UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: brotherhood, fellow believers

Semantic entry: 11.22

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

Subdomains: Socio-Religious

Definition: an association of persons having a strong sense of unity

Notes: It is often quite impossible to speak of fellow Christians as ‘the brothers and sisters,’ since a number of receptor languages do not permit this type of extension of meaning from an underlying base meaning ‘brother’ or ‘sister.’ Therefore, it may be necessary to speak of ‘fellow believers’ or ‘those who believe together with others’ or ‘those who likewise believe.’ See also discussion at 11.23: ἀδελφός.