χαίρω chaírō [to rejoice] <G5463>,
χαρά chará [joy] <G5479>,
συγχαίρω synchaírō [to rejoice with] <G4796>,
χάρις cháris [grace] <G5485>,
χαρίζομαι charízomai [to give freely] <G5483>,
χαριτόω charitóō [to bestow favor, bless] <G5487>,
ἀχάριστος acháristos [ungrateful] <G884>,
χάρισμα chárisma [gift] <G5486>,
εὐχαριστέω eucharistéō [to show favor, give thanks] <G2168>,
εὐχαριστία eucharistía [gratitude, thanksgiving] <G2169>,
εὐχάριστος eucháristos [grateful, thankful] <G2170>
chaírō, chará, synchaírō.
a. As a phenomenon or feeling, “joy” is a culmination of being that raises no problems as such and that strains beyond itself.
b. chaírō means “to rejoice,” “to be merry.” chaíre serves as a morning greeting. It is above all a greeting to the gods and is a stereotyped ending to hymns. The verb is also an epistolary formula in greetings from sender to recipient.
c. chará means “rejoicing,” “joy,” “merriness.”
a. Philosophy reflects on joy. For Plato it is much the same as hēdonḗ.
b. hēdonḗ almost completely replaces it in Aristotle with little distinction.
c. For the Stoics chará is a special instance of hēdonḗ. Since the Stoics regard emotions as defective judgment of the lógos, they tend to view chará negatively. But they mitigate this verdict by classifying it as a “good mood” of the soul rather than an emotion (páthē).
3. Religious Connection. Hellenism uses chará for festal joy. It takes on an eschatological character in expectations of a world savior.
In the OT the experience and expression of joy are close, as the terms for joy (usually śmḥ) and its expression show. Joy expresses the whole person and aims at sharing, as in festal joy. God’s work of salvation is a chief occasion (Pss. 5:11; 9:2; 16:9, etc.). The law is an object in Ps. 119:14, the word of God in Jer. 15:16. Joy is a reward for faithfulness to the law in Isa. 65:13-14. There is joy at weddings (Jer. 25:10) and at harvest (Isa. 9:2). God himself rejoices (Isa. 65:19), and thanksgiving demands joy (Dt. 16:13ff.). Feasts offer occasions for joy before God (Dt. 2:7). Hymnal jubilation expresses devotion to God (Joel 2:21). In accordance with its inner intention, OT joy culminates in eschatology (Pss. 14:7; 126:2; Isa. 9:2; 12:6, etc.). High points in the prophets carry the call: chaíre (Zeph. 3:14ff.; Joel 2:21ff.; Zech. 9:9-10).
1. Qumran. At Qumran we find the OT motifs of joy in God, of God’s own joy, and of eschatological joy. The elect can rejoice in spite of present suffering because they know that they are in God’s hand.
2. Rabbinic Writings. Here, too, we find festal joy, which God gives and into which it is a duty to enter. Joy is joy before God. The meal is part of the joyful festival. A significant thought is that of perfect future joy.
3. Philo. The group is a significant one in Philo. He relates joy to religious “intoxication.” Joy is a supreme “good mood.” It is the opposite of fear. Isaac is its OT symbol. God is the giver of joy, and its objects are health, freedom, honor, the good, the beautiful, and worship. While joy is a “good mood” Philo does not view it in Stoic fashion as a self-achieved harmony of soul. Joy is native to God alone; we find it only in God. It comes with virtue and wisdom. But this is possible only on the presupposition that by way of the lógos God himself is the giver.
1. Usage. In the NT chaírō is the secular term and agalliáomai the religious term, but the two may be synonymous (cf. Rev. 19:7), and they are associated, e.g., in Matt. 5:12; 1 Pet. 4:13. The participle means “full of joy” in Luke 19:6. Various constructions are used, e.g., accusative, dative, epí with dative, diá with accusative, en, hóti, and participle. The greeting with chaírein occurs only in Acts 15:23; 23:26; Jms. 1:1. The greeting chaíre (Mark 15:18; Matt. 26:49; 27:29; Jn. 19:3) may mean “rejoice” rather than “greetings” in Luke 1:28, where kecharitōménē (“favored one”) gives it special significance. The meanings of both verb and noun are to be sought in the contexts in which they are used.
