 1 (cf. Edersheim ii., 268ff)): [Luk 16:6]f. ((Josephus, Antiquities 18, 6, 3), in L text T Tr WH plural τά γράμματα; so of one document also in Antiph., p. 114 (30); Demosthenes, p. 1034, 16; Vulg.cautio).
b. a letter, an epistle: [Act 28:21]; (Herodotus 5, 14; Thucydides 8, 50; Xenophon, Cyril 4, 5, 26, etc.).
c. τά ἱερά γράμματα the sacred writings (of the O. T.; (so Josephus, Antiquities prooem. § 3; 10, 10, 4 at the end; contra Apion 1, 10; Philo, de vit. Moys. 3, 39; de praem. et poen. § 14; leg. ad Gai. § 29, etc. — but always τά ἱερά γράμματα)): [2Ti 3:15] (here T WH omit; L Tr brackets τά); γράμμα equivalent to the written law of Moses, [Rom 2:27]; Μωϋσέως γράμματα, [Joh 5:47]. Since the Jews so clave to the letter of the law that it not only became to them a mere letter but also a hindrance to true religion, Paul calls it γράμμα in a disparaging sense, and contrasts it with τό πνεῦμα i. e. the divine Spirit, whether operative in the Mosaic law, [Rom 2:29], or in the gospel, by which Christians are governed, [Rom 7:6]; [2Co 3:6]f (but in [2Co 3:7] R G T WH read the plural written in letters, so L marginal reading Tr marginal reading).
3. τά γράμματα, like the Latinlitterae, English letters, equivalent to learning: [Act 26:24]; εἰδέναι, μεμαθηκέναι γράμματα (cf. German studirthaben), of sacred learning, [Joh 7:15]. (μανθάνειν, ἐπίστασθαί, etc., γράμματα are used by the Greeks of the rudiments of learning; cf. Passow, i. p. 571; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. a.).)
γράΜΜα , - τος , το
( < γράφω ),
[in LXX for H5612, etc.;]
1. that which is traced or drawn, a picture.
2. that which is written;
(1) a character, letter: [Gal 6:11];
(2) a writing, a written document;
(a) a bill or account: [Luk 16:6-7];
(b) a letter: [Act 28:21];
( c ) τὰ ἱερὰ γ ., the sacred writings, i.e . the OT: [2Ti 3:15] (so in Philo , Vit. Mos., iii, 39);
(d) τὸ γ ., the letter, the written word as an external authority in con-trast with the direct influence of the Spirit as manifested in the new Covenant: [Rom 2:27]; [Rom 2:29]; Rom 7:6 , [2Co 3:6-7];
(3) τὰ γ ., letters, i.e . learning: [Joh 7:15], [Act 26:24]. (In Papyri an illiterate person is very frequently referred to as γράμματα μὴ εἰδότος , and this "never means anything else than inability to write": MM , Exp., x; but v. also Cremer , 166; DCG, i, 202; ii, 584.) †