Word Summary
ethelothrēskeia: self-willed (arbitrary and unwarranted) piety
Original Word: ἐθελοθρησκείαTransliteration: ethelothrēskeia
Phonetic Spelling: (eth-el-oth-race-ki'-ah)
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Short Definition: self-willed (arbitrary and unwarranted) piety
Meaning: self-willed (arbitrary and unwarranted) piety
Strong's Concordance
voluntary worship.
From ethelo and threskeia; voluntary (arbitrary and unwarranted) piety, i.e. Sanctimony -- will worship.
see GREEK ethelo
see GREEK threskeia
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1479: ἐθελοθρησκείαἐθελοθρησκεία (
T WH ἐθελοθρησκία, see Iota),
ἐθελοθρησκειας,
ἡ (from
ἐθέλω and
θρησκεία, which see (cf.
Winers Grammar, 100 (95))),
voluntary, arbitrary worship, (
Vulg.superstitio) (
A. V. will-worship), i. e. worship which one devises and prescribes for himself, contrary to the contents and nature of the faith which ought to be directed to Christ; said of the misdirected zeal and practices of ascetics:
Colossians 2:23;
Suidas ἐθελοθρησκει.
ἰδίῳ θελήματι σεβει τό δοκοῦν. Cf.
ἐθελόδουλος,
ἐθελοδουλεία,
ἐθελοπρόξενος, one who acts the part of a
proxenus without having been appointed to the office, etc. The explanation of others:
simulated, counterfeit religion (cf. in Greek lexicons,
ἐθελοφιλοσοφος,
ἐθελοκωφος, etc.), does not square so well with the context. (The word is found besides in Mansi, Collect. Concil. vol. iv., p. 1380, and in
Theodoret, vol. iv., epistle clxi., p. (1460 b., Migne edition) 1831, Halle edition; (
Eusebius,
h. e. 6, 12, 1;
Jerome, epistle 121, vol. 1,1031, Migne edition).
Epiphanius haer. 1, 16 (i., p. 318, 3rd edition, Dindorf) attributes
ἐθελοπερισσοθρησκεια to the Pharisees.)