νεωκόρος, νεωκορου, ὁ, ἡ (νεώς or ναός, and κορέω to sweep; (questioned by some; a hint of this derivation is found in Philo de sacerd. honor. § 6 (cf. νεωκορία, de somniis 2, 42), and Hesychius (under the word) defines the word ὁ τόν ναόν κόσμων. κόρειν γάρ τό σαίρειν ἔλεγον (cf. under the word σηκοκόρος; so Etym. Magn. 407, 27, cf. under the word νεωκόρος); yet Suidas under the word κόρη, p. 2157 c. says νεωκόρος οὐχ ὁ Σαρών τοῦ νεωκορου ἀλλ' ὁ ἐπιμελουμενος αὐτοῦ (cf. under the words, νεωκόρος, σηκοκόρος); hence, some connect the last half with root κορ, κολ, cf. Latincuro, colo)); 1. properly, one who sweeps and cleans a temple. 2. one who has charge of a temple, to keep and adorn it, a sacristan: Xenophon, an. 5, 3, 6; Plato, legg. 6, p. 759 a. 3. the worshipper of a deity (οὕς i. e. the Israelites ὁ Θεός ἑαυτῷ νεωκορους ἦγεν through the wilderness, Josephus, b. j. 5, 9, 4); as appears from coins still extant, it was an honorary title (temple-keeper or temple-warden (cf. 2 above)) of certain cities, especially of Asia Minor, in which the special worship of some deity or even of some deified human ruler had been established (cf. Stephanus, Thesaurus, v., p. 1472f; (cf. B. D., under the word worshipper)); so νεωκόρος ... τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, of Ephesus, Act_19:35; (see Lightfoot in Contemp. Rev. for 1878, p. 294f; Wood, Discoveries at Ephesus (Lond. 1877), Appendix, passim).

νεωκόρος neōkoros 1x pr. one who sweeps or cleanses a temple; generally, one who has the charge of a temple; in NT a devotee city, as having specially dedicated a temple to some deity, Act_19:35

* νεω -κόρος , -ου , a temple-keeper; as honorary title given to a city ( v. DB , i, 722 b) : Act_19:35 .†

νεωκόρος [page 425] In a papyrus of B.C. 217 edited by Th. Reinach in Mιl. Nicole , p. 45 1 ff. ( = P Magd 35) we hear of a certain Nicomachus who was νακόρος (Doric form of νεωκόρος ) of a Jewish synagogue in an Egyptian village. According to the editor this term, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew hazzβn (generally called ὑπηρέτης ), was borrowed from the usage of pagan religion, and is still the current title in Greece or the sacristan of an orthodox church, as well as of a Jewish synagogue : see also Lumbroso in Archiv iv. p. 317, and cf. Herodas iv. 41, where the νεωκόρος (Lat. aedituus ) is sent for to open the temple of Asklepios in Cos. Another early ex. of the word denoting a humble temple-functionary is Priene 231 (iv/B.C.) Μεγάβυζος ] Μεγαβύζου νεωκόρος τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσωι , which is interesting as pointing forward to the proud application of the term to Ephesus itself as the warden of the temple of Artemis, as in Act_19:35 , see e.g. OGIS 481 .1 (A.D. 102 6) Ἀρτέμιδι Ἐφεσίᾳ . . . καὶ τῶι νεωκόρωι Ἐφεσίων δήμωι , with Dittenherger s note. The earliest trace of Ephesus as νεωκόρος is said to be on a coin of A.D. 65 : see Rouffiac, p. 65 n. .4 . Later the city came to be known as δίς , τρὶς νεωκόρος : see Ramsay, art. Ephesus, in Hastings DB i. p. 722. Instances of the term applied to individuals are P Oxy I. 100 .2 (A.D. 133) Μᾶρκος Ἀντώνιος Δεῖος . . . νεωκόρος τοῦ μεγάλου Σαράπιδος , BGU I. 73 .1 (A.D. 135) Κλαύδιος Φιλόξενος νεωκόρος τοῦ μεγάλου Σαράπι [δ ]ος , P Tebt II. 286 .13 (A.D. 121 138), 317 .1 (A.D. 174 5), al. : cf. also Syll 607 ( = .3 898 .28 (iii/A.D.) ἐβ (όησεν ) ὁ δ (ῆμος )· πολλοῖς ἔτεσι [τοὺς ] νεωκόρους . On the form of the word see Thumb Hellen. p. 78, and cf. Otto Priester i. p. 113, Crφnert Mem. Herc. p. 165. The subst. νεωκορία is found in BGU I. 14 ii. 11 (A.D. 255), Vett. Val. p. 4 .25 , and ναοφύλαξ in BGU II. 362 ii. 10 (A.D. 215) ( = p. 4). Boisacq (p. 495) reverts to the traditional derivation from κορέω , sweep, comparing the Ion. ζακόρος and the Hom. σηκοκόρος .

νεωκόρος νεω-κόρος, ὁ, "the custodian of a temple", Lat. aedituus, Plat. , Xen. a title of Asiatic towns, which "had built a temple" in honour of their patron-god, as Ephesus was, ν. Ἀρτέμιδος NTest. [Etym: deriv. uncertain]

νεω-κόρος, -ου a temple-keeper; as honorary title given to a city (see DB, i, 722 b) : Act.19:35.† (AS)