158. aition
Lexical Summary
aition: Cause, reason, responsibility

Original Word: αἴτιον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: aition
Pronunciation: ah'-ee-tee-on
Phonetic Spelling: (ah'-ee-tee-on)
KJV: cause, fault
Word Origin: [neuter of G159 (αἴτιος - Responsible)]

1. a reason or crime
{like G156}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cause, fault.

Neuter of aitios; a reason or crime (like aitia) -- cause, fault.

see GREEK aitios

see GREEK aitia

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
neut. of aitios, q.v.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Range of Usage

αἴτιον denotes a “cause,” “ground,” or “reason” for something—especially the underlying factor that renders an act culpable or justifiable. Classical writers used it both for philosophical inquiry into ultimate causes and for legal proceedings where the central question is, “What is the real fault?” The cognate adjective αἴτιος (“responsible”) and the feminine noun αἰτία (“charge, accusation, cause”) stand alongside αἴτιον in a family of words that explore the relationship between action and accountability.

Occurrences in Scripture

While the exact neuter form αἴτιον is absent from the Greek New Testament, the idea it expresses is pervasive:

• Septuagint usage – αἴτιον often translates Hebrew terms for “guilt” or “reason” (for example, Deuteronomy 22:14; 1 Samuel 22:22; Job 19:28).
• Cognate appearances – Hebrews 5:9 refers to Jesus as “the source of eternal salvation” (ho aitios), linking causality with redemptive agency. Acts 19:40 warns, “For we are in danger of being charged with rioting,” where αἰτία underscores legal responsibility.

Old Testament Foundations

Scripture consistently binds moral cause to personal accountability:

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.” (Deuteronomy 24:16)

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike detestable to the LORD.” (Proverbs 17:15)

These passages prepare the biblical worldview in which guilt (αἴτιον, αἰτία) is neither arbitrary nor transferable apart from covenantal provision.

Divine Causality and Human Responsibility

1. God as First Cause:

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

The sovereign Lord is the ultimate causal agent, yet Scripture never makes Him the author of evil; secondary causes (human choices) remain genuinely culpable.

2. Christ as Saving Cause:

“Having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:9)

Here the cognate αἴτιος proclaims Christ the decisive ground of salvation, contrasting Adam, whose trespass was the cause of death for all (Romans 5:12-19).

3. Sin as Alien Cause:

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Do they not come from the passions that wage war within you?” (James 4:1)

The New Testament frequently probes the heart-level αἴτιον behind visible transgression, exposing internal motives rather than merely external acts.

Legal and Judicial Themes

Whether in Israel’s courts or Roman tribunals, establishing the αἴτιον was essential:

“On the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established.” (Deuteronomy 19:15)

Pilate grasped the principle when he said, “I find no basis for a charge against Him.” (John 18:38)

The gospel shows that the innocent Christ bore the sentence of the guilty, satisfying divine justice while preserving the moral order in which αἴτιον matters eternally.

Historical and Patristic Reflection

Early apologists invoked αἴτιον in defending God’s righteousness against accusations of injustice. Athanasius argued that the Incarnation was the only fitting cause of human restoration, while Augustine distinguished between God as the causa bona of all that is good and humans as the causa mala of sin.

Ministry Application

• Counseling: Help believers trace behavioral issues back to heart-level causes, leading them to repentance in Christ rather than surface fixes.
• Preaching: Present Jesus not only as the effect (our salvation) but as the cause—grounding assurance in His finished work.
• Apologetics: Clarify that Christianity offers a coherent account of first causes that neither dissolves human freedom nor compromises divine sovereignty.

Related Terms for Further Study

αἴτιος – responsible, source (Hebrews 5:9)

αἰτία – charge, accusation (Acts 13:28)

ἔγκλημα – formal charge (Acts 19:40)

παράπτωμα – trespass, offense (Ephesians 2:1)

Summary

Though the neuter form αἴτιον does not appear in the New Testament text, its concept pulses through Scripture’s narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and final judgment. Understanding “cause” and “fault” sharpens our grasp of God’s holiness, humanity’s need, and the sufficiency of Christ—the true αἴτιον of eternal salvation.

Forms and Transliterations
αίτιον αίτιος αιτίου
Links
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