2. The Synoptics and 1 Peter. The group is common only in Luke, which refers to joy at finding what is lost (15:5ff.), at one’s name being written in heaven (10:20), at the coming of the Savior (1:14), and at the acts of Jesus (13:17). The mood of the people is one of joy in 18:43, as is that of the disciples after the ascension in 24:52. There is joy at epiphany in Matt. 2:10. Even trials are an occasion of joy (Jms. 1:2). Suffering is a testing of faith (1 Pet. 1:6-7) with a christological basis (2:20ff.; 4:12ff.). One should not just rejoice “in” suffering but “at” suffering (Acts 5:41). Already in Matt. 5:11-12 Jesus forges a link between joy and persecution. The hope of future glory adds an eschatological dimension in 1 Pet. 4:12ff. Heb. 10:32ff. presents another version of the same tradition that one should suffer with joy for faith’s sake and with the hope of imminent deliverance.
a. For Paul chará is the joy of faith (Phil. 1:25) and a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). God’s kingdom is joy (Rom. 14:17). Joy and hope are related (Rom. 12:12). Its opposite is affliction (cf. Rom. 5:1ff.). Joy actualizes freedom and takes shape in fellowship (12:15). Paul wants to come with joy (15:32). Joy is reciprocal (Phil. 2:28-29). Joy is in God (1 Th. 3:9) or in the Lord (Phil. 3:1). In the relation between Paul and the church, joy is eschatological; the church will be his joy (1 Th. 2:19). The mood of Philippians is one of joy (1:4). This is joy at the preaching of Christ (1:18). It is future joy experienced as joy in the present (4:1). As the joy of faith it includes a readiness for martyrdom (1:25). This joy maintains itself in face of affliction (2 Cor. 7:4ff.). Paul himself, like the Lord, is an example in this regard (1 Th. 1:6). Paul’s apostolic authority works for the joy of the church (2 Cor. 1:24). He rejoices in his own weakness when it means the church’s strength (13:9).
b. There is nothing new in later works, chaírō occurs in Col. 1:24; 2:5, and chará in Col. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:4. The most important aspect is that of joy in suffering.
4. The Johannine Writings. Jn. 4:36 adopts the image of harvest joy and Jn. 3:29 that of wedding joy. The time of joy has come with Jesus. The Baptist’s joy is fulfilled because its object is now present. In 8:56 chaírō is the anticipation, agalliáomai the fulfilment. “Perfect joy” is the climax (15:11; 16:24; 17:13; 1 Jn. 1:4; 2 Jn. 12). The disciples should rejoice at Jesus’ death, for it means exaltation. Jesus does not censure the disciples’ sorrow but shows how the resurrection turns it into chará (16:20ff.). The association with peace brings out the eschatological nature of joy (14:27). In 15:11 the joy is Jesus’ joy in his people. If keeping the commandments is the occasion of joy, there is no legalism here. Love is not the way to attain eschatological life but the leading of this life. The world rejoices at the sorrow of the disciples, thinking it has triumphed by destroying Jesus, but this victory is only for the moment (16:20). By promise the church has already moved on from sorrow to joy. The world’s hostility remains (15:18-19), but this very fact shows that joy cannot be lost. Its perfection rests on its lack of any perceptible ground from the world’s standpoint. In practice, joy is the possibility of prayer, which brings its fulfilment (16:24).
E. The Apostolic Fathers.
God rejoices in the good works of creation, and believers should also rejoice in good works (1 Clem. 33.7-8). Joy is a reward for excess works (Hermas Similitudes 5.3.3).
