Bible Lexicons

κλῆρος in its primary sense of ";a lot"; (cf. Matthew 27:35, Acts 1:26) is found in P Fay 125.3 (ii/A.D.) καλῶς [ποιή ]σεις, ἄδελφε, μὴ ἀμελήσας το [ῦ ] κλήρου τοῦ στρατηγικοῦ, ";you will do well, brother, not to neglect the ballot for the strategus"; (Edd.— see their note ad l.) : see also P Lond 1220 (A.D. 202–7) (= III. p. 114 f.), a document endorsed κλῆρος πράκτ (ορος), which contains the names of two persons suitable for the post of πράκτωρ ἀργυρικῶν, to be submitted to the Prefect in order that one of them may be selected by lot—.11 ff. πεμφθησομένους εἰς κλῆρο ̣ν τῷ λαμπρωτάτῳ ἡγεμόνι, and P Oxy III. 533.21 (ii/iii A.D.) ἐπισκέψασθε. . ἐπιστολ (ὴν) . . γραφεῖσαν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματα πεμφθῆναι ἀντ᾽ ἐμοῦ εἰς κλῆρον τῆς πρακτορείας, ";look out a letter written about the substitution of other names for mine in drawing tots for the post of collector"; (Edd.). From this the transition is easy to an ";office"; or ";post"; assigned by lot (cf. Acts 1:17), as when an incoming official, who has been elected to the office of local registrar, certifies that he has received a copy of a census-return in the words—Αὐρήλιος Ὡριγένης ἐν κλήρῳ ἔσχον ἴσον. Cf. Wilcken Ostr. i. p. 603 f. The word is very common with reference to the ";allotments"; or ";parcels of land"; assigned to the κάτοικοι (see s.v.), which were usually called after the names of their first occupiers, as in P Oxy I. 45.10 (A.D. 95) ἐκ τοῦ Μενοιτίου κλήρου κατοικικῆς γῆς σειτοφόρου σπορίμου ἐξ ὀρθογω (νίου), ";a square piece of allotment corn land ready for sowing, forming part of the lot of Menoetius,"; ib. 46.19 (A.D. 100) ἐκ τοῦ Ἀνδρονείκου κλήρου. In P Tebt II. 376.27 (A.D. 162) the word is used with reference to βασιλικὴ γῆ. One or two miscellaneous exx. may be added—P Lille I. 14.5 (B.C. 243–2) ἀνάλαβε (";confiscate";) δ᾽ [οὖν α ]ὐτοῦ τὸν κλῆρον εἰς τὸ βασιλικόν, P Magd 1.7 (B.C. 221) a complaint against a man who, having a right only to half an allotment, ὅλον τὸν κλῆρον κατέσπειρεν, and P Petr III. 26.6 (Ptol.), where provision is made that if an ox, or any other animal, ἐμβῆι. . εἰς ἀλλότριον κλῆρον, ";trespass on another man’s allotment,"; the owner shall be responsible for any damage done. In P Par 63.105 (B.C. 164) (= P Petr III. p. 26) reference is made to the μάχιμοι or native troops who are unable to work even their own farms—οὐδὲ τοὺς ἰδίου (l. ἰδίους) κλήρους αὐτουργε ̣ι ̣ͅν ̣ δυναμένους —and consequently in the winter time borrow money on their rents—κατὰ τὸ (ν) χειμῶνα δανει [ζομ ]ένους ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐκφορίοι [ς, in P Ryl II. 243.10 (ii/A.D.) two women write to their steward—ὅσα ποτὲ οὖν ἐὰν ̣ ἀναναλώσῃς (l. ἀναλώσῃς) ἰς τὴν τοῦ κλήρου κατεργασίαν, ἡμεῖν ἐνλόγησον ἐπὶ λόγου, ";put down to our account everything you expend on the cultivation of the holding"; (Edd.), and in P Meyer 3.20 (A.D. 148) an official order is witnessed in the words—Ἄρρε [ιο ]ς. . ἐν κλήρῳ ὑπηρέτ (ης) μεταδ ̣ε ̣δ ̣οκ (α) The difficult κλήρων of 1 Peter 5:3 is probably best understood of the ";portions"; or ";congregations"; ( ";parisshes,"; Tind., Cranmer) of God’s people assigned or allotted to the presbyters (cf. Deuteronomy 9:29), while an ex. of the later ecclesiastical use of the term may be found in a Macedonian inset., not earlier than ii/A.D.—

ὁρκίζω οὖν

τὴν εὐλογημένην τῆς Ἀμφιπολιτῶν

ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας ἐπισκοπὴν

καὶ τὸν ταύτης θεοφιλῆ κλῆρον,

where Ferguson (Legal Terms, p. 60) thinks that κλῆρον is best understood of ";the clergy,"; considered collectively, Κλῆρος is apparently = ";will"; (see the editor’s note) in the late P Lond V. 1733.85 (A.D. 594). In BGU IV. 1209.5 (B.C. 23) a man who has died is described as ὁ εὔκληρος, ";the fortunate one.";

 

κλήροι κλήροί κλήροις κληρον κληρόν κλήρον κλῆρον κληρος κλήρος κλήρός κλῆρος κληρου κλήρου κλήρους κλήρω κληρων κλήρων kleron klêron klēron klērōn klḗron klḗrōn klē̂ron kleros klêros klēros klē̂ros klerou klērou klḗrou klerous klērous klḗrous