Bible Word Study
Τύραννος
tyrannos · Tyrannus
Τύραννος
Tyrannus
Definition
Τύραννος (Tyrannus) is a proper noun referring to a specific individual named Tyrannus, an inhabitant of Ephesus. In the New Testament, it appears only in Acts 19:9, where Paul, after leaving the synagogue, taught daily in the 'school of Tyrannus.' While the text does not explicitly state his profession, the term 'school' (σχολή, scholē) suggests he was likely a teacher or rhetorician who owned or operated a lecture hall. The name itself, meaning 'tyrant' or 'absolute ruler,' was a common personal name in the Greco-Roman world and does not imply his character, but simply identifies him as the place's owner where significant apostolic teaching occurred.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 19:9. It functions strictly as a proper name to identify a person and the location ('the school of Tyrannus') where the apostle Paul conducted daily discipleship and teaching for two years while in Ephesus. This usage provides a specific historical anchor for Paul's ministry in a significant urban center.
Etymology
The word Τύραννος (tyrannos) originates from a pre-Greek (possibly Anatolian) source. In classical Greek, it meant an absolute ruler who seized power unconstitutionally, not necessarily a cruel one, though it later acquired negative connotations. As a personal name, it lost its political meaning and was used similarly to how 'Rex' (king) or 'Duke' might be used in English.
Semantic Range
In the 1st-century Greco-Roman world, 'Tyrannus' was a common personal name, stripped of its original political weight. The 'school' (σχολή) mentioned was likely a lecture hall used for philosophical or rhetorical instruction, often rented during off-hours. Paul's use of such a secular, public space for teaching demonstrates the early church's movement beyond synagogue walls into the broader urban marketplace of ideas, facilitating the spread of the gospel to both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10). Διδάσκαλος (didaskalos, G1320) — A general term for 'teacher' or 'instructor,' which describes a role Tyrannus may have held, whereas Τύραννος is solely a proper name.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]