γράμμα, γράμματος, τό (γράφω), that which has been written; 1. a letter i. e. the character: Luk_23:38 (R G L brackets Tr marginal reading brackets); Gal_6:11. 2. any writing, a document or record; a. a note of hand, bill, bond, account, written acknowledgment of debt (asscriptio in Varro sat. Men. 8, 1 (cf. Edersheim ii., 268ff)): Luk_16:6 f. ((Josephus, Antiquities 18, 6, 3), in L text T Tr WH plural τά γράμματα; so of one document also in Antiph., p. 114 (30); Demosthenes, p. 1034, 16; Vulg.cautio). b. a letter, an epistle: Act_28:21; (Herodotus 5, 14; Thucydides 8, 50; Xenophon, Cyril 4, 5, 26, etc.). c. τά ἱερά γράμματα the sacred writings (of the O. T.; (so Josephus, Antiquities prooem. § 3; 10, 10, 4 at the end; contra Apion 1, 10; Philo, de vit. Moys. 3, 39; de praem. et poen. § 14; leg. ad Gai. § 29, etc. but always τά ἱερά γράμματα)): 2Ti_3:15 (here T WH omit; L Tr brackets τά); γράμμα equivalent to the written law of Moses, Rom_2:27; Μωϋσέως γράμματα, Joh_5:47. Since the Jews so clave to the letter of the law that it not only became to them a mere letter but also a hindrance to true religion, Paul calls it γράμμα in a disparaging sense, and contrasts it with τό πνεῦμα i. e. the divine Spirit, whether operative in the Mosaic law, Rom_2:29, or in the gospel, by which Christians are governed, Rom_7:6; 2Co_3:6 f (but in 2Co_3:7 R G T WH read the plural written in letters, so L marginal reading Tr marginal reading). 3. τά γράμματα, like the Latinlitterae, English letters, equivalent to learning: Act_26:24; εἰδέναι, μεμαθηκέναι γράμματα (cf. German studirthaben), of sacred learning, Joh_7:15. (μανθάνειν, ἐπίστασθαί, etc., γράμματα are used by the Greeks of the rudiments of learning; cf. Passow, i. p. 571; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. a.).)

γράμμα gramma 14x pr. that which is written or drawn; a letter, character of the alphabet, a writing, book, Joh_5:47 ; an acknowledgm ent of debt, an account, a bill, note, Luk_16:6-7 ; an epistle, letter, Act_28:21 ; Gal_6:11 ; ἱερὰ γράμματα , the sacred books of the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, 2Ti_3:15 ; spc. the letter of the law of Moses, the bare literal sense, Rom_2:27 ; Rom_2:29 ; Rom_7:6 ; 2Co_3:6-7 ; pl. letters, learning, Joh_7:15 ; Act_26:24 * learning; letters; write, writing.

γράμμα , -τος , το ( < γράφω ), [in LXX for H5612 , etc.;] 1. that which is traced or drawn, a picture. 2. that which is written; (1) a character, letter: Gal_6:11 ; (2) a writing, a written document; (a) a bill or account: Luk_16:6-7 ; (b) a letter: Act_28:21 ; (c) τὰ ἱερὰ γ ., the sacred writings, i.e . the OT: 2Ti_3:15 (so in Philo , Vit. Mos., iii, 39); (d) τὸ γ ., the letter, the written word as an external authority in con\-trast with the direct influence of the Spirit as manifested in the new Covenant: Rom_2:27 ; Rom_2:29 ; Rom_7:6 , 2Co_3:6-7 ; (3) τὰ γ ., letters , i.e . learning: Joh_7:15 , Act_26:24 . (In Papyri an illiterate person is very frequently referred to as γράμματα μὴ εἰδότος , and this "never means anything else than inability to write": MM , Exp., x; but v. also Cremer , 166; DCG , i, 202; ii, 584.) †