Gnosticism refers to joy at the vision of God. Joy is now a constituent part of human nature. Joy is in the Lord, the saints rejoice from the heart, the gospel of truth is joy, there is for the Mandaeans a great day of joy, and the Manichees speak of an ascent into the aḗr of joy.
cháris, charízomai, charitóō, acháristos.
a. cháris is what delights. It may be a state causing or accompanying joy. It is joyous being or “charm,” the element of delight in the beautiful, the favor shown by fortune, i.e., what is pleasing in it. As a mood cháris means “sympathy” or “kindness,” with a reference to the pleasure that is caused. In certain expressions the idea of “thanks” is brought out, and cháris with the genitive has the sense of “for the sake of,” “out of consideration for.” Aeschylus uses cháris for the “favor” of the gods, but cháris is not a central religious or philosophical term. In Plato it has the meanings “good pleasure,” “goodwill,” “favor,” “pleasure,” “what pleases,” and “thanks.” Stoicism stresses the disposition, but the aesthetic aspect persists even in ethics.
b. The verb charízomai means “to show pleasure” or “to show oneself to be pleasant,” and in the passive, especially the perfect, “to be agreeable.”
c. charitóō has not been found prior to Sirach 18:17.
d. acháristos means “without charm” or “ungrateful.”
a. In Hellenism cháris becomes a fixed term for the “favor” shown by rulers, with such nuances as “gracious disposition” or “gracious gift.” cháris may also be ascribed to other dignitaries. Philosophy discusses the “grace” and “wrath” of the gods. The Epicureans deny these; the Stoics accept grace but not wrath. In recipients, cháris denotes “thanks.”
b. In a second development Hellenism stresses the power in cháris. This power, which comes from the world above, appears in the divine man and expresses itself in magic.
[H. CONZELMANN, IX, 359–76]
a. The LXX uses cháris especially for Heb. ḥēn, which seems to derive from the widespread verbal stem ḥnn, found in Ancient Babylon, Akkadian, and Assyrian, and also in Ugaritic, Aramaic, Syriac, and Arabic.
b. The verbal stem denotes a gracious disposition that finds expression in a gracious action (cf. Gen. 33:5; Ps. 119:29). The construction with accusative of person brings out the thrust, namely, gracious address to another. We find an impersonal object only marginally, as in Ps. 102:14. What is in view is the process whereby one who has something turns graciously to another who is in need. Initially the term is not theological. It may be used for having pity on the poor (Prov. 14:31) or the defenseless (Dt. 7:2). More weakly it may simply denote friendly speech (Prov. 26:25).
c. Yet the main OT development relates to God, who is the subject in 41 of 56 instances; 26 in the Psalms, which call on God to hear prayer (4:1), to heal (6:2), to redeem (26:11), to set up (41:10), to pardon (51:1), and to strengthen (86:16) in the corresponding needs. Appeal is made in these prayers to the love of God or to his word or covenant. The Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:25) invokes the gracious will of God as God has pledged it in the covenant. Yet God’s graciousness is a free gift (Ex. 33:19). Judgment is often mentioned alongside it, as in Amos 5:15, where graciousness to a remnant is all that may be hoped for. The liturgical formula “gracious and merciful,” one of the rare adjectival predications of God, relates to the acts of God rather than specifically to his being.
d. One of the verbs derived from the stem carries the sense “to request” or “to beseech,” directed either to people (Gen. 42:21; 2 Kgs. 1:13), or to God (Dt. 3:23; 1 Kgs. 8:33).
e. In the case of nouns, the reference again might be to requests directed to others (Jer. 37:20) or to God (Ps. 28:2), or it might be to “mercy,” e.g., that of the conqueror for the conquered (Josh. 11:20) or that of God for his people (Ezr. 9:8).
f. In the case of ḥēn, in analogy to showing no favor in Jer. 16:13, one might expect the same thought in, e.g., Gen. 39:21; Ex. 3:21; Ps. 84:11; Prov. 3:34. In fact, however, ḥēn undergoes a different development; the reference is to the favor that God gives along with other favors, i.e., their “gracefulness” or “attractiveness” or “worth” which causes others to be favorably disposed. In the ḥēn that God gives there is thus reflected, not the relation between giver and recipient, but the relation between the recipient and a third person.
