εὐεργέτης, -ov, 6, a benefactor (fr. Pind. and Hat. down); it was also a title of honor, conferred on such as had done their country service, and upon princes; equiv. to Soter, Pater Patriae: Lk. xxii. 25. (Cf. Hat. 8, 85; Thuc. 1, 129; Xen. vect 8, 11; Hell. 6, 1, 4; Plat. de virt. p. 379 b.; al.; ef. 2 Mace. iv. 2; joined with σωτήρ, Joseph. Ὁ. 1. 3, 9, 8; Addit. to Esth. vi. 12 [Tdf. viii. l. 25]; Diod. 11, 26.)

εὐεργέτης euergetēs 1x

a well-doer; a benefactor, Lk. 22:25*

** εὐεργέτης, -ου, ὁ

[in LXX: Es 8:13, Wi 19:14, II Mac 4:2, III Mac 3:19 6:24 * ;]

a benefactor: Lk 22:25 (for contemp. usage, v. Deiss., LAE, 248).†

εὐεργέτης. In a petition to the prefect of A.D. 49-50 a woman asks that her son should be restored to her—akodov0ws Tots ὑπὸ σοῦ τοῦ εὐεργέτου προστεταγμένοις, “in accordance with what had been enacted by you, my benefactor” (P Oxy I. 3818 = Selections, Ὁ. 53): cf. P Lond 17734 (A.p. 40-1) (=II. p. 169) ἀξιῶ σὲ τὸν πάντων σωτῆρα. Kal εὐεργέτην. The word is a regular title in P Oxy III. 48657 (Α.Ὁ. 131) τὴν ὅλην ὑπόθεσιν ὑπερθεμένου τοῦ ἐπιστρ[ατήγο]υ ἐπὶ σὲ τὸν εὐεργέτην, ‘‘the epistrategus referred the whole case to your beneficence” (Edd.). This honorific use of εὐεργέτης with reference to Emperors and distinguished men is very common in the inscrr. Thus as early as B.C. 334 the Prienians describe King Antigonus as εὐ]εργέτηι γενομένωι kal προθύμωι ἐόντ[ι εἰ]ς τὴμ πόλιν (25): in a Spartan inscr., Ann. Brit. School at Athens xii. 458, Hadrian is described as σωτῆρος καὶ evepyérou τῆς Λακεδαίμονος, and similarly Trajan is 6 παντὸς κόσμου σωτὴρ καὶ εὐεργέτης (7G XII. 1, 978): other exx. in Magie, p. 67f. Deissmann (LAZ, p- 248 f.) cites a fragmentary inscr. from Cos, of date ς. A.D. 53, with reference to Gaius Stertinius Xenophon, bodyphysician to the Emperor Claudius—tod evepyér[a I. Στερ]τινίου Bevohavr[os] ἀνιερωθεῖσαν tar] πόλει, and in view of this widespread usage suggests that in such a passage as Lk 2235 Jesus ‘‘mentioned the title not without contempt, and forbade His disciples to allow themselves to be so called: the name contradicted the idea of service in brotherhood.” To show the Egyptian ‘‘ religiosity” at the time of the Imperial worship, Wilcken (Chvest. I. p. 747) reproduces an inscr. from ii/iii A.D. (C7G 111. 5041) which ends—oé[BJov Ἶσιν Σαρᾶπιν το[ὺς με]γίστους τῶν [θεῶν σωτῆρας ἀγα[θ]ο[ὺς εὐμε]νεῖς evepyérals. For the subst. εὐεργέτημα see Priene 105'7 (c. B.C. 9) Tots τοσούτοις αὐτοῦ εὐεργετήμασιν.

εὐεργέτης (euergetēs) — benefactor. εὐεργέτ-ης (Thess. εὐϝεργέτας [Refs 5th c.BC+], ου, ὁ, benefactor, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τινι to one, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: more commonly with genitive, τῆς γῆς [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. as an honorary title, εὐ. βασιλέος ἀνεγράφη was registered as the King's benefactor, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρόξεινος καὶ εὐ. [NT+5th c.BC+]: conferred on kings and emperors, as Antigonus, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ παντὸς κόσμου σωτὴρ καὶ εὐ, of Trajan, [Refs]; σὺ ὁ εὐ., mode of address to a superior, [Refs 1st c.AD+]

II. as adjective, beneficent, bountiful, ἀνήρ [Refs 5th c.BC+]