γράμμα [page 131] In view of Joh_7:15 it must be remarked that there are hundreds of papyri where someone states that he writes on behalf of the person concerned, who is illiterate : this is most often γράμματα μὴ εἰδότος (εἰδυίης ), but also frequently ἀγραμμάτου ὄντος (οὔσης ). For examples see s.v. ἀγράμματος , and add the inscription of the Imperial period Syll 844 .6 κελεύουσαν ὑπὲρ α [ὑτὰν ] γράψαι , ἐπεὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτὰ γράμματα μὴ εἰδέναι . See Dittenberger s note : he can only quote one parallel from inscrr. With this goes such a phrase as P Tebt II. 316 .16 (A.D. 99) τέχνη δὲ ὑμῶν ( l. ἡμ .) γράμματα , we are scribes by profession (Edd.), and that of P Flor III. 382 .79 (A.D. 222 3) μανθ (άνων ) γράμμ (ατα ), of a child. The exceeding commonness of this phraseology, which never means anything than inability to write, forces us to recognize it in Joh_7:15 and Act_4:13 . With the biting scorn of the superior person, these learned fools affect to regard Jesus and His disciples as illiterates. Under the same heading, with γράμματα = characters formed in writing, comes P Hib I. 29 .9 ( c. B.C. 265), where a notice is to be put on a board μ [ε ]γάλο̣ι̣ς γράμ̣μ̣α̣σι̣ν̣. This may illustrate emphasis as the cause of the πηλίκοις γράμμασιν of Gal_6:11 . It is possible, however, that the words may only call attention to the big sprawling letters of the autograph in contrast to the neat scribe s hand of the amanuensis. The contrast may be met in the case of many signatures to legal and other documents, e.g. Rainer Pap. 215 in Fόhrer durch die Ausstellung Tafel 9 : see Milligan Documents , p. 24, for a discussion of the bearing of this on Gal l.c. , also Deissmann St Paul , p. 51. But it is highly precarious to to draw the inference to which Deissmann inclines : artisans are not the only people who may write a big and clumsy hand! When γράμμα becomes collective, its primary meaning is a letter, just as Lat. littera produced litterae. Thus P Grenf I. 30 .5 (B.C. 103) (= Witkowski .2 p. 107) διὰ γραμμάτων ἐκρίναμεν σημῆναι , and P Amh II. 143 .10 (iv/A.D.) καὶ τούτω ( l. τούτων ) χάριν ἀπέστιλα Σαᾶν πρὸς σὲ ὅπως μὴ ἐνετρευθῇ τὰ γράμματα , I therefore send Saas to you, in order that my letter may not be waylaid (Edd.). But it may be a paper or document of any kind. Thus it is a bond in Luk_16:6 , with which cf. P Tebt II. 397 .17 (A.D. 198) ἀπὸ μηδενὸς ὁρμωμένη δικαίου ἢ γράμματος ἢ ἑτέρου τινὸς συμβολαίου ἐγγράπτου μηδ᾽ ἀγράφου , on the basis of any claim, bond or other agreement, written or unwritten (Edd.), P Flor II. 141 .8 (A.D. 264) λαμβάνων παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ γράμματα τῆς παραλήμψεως , ib. 226 .6 (mid. iii/A.D.) καλῶς ποιήσις πέμψας μοι αὐτῶν γράμματα . With ἱερὰ γράμματα as the name for the OT Scriptures in Greek-speaking Judaism, cf. OGIS 56 .36 (B.C. 239) τῆι ἡμέραι ἐν ἧι ἐπιτέλλει τὸ ἄστρον τὸ τῆς Ἴσιος , ἣ νομίζεται διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων νέον ἔτος εἶναι . Deissmann ( LAE , p. 380) has drawn attention to the technical use of the phrase in the East for Imperial letters and decrees, e.g. Syll 415 (A.D. 204), which is headed ἱερὰ γράμματα , and ib. 418 .95 (A.D. 238), where certain Imperial ordinances are described as τὰ θεῖά σου γράμματα . The combination is used in a different sense in OGIS 56 .74 ἱεροῖς γράμμασιν καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις , where hieroglyphs are intended, as in ib. 90 .54 (B.C. 196 the Rosetta Stone). This is comparable rather with P Lond 43 .3 (ii/B.C.) (= I. p. 48), where a mother congratulates her son on having learned Αἰγύπτια γράμματα , so as to be qualified to teach Egyptian children. Reference may be added here to the part which the letters of the alphabet played in divination, as in the magical formula P Oxy VI. 886 .6 (iii/A.D.) (= Selections , p. 111) : ὁ δὲ τρόπος ἐστὶν τὰ περ [ὶ ] τὰ γράμματα κθ δι᾽ ὧν ὁ Ἑρμῆς κὲ ἡ Ἶσις ζητοῦσα ἑαυτῆς τὸν ἀδελφὸν κὲ ἄνδρα Ὄσιρειν , the method is concerned with the 29 letters, which were used by Hermes and by Isis, when she was seeking for her brother and husband Osiris. See further Reitzenstein Poimandres , pp. 260, 288 ff. There only remains to notice the use of γράμμα as = a district or quarter of a town, as when in P Rein 49 .2 (A.D. 215 6) certain liturgies are assigned πρ [ὸς ] τῇ κατ᾽ οἰκίαν ἀπογραφῇ [τοῦ β ]ῆτα γράμματος of Antinoe. Cf. Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 685 εἰδὼς ὁ λαχὼν ἀπίῃ χαίρων ἐν ὁποίῳ γράμματι δειπνεῖ the courts are distinguished by letters A K.

γράμμα [Etym: γράφω] "that which is drawn", in pl. "the lines of a drawing or picture", Eur. , Theocr. : in sg. "a drawing, picture", Plat. "that which is written, a written character, letter", Lat. litera, Hdt. , etc.; and in pl. "letters", Aesch. ; hence, "the alphabet", Hdt. , Plat. ; γρ. to have learnt "to read", id=Plat. ; ἐδίδασκες γράμματα, ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἐφοίτων you "kept school", — I went there, Dem. "a note" in music, Anth. in pl. also, "a piece of writing", and, like Lat. literae, a letter, Hdt. , Eur. : "an inscription, epitaph", Hdt. "papers or documents" of any kind, "records, accounts", Ar. , Oratt. :—in sg. "a bill, account", NTest. "a man's writings", i. e. "a book, treatise", Xen. :—also, "letters, learning", Plat.

γράμμα, -τος, τό (γράφω), [in LXX for סֵפֶר, etc. ;] __1. that which is traced or drawn, a picture. __2. that which is written; __(1) a character, letter: Gal.6:11; __(2) a writing, a written document; __(a) a bill or account: Luk.16:6, 7; __(b) a letter: Act.28:21; __(with) τὰ ἱερὰ γ., the sacred writings, i.e. the OT: 2Ti.3:15 (so in Philo, Vit. Mos., iii, 39) ; __(d) τὸ γ., the letter, the written word as an external authority in contrast with the direct influence of the Spirit as manifested in the new Covenant: Rom.2:27, 29 7:6, 2Co.3:6, 7; __(3) τὰ γ., letters, i.e. learning: Jhn.7:15, Act.26:24. (In π. an illiterate person is very frequently referred to as γράμματα μ᾽̀ εἰδότης, and this "never means anything else than inability to write": MM, Exp., x; but see also Cremer, 166; DCG, i, 202; ii, 584.) † (AS)