g. This relation emerges clearly in the very common phrase “to find grace in the eyes” of another, whether the other be another person or God. Thus Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord in Gen. 6:8 and Moses in Ex. 33:12, while Jacob seeks favor in Esau’s eyes in Gen. 32:5 and Joseph finds favor in Potiphar’s house in Gen. 39:4.
h. In the Psalms ḥēn does not occur in the context of petition but refers to the “grace” that God gives in Ps. 84:11 and to “grace” on the lips of the bridegroom in Ps. 45:2. In Proverbs, where the term is more common, it has the same sense, although in Ecclesiastes the favor that comes to a person is meant (9:11; 10:12). In general, ḥēn thus becomes a term that qualifies the recipient, with a certain aesthetic accent in many cases (cf. Zech. 4:7). The meaning is closer to that of the verbal stem in Zech. 12:10, where mercy and supplication are poured out in place of an original hardness. But for the most part ḥēn fails to supply the noun corresponding to verbs of the stem. It thus opens the door to another term which the LXX usually renders éleos, the noun related to eleéō, its translation of ḥnn. This term is ḥeseḋ.
a. The term ḥeseḋ demands treatment here, partly because of the connection made by its translation as éleos, partly because of its later merging with ḥēn, and partly also because the later translators relate it to cháris. Debate continues as to the precise meaning of ḥeseḋ. One school relates it to right or duty and sees a basic connection with the covenant. Another school finds in it simple kindliness both as will and act. The truth, perhaps, is that it expresses spontaneous goodness, or grace, in a specific relationship or in ongoing fellowship (cf. Gen. 19:19; 47:29; 1 Sam. 20:8; 2 Sam. 16:17). The primary sphere of ḥeseḋ seems to be that of relationships among humans. It then comes into the vicinity of covenant statements either as the presupposition of a covenant or as its expression. Here the element of duty emerges; constancy and loyalty are native to it.
b. The word then acquires its distinctive OT sense in relation to God. In Ex. 20:5-6 God is jealous for his rights but shows covenant grace to thousands of those who love him and keep his commandments. Here grace is converted into act, and the “thousands” shows that it is incomparably stronger than wrath. Grace often occurs in the context of forgiveness (Ex. 30:7 etc.) and along with an express reference to the covenant (Dt. 7:9). Mercy accompanies it in Ex. 34:6 etc., and faithfulness in Dt. 7:9 etc. The Psalms develop the divine aspect with 127 of the 237 instances, only three of which refer to ḥeseḋ among humans. Invoking it, the Psalms beseech God to hear (Ps. 119:149), to save (109:26), to redeem (44:26), to give life (119:88), and to forgive (25:7). Thanks are given for expressions of it (5:7; 106:45). Accounts are given of various instances (94:18; 21:7; 59:10, etc.). Parallels are salvation (13:5), mercy (25:6), righteousness (36:10), redemption (130:7), and faithfulness (36:5). Miracles are connected with it (107:8), and joy and praise arise at it (31:7; 138:2). The earth is full of it (33:5), it reaches to heaven (36:5), it endures forever (89:2), and if death seems to limit it (88:11), it is better than life itself (63:3). God sends it, it comes, it meets and follows us (57:3; 59:10; 85:10; 23:6), and we must remember, consider, and wait for it (106:7; 48:9; 33:18). Praise of it takes liturgical form (107; 136; 1 Chron. 16:34; Jer. 33:11). In its sphere, God’s people show it to one another (Gen. 24:49; Ruth 1:8; 3:10).
c. Among the prophets, Hosea, Jeremiah, and Isaiah (40ff.), who speak most of the covenant, are rich in references to ḥeseḋ. A new element here, however, is that of human ḥeseḋ toward God (Hos. 4:1; 6:4). What is meant is Israel’s covenant conduct, i.e., spontaneous love of God. Jeremiah refers to this in 2:2. It is possible only as God’s own gracious gift (Hos. 2:19-20). Isa. 55:3, appealing to the covenant of grace with David, stresses the character of ḥeseḋ as salvation. In Isa. 40:6, however, there is an approximation to the meaning of ḥēn, the reference being to the collapse of human glory (cf. Esth. 2:9, 17).
d. In general one may state that ḥeseḋ plays the role of a substitute noun for the ḥnn group. The only difference is that it stresses free kindness within a specific relationship and does not necessarily express the movement of the stronger to the weaker or poorer. The social relationship controls the content, so that when it is oriented to a covenant, the particular understanding of the covenant fixes the sense.
e. The derived adjective occurs especially in the Psalms. Often here God is in view as the active giver of grace. With a human reference the use may be passive for the recipients of divine grace or active for those who themselves show faithfulness. A covenant context is apparent in Ps. 50:5.
