ἀρχή, -ῆς, ἡ,
[in LXX for קֶדֶם, רֹאשׁ, רֵאשִׁית, etc.;]
1. beginning, origin;
(a) absol., of the beginning of all things: of God as the Eternal, the First Cause, Re 21:6 (cf. 1:8); similarly, of Christ, Re 22:13; of Christ as the uncreated principle, the active cause of creation, Re 3:14; in his relation to the Church, Col 1:18; ἐν ἀ., Jo 1:1, 2; ἀπ᾽ ἀ. (and ἀπ᾽ ἀ. κτισεως), Mt 19:4, 824:21, Mk 10:613:19, Jo 8:44, II Th 2:13, II Pe 3:4, I Jo 1:12:13, 143:8; κατ’ ἀρχάς, He 1:10;
(b) relatively: He 7:3; ἀ. ὠδίνων, Mt 24:8, Mk 13:9; τ. σημείων, Jo 2:11; τ. ὑποστάσεως, He 3:14; τ. λογίων, He 5:12; ὁ τ. ἀρχῆς τ. Χριστοῦ λόγος, the account of the beginning, the elementary view of Christ, He 6:1; ἀρχὴν λαμβάνειν, to begin, He 2:3; ἐξ ἀ., Jo 6:6416:4; ἀπ’ ἀ., Lk 1:2, Jo 15:27, I Jo 2:7, 243:11, II Jo 5, 6; ἐν ἀ., Ac 11:1526:4, Phl 4:15; τὴν ἀρχήν, adverbially, at all (Hdt., al.; v MM, s.v.): Jo 8:25.
2. an extremity, a corner: Ac 10:1111:5.
3. sovereignty, principality, rule (cf. DB, i, 616 f.): Lk 12:1120:20, Ro 8:38, I Co 15:24, Eph 1:213:106:12, Col 1:162:10, 15, Tit 3:1, Ju 6 (Cremer, 113).†