International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Abba

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Abba


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ab´a (ἀββᾶ,אבּא , 'abbā), Hebraic-Chaldaic, “Father”): In Jewish and old-Christian prayers, a name by which God was addressed, then in oriental churches a title of bishops and patriarchs. So Jesus addresses God in prayer (, ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; , ). In ; , and ὁ πατήρ, ho patḗr, is appended even in direct address, in an emphatic sense. Servants were not permitted to use the appellation in addressing the head of the house. See Delitzsch on ; compare G. Dalman, Gram. des jüd.-palast. Aramaisch, etc., section 40, c. 3.