Preach (proclaim) (2784) kerusso

Proclaimed (2784) (kerusso or kerysso from kerux/keryx = a herald - one who acts as the medium of the authority of one who proclamation he makes; kerugma = the thing preached or the message) means to proclaim (publicly) or to herald or act as a public crier - the town official who would make a proclamation in a public gathering. Kerusso was used of the official whose duty it was to proclaim loudly and extensively the coming of an earthly king, even as our gospel is to clearly announce the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16-note)! The Imperial Herald would enter a town in behalf of the Emperor, and make a public proclamation of the message which his Sovereign ordered him to give, doing so with such formality, gravity, and authority as to emphasize that the message must be heeded! (Think about this in regard to the Gospel of God instead of the decree of a man! cf 1Th 2:13-note). He gave the people exactly what the Emperor bade him give, nothing more, nothing less. He did not dare add to the message or take away from it. Should this not be the example and pattern every preacher and teacher of the holy gospel of God seeks and strives to emulate, yea, even doing so with fear and trembling! ("not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts" see 1Th 2:4-note) The original meaning of the root word kerux was a "herald at the royal court." Homer used kerusso and kerux in this connection. They not only announced the coming of the prince, but they also carried his commands to the uttermost corners of his realm. As the government of Greece became more republican, these heralds came to serve the state rather than the court. Certain qualities were required of heralds. They must have powerful voices, so voice auditions were often held. Also they had to be capable of calming down an unruly mob, in order to faithfully communicate the command. An honest disposition was also required, as a protection against the exaggeration of a royal decree. Furthermore, they could make no additions or subtractions from the received message. Later these heralds were also used to declare the message of a Greek deity or a religious oracle. To preach, proclaim, publish, always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed. The idea is to preach or proclaim with the goal to persuade, urge or warn to comply. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher (kerusso)? (Ro 10:14-note) Comment: Kerusso also means to preach the Gospel in Ro 10:15-note; 1Cor 1:23; 15:11, 12; Galatians 2:2; Php 1:15-note; 1Th 2:9-note; 1 Ti 3:16 Kerusso is used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it as proclaimed by John the Baptist, Jesus, the apostles and other Christian teachers. An unexpected group of preachers were some of those whom the miracles of Jesus touched. A cleansed leper told his tale of healing far and wide (Mark 1:44-45). When a demon-possessed man was released, he proclaimed the glories of Christ throughout the whole city (Mark 5:19-20). In the New Testament, from John the Baptist to the establishment of an Apostolic church, preaching was the main means of communicating the Christian message. This gives validity to the preaching ministry today. Kerusso does not carry within it the content or nature of the message which is proclaimed. The context usually indicates what is being preached or qualifying phrase must be used for that purpose. In the New Testament, the word is used either with a qualifying phrase such as “the gospel” (Mark 16:15), or the contents of the proclamation are given as in Revelation 5:2, or it is used alone without the contents of the message being given as in Romans 10:15. R. C. H. Lenski comments The point to be noted is that to preach is not to argue, reason, dispute, or convince by intellectual proof, against all of which a keen intellect may bring counterargument. We simply state in public or testify to all men the truth which God bids us state. No argument can assail the truth presented in this announcement or testimony. Men either believe the truth, as all sane men should, or refuse to believe it, as only fools venture to do” (The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1964], p. 168). Kerusso is a term borrowed from the secular sphere where it was used for the proclamation of an official message from a ruler or other person of power. Because of that association, the term implies some dignity for the person doing the proclaiming. Kerusso means to make a formal or an official announcement and thus to announce by means of a herald or one who functions as a herald And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" (see note Revelation 5:2). Kerusso means to make known extensively or tell everywhere And he (man healed of a demon) went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled. (Mark 5:20). In a religious sense it denotes proclamation of a sacred message and can mean to preach or publish... John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4) Comment: Here kerusso pictures John as a herald with an official proclamation from a coming King, the Messiah of Israel. He acted as one, making a public proclamation of the news of the advent of the Messiah with such formality, gravity, and authority as must be listened to and obeyed. And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. (Mt 4:23). Comment: Generally a herald speaks for the king, making his decrees known. In this case, the proclamation was about the kingdom of God and the herald was the King! Matthew uses kerusso for John, for Jesus, and for the disciples. He emphasizes the binding and official legalistic character of the proclamation. Kerusso like its synonym euaggelizo, is especially used of preaching the gospel with the distinction lying in the literal significance where kerusso signifies to proclaim as a herald (kerux) and euaggelizo means to announce a good message or declare good tidings. Stated another way euaggelizo stresses the content while kerusso emphasizes the manner of the proclamation. Kerusso also conveys a sense of urgency with which the proclamation is made. Similarly while didasko relates to explaining a message, kerusso relates to announcing it, proclaiming openly something which has been done. Vance Havner once said It is not the business of the preacher to fill the house. It is his business to fill the pulpit. Similarly Dwight L. Moody (1837-99) claimed The best way to revive a church is to build a fire in the pulpit John Ruskin (1819-1900) remarked Preaching is 30 minutes in which to raise the dead. Hunter writing on kerusso says that... In the New Testament the verb does not mean ‘to give an informative or hortatory or edifying discourse expressed in beautifully arranged words with a melodious