εἰλικρίνεια

From the study of 1 Corinthians 5:8

Range of meaning

Purity, the state of being unmixed and unadulterated. Applied to people, it means transparency of motive with no hidden agenda, and so 'sincerity'. The related adjective eilikrinēs was used of unmixed substances, pure light and pure thought.

Against the English

Every major English version has 'sincerity'. Modern 'sincere' mostly means 'genuinely meaning what you feel', and someone can be sincerely wrong. The Greek is about being unadulterated, with nothing foreign mixed in. That is exactly what unleavened dough is.

How it drifted

English 'sincere' comes from Latin sincerus, 'clean, pure, whole', through the Vulgate's sinceritatis. Over time the English word moved from 'pure, unmixed' toward 'heartfelt'. (The popular sermon etymology from Latin sine cera, 'without wax', is not supported by Latin scholars and has nothing to do with the Greek.)

Used elsewhere in the period

Plato, Phaedo 66a, speaks of 'pure (eilikrinei) thought'. Wisdom of Solomon 7:25 calls Wisdom 'a pure emanation' of God's glory. Paul uses the noun again in 2 Corinthians 1:12 and 2:17. In 2:17 he contrasts it with men who 'peddle' God's word, a verb used of merchants who water down wine, which shows that the 'unmixed' sense was active for him.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 1:12

Range of meaning

Purity, sincerity, unmixedness: motives free of hidden admixture.

Against the English

"Sincerity" is accurate in sense. Modern "sincere" can just mean "really believing it." The Greek stresses that there is no hidden mixture of self-interest.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in Greek writers for purity of substances and of motive. In the NT only here, 2:17, and 1 Cor 5:8 ("the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"). The adjective appears in Phil 1:10 and 2 Pet 3:1. Ancient writers already connected it with "judged by the sun's light" (heilē + krinō), but this etymology is uncertain and should not carry the meaning.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 2:17

Range of meaning

Purity, unmixedness, freedom from hidden motives, transparency. The related adjective eilikrinēs describes something pure or unalloyed: clean light, pure substances, an unmixed mind. Used of people, it means motives with nothing else blended in.

Against the English

All the versions say sincerity. Today "sincere" tends to mean "genuinely felt, earnest". The Greek is about being unmixed: no hidden admixture such as profit or flattery of the audience. Someone can sincerely believe what they sell and still mix motives. Eilikrineia rules that out.

How it drifted

English "sincere" (from Latin sincerus, "clean, pure, unmixed") once carried the same picture of purity. Over time it shifted toward emotional genuineness. A popular derivation of the Greek from "judged by sunlight" (heilē + krinō) is often repeated, but its origin is uncertain and nothing in the argument should rest on it.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Cor 5:8 ("the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth", where yeast is the contaminant); 2 Cor 1:12 ("in holiness and sincerity of God"). The adjective appears in Phil 1:10 and 2 Pet 3:1. Wisdom of Solomon 7:25 calls wisdom "a pure (eilikrinēs) emanation of the glory of the Almighty".