UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: religious party, sect

Semantic entry: 11.50

Semantic domains: Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes

Subdomains: Socio-Religious

Definition: a division or group based upon different doctrinal opinions and/or loyalties and hence by implication in certain contexts an unjustified party or group (applicable in the NT to religious parties)

Notes: Compare αἵρεσις[b] in 33.241: αἵρεσις where it means the content of false doctrines or teaching.|It is often difficult to find a term in a receptor language which designates primarily a religious party. Normally one must employ some type of phrase in which the various components of αἵρεσις[a] are somewhat redistributed. For example, in RV ACT 26:5 · LV ACT 26:5 · Read together ACT 26:5 the strictest party of our religion may be rendered as ‘those who have the strictest rules about the way they should worship God.’ Similarly, the wrong kind of religious party in RV ACT 24:14 · LV ACT 24:14 · Read together ACT 24:14 may be rendered as ‘the group of those who worship God in the wrong way.’

Sense 2: false teaching, untrue doctrine, heresy

Semantic entry: 33.241

Semantic domains: Communication

Subdomains: Teach

Definition: the content of teaching which is not true

Sense 3: division, separate group

Semantic entry: 63.27

Semantic domains: Whole, Unite, Part, Divide

Subdomains: Divide

Definition: a division of people into different and opposing sets