voice; it means to proclaim an event Preaching is not a lecture on the nature of God's kingdom. It is proclamation (Webster = official, authoritative notice given to the public) or the declaration of an event (Webster says "In England, a declaration of the king’s will, openly published." The proclamation should be characterized by that dignity which comes from the consciousness of the fact that the kerux or preacher is an official herald of the King of kings. It is to be accompanied by a sense of divinely given authority, authority which commands the respect, careful attention, and proper reaction of the listeners. In short, there is no place for clowning around in the pulpit of Jesus Christ (Read Paul's solemn charge to Timothy regarding preaching the Word - 2Ti 4:1-note) C. H. Dodd writes that the word kerusso signifies not the action of the preacher, but that which he preaches, his message, as we sometimes say Kerusso - 61 times in NT - Mt 3:1; 7" class="scriptRef">4:17, 23; 9:35; 10:7, 27; 11:1; 14" class="scriptRef">24:14; 26:13; Mk. 1:4, 7, 14, 38 39, 45; 3:14; 20" class="scriptRef">5:20; 6:12; 7:36; 13:10; 14:9; 16:15, 20; ; Lk 3:3; 4:18 19, 44; 8:1, 39; 9:2; 12:3; 24:47; Acts 8:5; 9:20; 10:37, 42; 15:21; 19:13; 20:25; 28:31; Ro 2:21-note; Ro 10:8-note, Ro 10:14 15-note; 1Co 1:23; 9:27; 15:11 12; ; 2Co 1:19; 4:5-note; 2Co 11:4; Gal 2:2; 5:11; Php 1:15-note; Col 1:23-note; 1Th 2:9; 1Ti 3:16; 2Ti 4:2-note; 1Pe 3:19-note; Rev 5:2-note. NAS = made proclamation, 1; preach, 16; preached, 10; preacher, 1; preaches, 2; preaching, 11; proclaim, 8; proclaimed, 6; proclaiming, 6. Kerusso -26 times in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Ge 41:43; Ex 32:5; 36:6; 2Ki. 10:20; 2Chr 20:3; 24:9; 36:22; Est 6:9, 11; Pr 1:21; 8:1; Is 61:1 (...He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives..."); Da 3:4 (Then the herald loudly proclaimed "To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language"); Da 5:29; Hos 5:8; Joel 1:14 (Proclaim a solemn assembly); Joel 2:1, 15; 3:9; Jonah 1:2 {Note: Here Kerusso is used of bringing bad news! But what effect did first presenting the "bad news" have on their reception of the "good news"? cp Jonah 3:4 5 6 7 8 9 10}; Jonah 3:2, 4 5, 7; Mic 3:5; Zeph. 3:14; Zech 9:9 Paul uses the noun kerux (herald) in 1 Ti 2:7 ("And for this I was appointed a preacher") and 2Ti 1:11 (note) ("for which [for the Gospel] I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher"). In Ro 16:25 (note) ("Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ...") he uses the related derivative kerugma of the content of his preaching. TDNT has an excellent discussion of kerusso... 1. The Dignity and Social Position of the Herald. The herald has a high place in Greek antiquity; he belongs to the court, carries a sceptre, and is renowned for cleverness and wisdom. Yet he also performs menial tasks and runs very ordinary errands. Later there are heralds of mysteries, games, festivals, and markets. As state officials heralds come to be poorly regarded but still render important services, belong to the higher classes, and are often given high honors and rewards. 2. The Qualities Demanded of a Herald. A strong and resonant voice is the basic requirement, since the herald has to issue summons, keep the peace, and make announcements. The games include contests to test the strength and diction of heralds. To restrict garrulity and exaggeration, it is important that heralds deliver news or pass on messages strictly as these are given to them. In negotiations they seldom act on their own initiative but simply deliver short messages, put a few questions, and report back for further instructions. In the assembly or in court they act only as the voice of the chairman or president. 3. The Religious Significance of the Herald. a. His Inviolability on Diplomatic Missions. Since politics and religion are inseparable for the Greeks, heralds on foreign missions are regarded as under the protection not only of their country but also of the gods. To violate them is to bring down divine wrath. Even if their message is unwelcome, they must be hospitably received. They have a special sanctity which enables them to speak without fear or favor. For this reason they often accompany envoys. Even in war they may go to the enemy camp to open up negotiations for peace. Similarly, they may go to an enemy capital to declare war. b. His Participation in Cultic Life. Heralds offer prayers at the opening of assemblies or the mustering of the army. They invoke divine blessing on their cities and cursing on traitors and public offenders. They also have a part in preparations for sacrifices and lead in prayer at the actual sacrifices. They have a part, too, in the religious act of making treaties. Their intimation of festivals and games may also have a cultic aspect, and some heralds are specifically employed by cultic societies (cf. their role in the Eleusinian mysteries, in which they issue the call to worship, lead in prayer, help in the sacrifices, and make important announcements). 4. The Herald of the Gods. While all heralds stand under the protection of the gods, the gods have their own special heralds. Hermes is the herald-god who plays the herald role in the divine assemblies. Birds are also at times heralds of the gods. So, too, are Stoic philosophers, who, according to Epictetus, go through the world in simple style with the task of presenting divine teaching with its truth and claim, bringing a higher peace than even the emperor can grant, but also issuing a call for decision, chiding error, and summoning to emulation. Formally one sees a close parallel here to the work of early Christian missionaries. A primary distinction is that the Stoic sees himself as a katáskopos, an inspector of people who declares his message on the basis of his observations. The Stoic starting point, then, is human need or wickedness, whereas the Christian starting point is God's gracious presence in Christ. This points to the fundamental difference, namely, between the god whose heralds the Stoics are and the Father of Christ whose message the apostles declare. The message itself differs in consequence, for while the Stoics have high ideals, they can finally hope only to quicken a slumbering seed of morality, whereas the gospel ushers in the new age of the kingdom which involves radical conversion and renewal. Philosophical heralds proclaim human development and divinization, apostolic messengers the incarnation, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of eternal life. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/1thessalonians_27-9.htm#proclaim

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Preach (proclaim) (2784) kerusso

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