THEOS. The New Testament has the Greek equivalents of the Old Testament names. For 'El, 'Elohim, and 'Elyon it has Theos, which is the most common name applied to God. Like 'Elohim, it may by accommodation be used of heathen gods, though strictly speaking it expresses essential deity. 'Elyon is rendered Hupsistos Theos, Mark 5:7; Luke 1:32, 35, 75; Acts 7:48; 16:17; Hebrews 7:1. The names Shaddai and 'El-Shaddai are rendered Pantokrator and Theos Pantokrator, 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14. More generally, however, Theos is found with a genitive of possession, such as mou, sou, hemon, humon, because in Christ God may be regarded as the God of all and of each one of His children. The national idea of the Old Testament has made place for the individual in religion.
KURIOS. The name Yahweh is explicated a few times by variations of a descriptive kind, such as "the Alpha and the Omega," "who is and who was and who is to come," "the beginning and the end," "the first and the last," Revelation 1:4, 8, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13. For the rest, however the New Testament follows the Septuagint, which substituted 'Adonai for it, and rendered this by Kurios, derived from kuros, power. This name does not have exactly the same connotation as Yahweh, but designates God as the Mighty One, the Lord, the Possessor, the Ruler who has legal power and authority. It is used not only of God, but also of Christ.
PATER. It is often said that the New Testament introduced a new name of God, namely, Pater (Father). But this is hardly correct. The name Father is used of the Godhead even in heathen religions. It is used repeatedly in the Old Testament to designate the relation of God to Israel, Deuteronomy 32:6; Psalm 103:13; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Jeremiah 3:4, 19; 31:9; Malachi 1:6; 2:10, while Israel is called the son of God, Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 14:1; 32:19; Isaiah 1:2; Jeremiah 31:20; Hosea 1:10; 11:1. In such cases the name is expressive of the special theocratic relation in which God stands to Israel. In the general sense of originator or creator it is used in the following New Testament passages: 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:15; Hebrews 12:9; James 1:18. In all other places it serves to express either the special relation in which the first Person of the Trinity stands to Christ, as the Son of God either in a metaphysical or a mediatorial sense, or the ethical relation in which God stands to all believers as His spiritual children.
Adapted from Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology
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