Original Word: αἵρεσις, εως, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: hairesis
Phonetic Spelling: (hah'-ee-res-is)
Short Definition: a self-chosen opinion, a sect
Definition: a self-chosen opinion, a religious or philosophical sect, discord or contention.

139 haíresis (a feminine noun derived from 138 /hairéomai, "personally select, choose") – properly, a personal (decisive) choice.

139 /haíresis ("a strong, distinctive opinion") is used in the NT of individual "parties (sects)" that operated within Judaism. The term stresses the personal aspect of choice – and hence how being a Sadducee (Ac 5:17) was sharply distinguished from being a Pharisee (Ac 15:5; 26:5).

[As a feminine noun, 139 (haíresis) highlights the subjective (individual) nature of a specific (divisive) opinion.]

STRONGS NT 139: αἵρεσις

αἵρεσις, (εως, ἡ;

1. (from αἱρέω), act of taking, capture: τῆς πόλεως, the storming of a city; in secular authors.

2. (from ἁιρέομαι), choosing, choice, very often in secular writings: the Sept. Leviticus 22:18; 1 Macc. 8:30.

3. that which is chosen, a chosen course of thought and action; hence one's chosen opinion, tenet; according to the context, an opinion varying from the true exposition of the Christian faith (heresy): 2 Peter 2:1 (cf. DeWette at the passage), and in ecclesiastical writings (cf. Sophocles' Lexicon, under the word).

4. a body of men separating themselves from others and following their own tenets (a sect or party): as the Sadducees, Acts 5:17; the Pharisees, Acts 15:5; Acts 26:5; the Christians, Acts 24:5, 14 (in both instances with a suggestion of reproach); (in Diogenes Laërtius 1 (13) 18f, others, used of the schools of philosophy).

5. dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims: Galatians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 11:19. (Cf. Meyer, at the passages cited; B. D. American edition under the word ; Burton, Bampt. Lect. for 1829; Campbell, Diss. on the Gospels, diss. iv., part iv.)

heresy, sect.

From haireomai; properly, a choice, i.e. (specially) a party or (abstractly) disunion -- heresy (which is the Greek word itself), sect.

see GREEK haireomai

αιρεσεις αιρέσεις αἱρέσεις αιρεσεως αιρέσεως αἱρέσεως αιρεσιν αίρεσιν αἵρεσιν αιρεσις αίρεσις αἵρεσις aireseis aireseos aireseōs airesin airesis haireseis hairéseis haireseos haireseōs hairéseos hairéseōs hairesin haíresin hairesis haíresisInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts