Bible Lexicons

(1) ";end"; : P Eleph 1.12 (B.C. 311–0) (= Selections, p. 3) ἐγ δίκης κατὰ νόμον τέλος ἐχούσης, ";as if a formal decree of the court had been obtained,"; P Petr II. 40 (a).23 (iii/B.C.) (= Witkowski.2 p. 41) ἡ ἐλεφαντηγὸ [ς ] (";the elephant-transport";) ἡ ἐν Βερενίκηι τέλος ἔχει (= τετέλεσται), P Leid Uiii. 20 (1st half ii/B.C.) (= I. p. 124) τέλος ἔχει πάντα, παρὲξ τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς (cf. Luke 22:37, Field Notes, p. 76).

The various prepositional phrases formed with τέλος may be illustrated by P Petr II. 13 (19).8 (mid. iii/B.C.) (= Witkowski.2, p. 19) τὴν πᾶσαν σπουδὴν πόησαι [το ]ῦ ἀφεθῆναί σε διὰ τέλους, P Tebt I. 38.11 (B.C. 113) (= Chrest. I. p. 363) τῆς ἐγλήμψεως εἰς τέλος καταλελ [ειμμέν ]ης, ";my enterprise has been made a complete failure"; (Edd.) (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:16 with Milligan’s note, and John 13:1 with the discussion in Abbotty JG, p. 247 ff.), OGIS 90.12 (Rosetta-stone—B.C. 196) τινὰς μὲν εἰς τέλος ἀφῆκεν, ἄλλας δὲ κεκούφικεν, P Tebt I. 14.8 (B.C. 114) μέχρι δὲ τοῦ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπὶ τέλος ἀχθῆναι, ";until the matter was concluded"; (Edd.), P Oxy IV. 724.9 (A.D. 155) ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ χρόνου, ib. VIII. 1128.20 (A.D. 173) ἐπὶ τέλει ἑκαστοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ";at the end of each year,"; ib. XIV. 1694.23 (a lease—A.D. 280) ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ χρόνου παραδότω τὴν οἰκίαν καθαρὰν ἀπὸ κοπρίων (—ιω ̄), P Tebt II. 379.17 (sale of a crop—A.D. 128) πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὄντων τῶν μέχρι τέλους μερισμῶν, ";being ourselves responsible throughout for rates upon it"; (Edd.), and ib. 420.18 (iii/A.D.) ἀπὸ ἀρχῆς μέχρι τέλους (cf. Hebrews 3:6 אAC).

For τέλος, as in 1 Timothy 1:5, cf. Epict. Gnomol. 16 (ed. Schenkl, p. 466) τέλος δὲ τοῦ μὲν (sc. καλῶς ζῆν) ἔπαινος ἀληθής, τοῦ δὲ (sc. πολυτελῶς ζῆν) ψόγος, and for τὸ τέλος κυρίου, as in James 5:11, cf. Bisclioff in ZNTW vii. (1906), p. 274 ff. See also PSI I. 17 verso II. (iii/A.D. ?)—

οὐ γάρ πω τοιοῦτος ἀνήλυθεν εἰς Ἀχέροντα ·

τῶν ὁσίων ἀνδρῶν Ἠλύσιον τὸ τέλος,

ἔνθα διατρίβειν ἔλαχεν πάλαι ἔκ τινος ἐσθλῆς

μοίρης · οὐδὲ θανεὶν τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς λέγεται.

(2) ";tax,"; ";toll"; : (a) sing.,as in Romans 13:7, in UPZ i. 115.3 (ii/i(?)B.C.) τέλος οἰκίας καὶ αὐλῆς, ";tax for house and court,"; Meyer Ostr 31.3 (A.D. 32) (= Deissmann LAE2, p. 111) ἀπέχων (l. ἀπέχω) παρὰ σοῦ τόλες (l. τέλος) ἐπιξένου Θώυθ καὶ Φαῶφι (δραχμὰς) β ̄, ";I have received from you alien tax (for the months) Thoyth and Phaophi 2 drachmae,"; P Lond 297b.5 (A.D. 119) (= II. p. 111) τέλος ἐγκύκλιου (= —ον), ";general tax,"; ib. 468.1 (ii/A.D.) (= II. p. 81) τέλος καμήλ (ων), P Oxy IX. 1200.45 (A.D. 266) τὸ τοῦ τειμήματος τέλος, ";the ad valorem tax"; (Ed.) : (b) plur., as in Matthew 17:25, in P Cairo Zen II. 59240.7 (B.C. 253) ἵνα μή τι κατὰ τὰ τέλη ἐνοχληθῶσιν, with reference to certain mules which were not required to pay toll, and PSI III. 222.10 (iii/A.D.) στ ]ιχεῖν τὰ τεταγμένα τέλη.

For subst. τέλεσμα cf. P Oxy VIII. 1123.15 (A.D. 158–9) περὶ τῶν τῆς αὐτῆς δημοσίας γῆς τελεσμάτ [ων ] πάντων, ";in regard to all dues upon the said public land,"; and P Ryl II. 96.7 (A.D. 117–8) (s.v. τοσοῦτος).

Boisacq (p. 953) supports the theory that τέλος, ";tax,"; is derived from τλῆναι, from Indo-Europ. *tel(ā)—, ";bear,"; ";endure"; : cf. the use of φόρος, ";tribute."; On the other hand, τέλος, ";end,"; is cognate with πέλω, πέλομαι, from Indo-Europ. *q̯̯el—";turn,"; while a third τέλος, ";company,"; comes from Indo-Europ. *q̯̯eles—";herd,"; ";family."; In MGr τέλος, ";end,"; survives : cf. the expression τέλος πάντων, ";finally,"; ";lastly.";