χαρακτήρ

From the study of Hebrews 1:3

Range of meaning

From charassō, 'to engrave, cut, stamp'. It first meant the engraving tool or the die, then the impression the die leaves on wax, metal or a coin. From there it came to mean a distinctive mark or exact likeness, the feature by which something is recognized. It appears only here in the New Testament.

Against the English

KJV 'express image', NIV and NASB 'exact representation', ESV 'exact imprint', WEB 'very image', YLT 'impress'. 'Imprint' and 'impress' keep the seal-and-stamp picture best. 'Representation' is accurate but abstract.

How it drifted

Our English word 'character' comes from this Greek word. But modern 'character' means moral personality ('a person of good character'). So a rendering like the NLT's 'expresses the very character of God' moves the meaning toward moral resemblance and loses the physical picture of a seal pressed into wax. In Greek the stress is on exact correspondence of being, not shared virtues.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for the stamp on coins in Greek papyri and inscriptions. Philo calls the divine Word (the Logos) the 'seal' whose charaktēr is stamped on the human soul (e.g. On Planting 18). The Greek Old Testament uses it for a distinguishing mark (e.g. LXX Leviticus 13:28). 2 Maccabees 4:10 uses it for the 'Greek stamp' (way of life) imposed on Jerusalem.