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
- power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
- a. leave or permission
ὑπερεχούσαις - verb: present, active, participle, dative, plural, feminine
- 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.[1]
| declension | of | εξουσία |
| singular | plural | |
| nominative | εξουσία • | εξουσίες • |
| genitive | εξουσίας • | εξουσιών • |
| accusative | εξουσία • | εξουσίες • |
| vocative | εξουσία • | εξουσίες • |