[W. ZIMMERLI, IX, 376–87]
1. Qumran and the Testaments of the Twelve.
a. ḥsḋ is dominant in the Qumran writings. Closely connected with mercy and righteousness, it is a basic term for God’s dealings. The righteous rely on it, they extol God’s fullness of it, and it proves itself in times of trouble.
b. The use in the Testaments of the Twelve is of little significance.
2. Rabbinic Writings. In the rabbis the verb ḥnn means “to be favorable,” and the noun ḥsḋ signifies “favor” or “attractiveness.” The central problem is the relation between grace and works. Grace arises where there are no works, and the stress falls on the freedom of the divine giving. Yet the concept of grace remains caught in the schema of the law, i.e., the principle of act and reward.
a. cháris translates ḥēn rather than ḥeseḋ and usually denotes “attractiveness” or “favor” with God or others. It is not a theological term.
b. charízomai occurs only in Sirach and Maccabees and means “to give.”
4. Philo. Some development may be seen in Philo, for whom Hannah symbolizes cháris, and who views chárites as God’s gifts and cháris as the power behind them. The content of cháris derives from the understanding of God as Creator and Preserver, always in an active sense. In one sense cháris is the human endowment at creation. In relation to salvation, Philo has no doctrine of merit but he also thinks that cháris is only for the righteous. He demands a struggle for virtue but also a confession that virtue is God’s achievement and not ours. Recognition of sin and need forms the essential starting point. Over against this stands the greatness of grace. Those who are pious in the sense of self-renunciation are impelled by divine forces and may thus attain to virtue.
The noun cháris does not occur in Matthew, Mark, of 1 and 3 John, in John it occurs only in 1:14ff., and in 1 Thessalonians and Philemon only in salutations, charízomai is found only in Luke and Paul, and charitóō only in Luke 1:28 and Eph. 1:6. The preposition chárin is not very common in the NT (in contrast to the Koine). The OT ḥēn offers little guidance, and ḥeseḋ points us to éleos rather than cháris.
a. The secular sense may be seen in Acts 24:27; 25:3, 9, and more positively in Acts 2:47; 4:33.
b. OT influence may be seen in the religious use in Luke 1:30; Acts 7:46; 7:10; Luke 2:40, 52; 6:32ff.
c. cháris characterizes the good news in Luke 4:22; Acts 14:3. It depicts the Spirit-filled man in Acts 6:8. Its overruling may be seen in the church’s growth in Acts 11:23. There is commendation to divine grace in Acts 14:26; 15:40. Acts 15:11 has a Pauline ring but in a context of exhortation.
d. As regards charízomai, Barabbas is freed as a favor to the people in Acts 3:14, but Paul asks not to be handed over as a favor to them in 25:11 (cf. v. 16). God grants Paul the lives of those who travel with him in 27:24. Luke summarizes the work of Jesus in Luke 7:21 (cf. 4:22), and Luke 7:42-43 is also typically Lucan.
e. charitóō (“to show grace,” “to bless”) occurs in the NT only in connection with divine cháris (Luke 1:28).
f. acháristos means “ungrateful” in Luke 6:35. It derives its force from cháris in vv. 32ff.
a. A central concept in Paul, cháris has a special place in his greetings (Rom. 1:7 etc.; 1 Th. 5:28 etc.). It echoes the familiar chaírein, but comes into association with peace in a liturgical formula that forms a constituent part of the letter.
