Quick Definition
ἐπιστολή, ῆς, ἡ n.f. a letter, dispatch, epistle
Strong's Definition
from 1989; a written message
KJV Usage: "epistle," letter
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ῆς | στέλλομαι
6.63 · Artifacts · Instruments Used in Marking and Writing
letter (normally written on papyrus) an object containing writing addressed to one or more persons In some languages it may be necessary to try to distinguish between a letter as an object and a letter as content or message. In ACT 23:33 the focus seems to be upon the letter as an object, not necessarily upon the contents of the document. In most contexts, however, it is impossible to distinguish between a letter as a material object and a letter as a message (see 33.48).
ACT 9:2 · ACT 15:30 · ACT 22:5 · ACT 23:25 · ACT 23:33 · ROM 16:22 · 1CO 16:3 · 2CO 3:1 · 1TH 5:27 · 2TH 2:2 · 2TH 2:15 · 2TH 3:14
33.48 · Communication · Written Language
letter a written communication, usually from one person to one or more persons It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in ACT 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63)
ACT 9:2 · ACT 23:25 · ROM 16:22 · 1CO 5:9 · 1CO 16:3 · 2CO 3:2 · 2CO 3:3 · 2CO 7:8 · 2CO 7:8 · 2CO 10:9 · 2CO 10:10 · 2CO 10:11 · COL 4:16 · 1TH 5:27 · 2TH 2:2 · 2TH 2:15 · 2TH 3:17 · 2PE 3:1 · 2PE 3:16
1 ἐπιστολή may occur either in the sense of the physical object (see 6.63) which is used as a means of communication or as the content of what is written (33.48), but in some contexts it is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between these two phases of the meaning of ἐπιστολή.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἐπι-στολή, -ῆς, ἡ, (ἐπιστέλλω), a letter, epistle: Acts xv. 30; Ro. xvi. 22; 1 Co. v. 9, ete.; plur., Acts ix. 2; 2Co. x. 10, ete.; ἐπιστολαὶ συστατικαί, letters of commendation, 2 Co. iii. 1 [W. 176 (165). On the possible use of the plur. of this word interchangeably with the sing. (cf. Thom. Mag. ed. Ritschl p. 113, 8), see Bp. Lghtft. and Meyer on Phil. iii. 1. (Eur., Thue., al.)] -
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἐπιστολή epistolē 24x
word sent; an order, command; an epistle, letter, Acts 9:2; 15:30
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἐπι-στολή, -ῆς, ἡ
(< ἐπιατέλλω), [in LXX for אִגֶּרֶת, etc.; freq. in Mac ;]
a message.
a letter, an epistle: Ac 9:2, I Co 5:9, al.; pl., Ac 22:5, I Co 16:3, al.; ἐ. σνστατικαί, II Co 3:1 (cf. Milligan, NTD, 254 f.). (On the NT ἐπιστολαί, cf. Milligan, Th., 121 ff.; NTD, 85 ff.; Deiss., BS, 3 ff.; St. Paul, 8 ff.)
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἐπιστολή. Preisigke in his Fachwérter, p. 90, has classified various more or less technical usages of this common word. Thus in P Amh II, 6419 (a.p. 107) the copy of an official letter addressed to the strategus with reference to the public baths of Hermopolis is headed—avrtypadov ἐπιστολῆς, and in P Hamb I. 18 4-6 (a.p, 222) a συνκολ(λήσιμον) is mentioned αὐθ(εντικῶν) ἐπιστολ(ῶν) kal βιβλ(ιδίων) ὑποκεκολ(λημένων). In BGU IV. 1046%1-5 (not before A.D. 166) (= Chrest. I. p. 315) we learn that the persons selected for certain public duties were appointed by the epistrategus—8u’ ἐπιστολ(ῆς) κομισθι(είσης) καὶ προγρα(φείσης) (*‘ openly placarded up”’) ; while in Chvest. I. 2616 (a.p. 135) a petition, instead of being lodged in the usual way as a ὑπόμνημα, takes the form of an ἐπιστολή : see Wilcken’s note ad 7. In BGU IV. 11357 (prob. B.C. 10) κατὰ] νομογραφικὴν ἐπιστ[ολήν, the word is = ‘‘ despatch,” and in the business letter P Giss 1. 105*° (v/A.D.) λήμψῃς ἐπιστολάς it is = ‘‘receipt.” The range of the word was thus wide, and its official usage in the above-noted instances may serve as a needed corrective to the over-emphasis which Deissmann (25, p. 3 ἢν, 2.42,
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἐπιστολή (epistolē) — epistle. ἐπιστολ-ή, ἡ, (ἐπιστέλλω) anything sent by a messenger, message, order, commission, whether verbal or in writing, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐξ ἐπιστολῆς by command, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: used by Trag. always in plural, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Πενθέως ἐπιστολαῖς by his commands, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τέκνων ἐπιστολὰς ἔγραψεν commands about her children, [Refs]
2. letter, ἐ. διαπέμπειν, ἀποδοῦναι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πέμπειν τινί [Refs 5th c.BC+]: in plural of one letter, like{γράμματα}, Latin litterae, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν.. τοῦ Ὄθωνος, Latin ab epistulis Othoni, his secretary, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; νομογραφικὴ ἐ. [Refs 1st c.BC+]