ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Lexicon

G2540 - kairos

Strong's: G2540 · BLB lookup Pronunciation: kahee-ros' Part of speech: masculine noun NT occurrences: 85

Semantic range

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  1. Appointed / opportune time, the moment with definite content / significance
  2. Season, period, a defined era
  3. Right time, proper time, fitting moment for an action
  4. Critical / decisive moment in some contexts

Kairos vs chronos

Greek distinguishes two time-words:

  • chronos (G5550), quantitative time; chronological duration; "clock time"
  • kairos (G2540), qualitative time; significant moment; "opportune time"

The distinction is roughly:

  • Chronos answers "how long?" / "when in the sequence?"
  • Kairos answers "what is happening now?" / "what does this moment require?"

NT writers exploit this distinction. Chronos describes the passage of time; kairos describes time filled with theological significance.

Theological force

Kairos as God's appointed time

The most theologically loaded use is God's appointed / decisive moment:

  • Mark 1:15, peplērōtai ho kairos, "the kairos is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand"
  • John 7:6, 8, Jesus's kairos "has not yet come"; eperchetai
  • Romans 5:6, "while we were still helpless, at the right kairos Christ died for the ungodly", see Romans 5.8
  • Galatians 4:4, "when the plērōma tou chronou came", analogous; the "fullness of time"

The pattern: God's redemptive-historical purposes unfold according to kairos, appointed-significant moments, not just chronos duration.

Eschatological kairos

Kairos describes both Christ's first coming and the eschatological consummation:

The kingdom kairos

Mark 1:15's peplērōtai ho kairos combined with Galatians 4:4 establishes the kingdom-time-fulfillment pattern. Israel's covenantal-redemptive history reaches its decisive kairos in Christ's incarnation. The end-time has invaded the present-time; the "age to come" has broken into "this age."

Kairos and Christian living

The NT urges Christians to kairos-awareness:

  • Romans 13:11, "knowing the kairos, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep"
  • Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5, exagorazomenoi ton kairon, "redeem the kairos" / "make the most of the kairos / opportunity"
  • Galatians 6:10, "while we have kairon, let us do good"
  • 2 Timothy 4:2, "preach the word; be ready in kairō and akairōs", in season and out of season
  • Hebrews 11:15, "they would have had a kairon to return"

The pattern: time is opportunity-filled; Christians live in awareness of kairos-significance, redeeming time / using opportunity.

Kairos in the Gospels

Christ's repeated kairos-language (esp. in John):

  • John 2:4, "hē hōra mou", Cana, "My hour has not yet come"
  • John 7:6, 8, "ho kairos ho emos oupō parestin", "My kairos has not yet come"
  • John 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1, "hē hōra", Christ's hour of crucifixion-glorification

The pattern: Christ's life unfolds toward the defining kairos / hōra, the cross.

Notable verses

Salvation-historical kairos

Eschatological kairos

Discipleship kairos

Christ's kairos / hour

Patristic / scholarly note

Patristic engagement: extensive across eschatological / Christological discussion.

Modern engagement:

  • Oscar Cullmann (Christ and Time, 1951), foundational study of NT time-vocabulary
  • John Marsh (The Fullness of Time, 1952)
  • G. E. Ladd (The Presence of the Future, 1974)
  • N. T. Wright on the kairos of Christ's coming

See also

Notes

Lexical workspace for kairos.