b. Distinctively cháris in Paul expounds the structure of the salvation event. The basic thought is that of free giving. In view is not just a quality in God but its actualization at the cross (Gal. 2:21) and its proclamation in the gospel. We are saved by grace alone. It is shown to sinners (Rom. 3:23-24), and it is the totality of salvation (2 Cor. 6:1) that all believers have (1 Cor. 1:4). To the “grace alone” embodied in Christ corresponds the “faith alone” of believers (Rom. 3:24ff.) that rules out the law as a way of salvation (4:16). cháris and pístis together are in antithesis to nómos (law). Grace is the basis of justification and is also manifested in it (5:20-21). Hence grace is in some sense a state (5:2), although one is always called into it (Gal. 1:6), and it is always a gift on which one has no claim. Grace is sufficient (1 Cor. 1:29). One neither needs more nor will get more. It carries an element of assurance, but not of false security, thus leaving no place for boasting (1 Cor. 1:29; cf. Gal. 5:4).
c. The work of grace in overcoming sin displays its power (Rom. 5:20-21). It differs from sin structurally, for it comes, not as destiny, but as free election (11:5-6). It finds actualization in the church, e.g., in Paul’s collection (2 Cor. 8). Its goal is every good work (9:8), and in this regard it poses a demand (6:1), yet in such a way as to make compliance possible. To think that grace means libertinism is only pseudologic; Paul dismisses the mere suggestion in Rom. 6:1.
d. Paul’s apostolic office is a special grace in Rom. 1:23 etc. It is given to him (12:3), and its discharge is grace (2 Cor. 1:12), e.g., in visiting a church (v. 15).
e. The verb charízomai has for Paul the sense “to give.” The context gives it a soteriological nuance in Rom. 8:32, and the sense is close to that of the noun in 1 Cor. 2:12. Suffering is a gift in Phil. 1:28-29, and the institution of Jesus as kýrios rewards his obedience in Phil. 2:9.
3. Colossians, Ephesians, the Pastorals, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, and James.
a. In Col. 1:6 cháris means the gospel. “Charm” is perhaps the sense in Col. 4:6. In Eph. 1:6-7 cháris is the divine “favor” shown in Christ. 2:5ff. is distinctively Pauline. So, too, is 3:2, 7-8. The combination with “given” in 4:7, 29 is stereotyped. The verb charízomai means “to forgive” in Col. 3:13 (cf. Eph. 4:32). Believers are to forgive one another on the basis of the Lord’s forgiveness (cf. also 2:13). charitóo means “to bless” in 1:6.
b. In the Pastorals “thanks” is the meaning of cháris in 1 Tim. 1:12 and the “grace” of office in 2 Tim. 2:1.2 Tim. 1:9 contrasts grace and works in a context of epiphany (cf. Tit. 2:11). Terms like goodness and mercy are equivalents in Tit. 3:4ff. Again we have the contrast with works, but with a reference to grace in baptism (vv. 5ff.). cháris replaces hope in the triad in 1 Tim. 1:14.
c. Hebrews uses cháris and éleos in 4:16 (cf. 1 Tim. 1:2). Christ embodies grace, and one receives it at God’s throne (7:25). Christ suffers by the grace of God in 2:9. Christ’s death (or blood) comes into association with the covenant and grace in 10:29. The antithesis of grace and meats is part of the antithesis of the covenants in 13:9. One must not fall short of grace in 12:15.
d. In 1 Peter suffering is understood as grace (2:19-20). 2 Pet. 3:18 relates cháris to gnṓsis. The precise sense of “giving more grace” in Jms. 4:6 is not clear.
4. John. The group is rare in Johannine works, cháris occurs in the greetings in 2 Jn. 3 and Rev. 1:4; 22:21. In Jn. 1:14, 16-17 grace denotes the result of the revelation of the Logos in antithesis to the law and in combination with truth and fullness, which help to give it its distinctive significance.
