Exousia

In the fifth century B.C. writings of Thucydides Exousia is used by Antiphon Orator meaning “an ability to do something” if there were no hindrances (Kittel, 2:562). The word generally denotes the right to act according to moral standards. It can be used in an official sense to describe the authority of a king but before king it was the natural choice to do or not do something by right.

The word appear 4 times in reference to an adversarial jurisdiction, 12 times in reference to a right, 11 times concerning conflicts of justice and 51 times in reference to Jesus.

In Romans 13 we see the phrase "ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις" and later the word "ἐξουσία".

ἐξουσίαις - noun: dative, plural, feminine

1. power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases

a. leave or permission

ὑπερεχούσαις - verb: present, active, participle, dative, plural, feminine

1. to have or hold over one

The words "governing authorities" is really a paraphrase and novel interpretation of "ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις" which may match many modern eschatological but not necessarily what Christians were doing in the early Church.

In Romans 13:1 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "higher".

In Philippians 2:3 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "better than" .

In Philippians 3:8 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "the excellency" of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

In Philippians 4:7 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "passeth" in refference to "... the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

In 1 Peter 2:13 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "supreme" in reference to the king by the same man who said there is another king one Jesus and did contrary to the decrees of Caesar.

declension	of	εξουσία
	singular	plural
nominative	εξουσία •	εξουσίες •
genitive	εξουσίας •	εξουσιών •
accusative	εξουσία •	εξουσίες •
vocative	εξουσία •	εξουσίες •