1

a) Negation - this negative prefix is called its “privative use” (στερητικόν), and usually means "no" or "not", which is equivalent to English “without,” or the English prefix “un-” from West Germanic; e.g. unprecedented, unbelievable, and also in- from Latin; e.g. incapable, inarticulate. In English, the English letter a- is sometimes called alpha privative, from Ancient Greek α- αν-; e.g. apathetic, abiogenesis. Other Greek words already beginning with the letter alpha use a negative particle before them like mē or ou, so as not to create an untidy double alpha. While words not beginning with Alpha can be negated and become a new word, words beginning with Alpha must create two words. A word such as unforgiveness is literally " to not forgive" ou/mē aphiēmi.

b) Increasing intensity (ἐπιτατικόν)

c) Copulative (ἀθροιστικόν)

In ἄσοφος, the alpha is privative.
In ἄκοιτις, the alpha is accumulative.
In ἀτενής, the alpha is intensive.

Thayer has:

1. privative (στερητικόν), like the Lat. in-, the Eng. un-, giving a negative sense to the word to which it is preficed, as ἀβαρής; or signifying what is contrary to it as ἄτιμος, ἀτιμόω; before vowels generally ἀν-, as ἀναίτιος.

2. copulative (ἀθροιστικόν), akin to the particle ἅμα [cf. Curtis § 598], indicating community and fellowship, as in ἀδελφός, ἀκόλουθος. Hence it is

3. intensive (ἐπιτατικόν), strengthening the force of terms, like the Lat. con in composition; as ἀτενίζω fr. ἀτενής [yet cf. W. 100 (95)]. This use, however, is doubted or denied now by many [e. g. Lob. Path. Element. i. 34 sq.]. Cf. Kühner i. 741, § 339 Anm. 5; [Jelf § 342 δ]; Bttm. Gram. § 120 Anm. 11; [Donaldson, Gram. p. 344; New Crat. §§ 185, 213; L. and S. s. v.].*

2) Christ is the Alpha to indicate that he is the beginning and the end. The first letter of the Greek alphabet used with the last letter 5598 as “alpha and omega, the first and the last”, appears in Revelation 1:8, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:13.

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