Bible Lexicons

lit. ";stretch out the hand,"; then ";elect by show of hands,"; and then ";elect,"; ";appoint"; generally (cf. Act. 14:23, 2Co. 8:19) : see P Fay 26.11 (A.D. 150) ὑπό [τ ]ε ἐμοῦ. . . . καὶ τοῦ κεχειροτονη [μέν ]ο ̣[υ π ]ρ ̣ο ̣, ς ̣ τοῦτο, P Ryl II. 77.37 (A.D. 192) <οὐχ > ἧττον ἑαυτὸν ἐχειροτόνησεν εἰς τὴν κατεπείγουσαν ἀρχὴν κοσμητείαν, ";he none the less nominated himself for the office immediately required, that of cosmetes"; (Edd.), Chrest. II. 88iii. 10 (ii/A.D.) χειροτονηθήσονται δὲ ἐντὸς κ ̄ ἡμερῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ <τοῦ > νομοῦ, and P Flor I. 6.14 (A.D. 210) ἐπισκέπτης γ [ὰ ]ρ ἐχειροτονήθην and P Oxy X. 1252 verso.18 (A.D. 288–95) ὑ [πογύω ]ς ̣ χειροτονη [θεὶς ] . . . εἰς τὴν παρὰ Ὀξυρυγχ [είταις ] πρυτανείαν, ";having been recently appointed to the prytany at Oxyrhynchus.";

For χειροτονέω in its later ecclesiastical sense of ";ordain,"; cf. the vi/A.D. P Giss I. 55.5 where a bishop writes to a brother-bishop ἠξιώθην. . . γράψαι πρ [ὸ ]ς τὴν σὴν ἁγιότητ ̣[α π ]ερὶ Σανσνεῦτ [ό ]ς τινος πρὸ πολλοῦ χειροτο ̣νηθέν ̣[τος π ]αρὰ του ̣ͅ τῆς μ ̣[α ]καρίας μνη ̣μη ̣ς Φοιβαδίου ̣ τοῦ ἐπισκ [όπου, and see the Coptic ostracon regarding the ordination of deacons in Crum Coptic Ostraca, No. 29 (reproduced by Deissmann LAE2, p. 221 ft.).

The corr. subst. appears in such passages as P Oxy IX. 1191.5 (A.D. 280) περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐπιμελητῶν χειροτονίας, ";concerning the election of administrators,"; ib. 1204.24 (A.D. 299) τὸ βιβλίον τῆς χειροτονείας παρασχεθήτω, ";let the document containing the appointment be produced"; (Ed.), and Syll 192 (=.3485).17 (B.C. 236–5) ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν παρέξειν τῆς τε το [ῦ δή ]μου χειροτονίας.