Bible Lexicons

For the lit. meaning ";foster-brother"; cf. PSI VI. 584.5 (iii/B.C.) ὁ ἀποδιδούς σοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τυγχάνει ὢν Βιαίου σύντροφος, P Oxy VII. 1034.2 (ii/A.D.) κληρονόμους καταλείπω τὴν θυγατέρ [α ] μου τινὰ καὶ íτον ý σύντροφον αὐτῆς τινὰ καί τινα, ";I leave as my heirs my daughter x and her foster-brother y and z"; (Ed.), P Ryl II. 106.3 (A.D. 158) παρὰ Καπίτωνος συντρφου ἀπελευθέρου Πτολεμᾶς μητρὸς Τασουχαρίου, ";from Capiton, foster-brother and freedman of Ptolema, his mother being Tasoucharion"; (Edd.), and the Phrygian sepulchral inscr. cited by W. M. Ramsay (Bearing, p. 189)—

Μένανδρος Ἵππω -

νος καὶ Ἀμειὰς Τεί -

μωνι θρεπτῷ, καὶ

Ἀπολλώνιος

καὶ Διονύσιος συν -

τρόφῳ ὑπὲρ τῶν

εἰδίων Διῒ Βρον -

τῶντι,

";Menander son of Hippon and Amias to Timon their foster-child, and Apollonios and Dionysios to their foster-brother on behalf of the family’s (salvation) to Zeus the Thunderer (a vow)."; See also an inscr. from Thyatira in CR iii. p. 138, No. 17 Πειλᾶ Νήφοντι νέῳ χρηστῷ συντρόφῳ μνείας χάριν.

The word is similarly rendered ";foster-brother"; in AV marg., RV, but from its widespread use as a court title, it is better understood as = ";courtier"; or ";intimate friend"; : see e.g. the Pergamene inscr. Cagnat IV. 288.2 σύντροφ ]ος τοῦ βασιλέως, and the inscr. from Delos of the Ist half of ii/B.C., OGIS 247.2, where Heliodorus is described as τὸν σύντροφον τοῦ βασιλέως Σ [ελεύκου ] Φιλοπάτορος : Dittenberger ad l. defines the word as denoting ";hominem re vera una cum rege educatum."; Cf. OGIS 372.2, and Syll 365 (= .3 798).6 (A.D. 37) τοὺς Κότυος δὲ παῖδας Ῥοιμητάλκην καὶ Πολέμωνα καὶ Κότυν συντρόφους καὶ ἑταίρους ἑταίρους ἑαυτῶι γεγονότας. The word occurs as a proper name in P Oxy I. 113.26 (ii/A.D.). See further Deissmann BS p. 310 ff. MGr σύντροφος, ";companion.";