E. The Apostolic Fathers.
The formulas in Barn. 21.9; Pol. 14.2, etc. adopt the NT salutation. Normal use for “thanks,” “favor,” and “reward” may be seen in, e.g., Did. 1.3. If cháris is the reading in Did. 10.6, salvation, of the Lord himself, is meant. Grace is the result of salvation in 1 Clement; the Christian state is the yoke of grace (16.17), and one may attain to grace by right conduct (20.2-3). Grace is a power at work in the church in Ignatius Smyrneans 9.2. It is salvation (Ephesians 11.1), of God’s will (Romans 1.2), and a motif in the summons to unity (Ephesians 20.2). Ignatius trusts in God’s grace (Philadelphians 8.1), and he views his martyrdom as grace (Romans 6.2). The verb charízomai denotes God’s giving in the sacrament in Did. 10.3 (cf. charitóō in Hermas Similitudes 9.24.3).
cháris is not a basic term in Gnosticism. It occurs as a power, sometimes hypostatized. It is also a gift, e.g., in the Marcosite eucharist. Coptic Gnosticism speculates about the grace of light that comes forth through the first mystery. From Christ as light cháris is one of four great lights, and elsewhere it is one of three aeons.
This rare and late verbal noun of charízomai denotes the result of cháris as an action, i.e., “proof of favor,” “benefit,” of “gift.”
Ps. 31:21 Τ has chárisma for ḥeseḋ (LXX éleos), and the term occurs in Sirach 7:33 (Cod. S) and 38:30 (B) for “favor.” Philo uses it in much the same sense as cháris (Allegorical Interpretation of Laws 3.78).
1. General. Paul uses the word in Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and the Pastorals. He relates it to cháris and pneúma in soteriological contexts. It occurs in the prefaces to Romans and 1 and 2 Corinthians, and takes shape as gifts in Rom. 12:6 and 1 Cor. 12:11. Linked to eucharistéō, it also has an eschatological orientation. The present is eschatologically determined by cháris as the age of the Spirit. The gift is present but its possession is provisional (1 Cor. 1:8). The whole gift of salvation is chárisma (2 Cor. 1:11; cf. Rom. 5:15-16). The sense is more formal in Rom. 6:23 and Rom. 1:11, where Paul has a spiritual gift to impart. An individualizing element emerges in 1 Cor. 7:7. The fact that all have their own gifts means that celibacy is not imposed as a law.
a. In 1 Cor. 12ff. and Rom. 12 the charísmata are operations of the Spirit at worship, notably tongues and prophecy. The Corinthians stress tongues, but Paul shows the ambivalence of ecstasy, makes confession of the kýrios the norm, argues that God gives individual gifts for the church’s upbuilding, views these as future possession in provisional form, and finds a chárisma in everything that edifies. The two triads in vv. 4ff. do not mean that the gifts are the Spirit’s, the services the Lord’s, and the operations God’s. We simply have three different descriptions of the work of the one Spirit (v. 11); these descriptions bring out the unity in multiplicity. The operations are supernatural but not magical; one can cultivate the gifts (12:31). Only to a certain degree can one define and distinguish the charísmata. The inclusion of acts of ministry forbids the distinction between charismatics and officebearers or between office/law on the one side and Spirit on the other. The Spirit himself posits law.
b. Ordination confers the chárisma of office in 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6. In 1 Pet. 4:10 any act of service in love is chárisma. Endowment with the Spirit is here virtually a quality.
Formalizing may be seen in Did. 1.5. 1 Clem. 38.1 includes the gifts of the Creator. Justin argues that the gifts have passed from Judaism to Christianity (Dialogue 88.1). Irenaeus Against Heresies 5.6.1 finds in them the divine power of the church.
eucharistéō, eucharistía, eucháristos.
a. We first find eucháristos in the senses “pleasant” and “graceful.” eucharistéō means “to show a favor,” but this imposes a duty of gratitude and the meaning “to be thankful” or “to give thanks” develops. We also find the sense “to pray.”
b. eucharistía is common on inscriptions and means “gratitude” or “giving thanks.”
c. eucháristos has the senses “pleasant,” “grateful,” and “beneficent.”
a. The Greek world holds thanksgiving in high esteem. With the ordinary use we find a public use (gratitude to rulers) and a religious use (thanksgiving to the gods for blessings). Thanks are also a constituent part of letters.
