Ἀλφα

From the study of Revelation 1:8

Range of meaning

These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Naming the two ends of a series to mean the whole of it is a common ancient figure of speech, like “heaven and earth” or “from A to Z.” The point is that God is the source and the goal of everything: nothing comes before him and nothing outlasts him.

Against the English

English versions all keep the letter names, which works. Most readers know “Alpha and Omega” only as a religious phrase, though, and lose the simple alphabet picture of first and last letter, start and finish. The KJV adds “the beginning and the ending,” which spells out the meaning correctly but is not part of the original text here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Revelation unpacks the phrase itself. In 21:6 God says “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” In 22:13 Jesus says “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Behind these stands Isaiah 44:6 (“I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god”), with 41:4 and 48:12. Jewish writers used the Hebrew alphabet in a similar way. Later rabbinic texts say “the seal of the Holy One is emet (truth),” because אמת is spelled with the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet (b. Shabbat 55a). They also speak of keeping the Law “from aleph to tav,” meaning all of it. In the Greek world, magical papyri and amulets used vowel strings running from alpha to omega (αεηιουω) as divine names. Some scholars (e.g. Aune) think Revelation may be borrowing that idiom to claim it for the one true God.

From the study of Revelation 21:6

Range of meaning

These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Naming the two ends of a series to mean "the whole of it" was a common ancient figure of speech.

Against the English

"Alpha and Omega" is accurate. Modern readers may hear only a title of eternity, "he existed before and will exist after". In the ancient world the letter pair also meant completeness: everything from A to Z lies in his hand.

Used elsewhere in the period

Within Revelation the title is used by God in 1:8 and 21:6, and by Jesus in 22:13, where it is placed next to "the First and the Last" (compare 1:17; 2:8). The idea goes back to Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12, "I am the first and I am the last" (LXX ἐγὼ πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα), and 41:4. Later rabbis made a similar letter play with Hebrew: אֱמֶת (emet, "truth") is made of the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet and was called "the seal of the Holy One" (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 55a). That text is later than Revelation, so it is an illustration, not a source.

From the study of Revelation 22:13

Range of meaning

The names of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Naming the first and last of a series to mean "the whole of it" is a common biblical way of speaking (compare "heaven and earth" for everything that exists, or "from Dan to Beersheba" for the whole land). So "alpha and omega" means "everything from the first letter to the last": the complete whole, with nothing before it and nothing after it.

Against the English

English versions keep the Greek letter names, which is right, but English readers do not count with these letters, so the picture can sound exotic or decorative. For a Greek speaker it was as plain as saying "A to Z" in English. The difference is that here it is God's own title, not a casual phrase.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Bible, the title appears only in Revelation: 1:8 ("the Lord God" speaks), 21:6 (God on the throne), and here (Jesus). Later rabbinic writings make a similar point with Hebrew letters. The Talmud (b. Shabbat 55a) calls God's seal ʾemet, "truth," because it is spelled with the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These rabbinic texts are later than Revelation, so they show a similar way of thinking, not a source John drew on. Greek religious and magical texts also gave letters, especially the vowels, symbolic meaning. Scholars debate how much of that background John's readers would have heard here (Aune, WBC on 1:8).