antilegomena means certain books of the New Testament which were for a time not universally received, but which are now considered canonical. It carries an Arena rating of 1434, earned across 72 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, antilegomena ranks #1,015 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,119 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,215 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,910 of 17,151 for The Improbable.
Why “antilegomena” is a great word
ANTILEGOMENA — [Noun] Those books of the New Testament whose canonical status was historically disputed before their ultimate acceptance. From the Ancient Greek ἀντιλεγόμενα (antilegómena), neuter plural of ἀντιλεγόμενος (antilegómenos, "spoken against"), from ἀντι- (anti-, "against") + λέγω (légō, "to speak"). First attested in English 1840–50. Unlike homologoumena, the universally acknowledged core, or apocrypha, the definitively excluded, the antilegomena are the contingent, the provisionally held. They are the scribe's faint marginal query, the weighty silence in the council chamber, the fragile parchment passed hand to hand under scrutiny—a testament that the canon was forged not in certainty, but in the quiet, enduring drama of debate.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀντιλεγόμενα (antilegómena), from ἀντι- (anti-, “against”) + λέγω (légō, “to speak”).
noun
- Certain books of the New Testament which were for a time not universally received, but which are now considered canonical.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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