b. Compounds in eu- are slow to appear and late. Epictetus speaks of tó eucháriston as a basic ethical attitude. He stresses the duty of giving thanks to God.
a. Hebrew has no equivalent term but thanks come to expression in the OT in the thank offering and the song of thanksgiving, both collective and individual. Except for eucháristos in Prov. 11:16, the group occurs only in apocryphal works, where it signifies thanks to others or to God (2 Macc. 12:31; 10:7). For epistolary style cf. 2 Macc. 1:10-11. 2 Macc. 1:11ff. offers a prototype for Paul’s salutations.
b. In Judaism thanks are given for food and drink and for good news. Thanksgiving will never cease.
c. In Philo the central theme is thanks to God as inward veneration. This is an obligation for gifts received. But it is not a human achievement and has no goal beyond itself.
1. Gospels, Acts, and Revelation.
a. We find a secular use of the verb in Luke 17:16 and of the noun in Acts 24:3. b. The verb denotes thanksgiving in general in Jn. 11:41; Acts 28:15; Rev. 11:17 and grace at meals in Mark 8:6; Jn. 6:11; Acts 27:35. eulogéō is a synonym (cf. Mark 8:6 and 6:41).
c. Jewish practice explains the use at the Last Supper. Both terms occur in Mark 14:22-23 and Matt. 26:26-27. Paul has eucharistéō at the blessing of the bread in 1 Cor. 11:24, and Luke has it in 22:17, 19. eulogéō is perhaps closer to the Jewish blessing, but the use in translation of Hebrew or Aramaic terms is random.
a. Most prominent in Paul is the epistolary use. Paul makes the thanksgiving part of the content; it may even introduce the principal theme, although in the main the prefaces constitute sections of their own. The chief forms are the verb with two or three participles (1 Th. 1:2ff.; Phil. 1:3ff.; Phlm. 4ff.) or the verb with hóti (1 Cor. 1:4-5; Rom. 1:8).
b. Formal use also occurs in 1 Cor. 1:14 and Rom. 16:4, and for grace at meals cf. 1 Cor. 10:30. Thanks are due to the Creator in Rom. 1:21. One sees the liturgical setting in 1 Cor. 14:16-17. God’s act is the presupposition of the summons to eucharistía either in general exhortation (1 Th. 5:18) or in the special form of the collection (2 Cor. 9:11). The aim is the increase of God’s glory (v. 12). Christ is the mediator of thanksgiving but not the recipient in Rom. 1:8.
3. Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastorals. Thanksgiving goes with joy and confession in Col. 1:12, although confession does not have here a technical sense. A christological basis may be seen in Col. 2:7, and we have general exhortation in 3:15. Prayer is the proper mode of eschatological vigilance in 4:2. The two streams of petition and thanksgiving figure in 1 Tim. 2:1. 1 Tim. 4:3 attacks the Gnostic demand for asceticism by pointing to grace at meals. This practice rests on belief in God the Creator. Thanksgiving expresses an attitude toward God and is the condition of enjoyment.
a. Epistolary use occurs in, e.g., Ignatius Philadelphians 6.3; Ephesians 21.1, and there is a call to prayer in Hermas Similitudes 7.5; 1 Clem. 28.2, 4.
b. The eucharistic use in Did. 9-10; Ignatius Ephesians 13.1; Justin Apology 1.65 is of special interest. In Did. 9.1ff. it covers the prayer of thanksgiving, the elements, and the whole action (Did. 9.1, 5). A technical use develops (cf. Ignatius Ephesians 13.1). eucharistía comes to denote the sacrifice of eucharistía (cf. Justin Apology 1.13.1-2; Dialogue 117.2).
[H. CONZELMANN, IX, 387–415]
For example I have the 3 volume Treasury of David and the 5 volume Treasury of David Both by Charles Spurgeon. Both are in my Quickverse library, Then I have it again for free with Blue Letter Bible, And I have it in WordSearch because Wordsearch bought Quickverse and gives owners tech support to continue to be able to use the resources. Here is what my spreadsheet shows anytime I need to log the reference: 
