Mark 1:2

αὐτός The True Self

Scholars always knew that the pronoun αὐτός was used "inordinately" throughout the New Testament (as in, way beyond normal usage of classical Greek), but failed to understand why. It is a word that fundamentally denotes one’s true self, often distinguishing the soul from the body (Od. 11.602) or, conversely, the body from the soul (Il. 1.4). It functions reflexively as “self” and, in oblique cases, as a personal pronoun (“him, her, it”).

It emphasizes individual identity in contrast to others, such as a king vs. his subjects (Il. 6.18), Zeus vs. the other gods (Il. 8.4), or a warrior vs. his weapons (Il. 1.47).

With the article (ὁ αὐτός, ἡ αὐτή, τὸ αὐτό), it signifies "the same" or "the very self."

In prose, αὐτός can appear without the article for proper names (αὐτὸς Μένων, X. An. 2.1.5) and is used impersonally in phrases like αὐτὸ δείξει ("the result will show," Cratin. 177). It also expresses volition (“of one’s own accord,” Il. 17.254) or personal presence (“in person,” D. 1.2).

The most frequent noun word used in the NT is not "God" (θεός), found 1,317 times, but rather αὐτός the self, found over 5,600 times. The only words more frequent are "and" (9,000 times) and "the" (20,000 times). Similarly, the most frequent word in the Old Testament Hebrew is את the eternal self, occuring over 11,000 times.

The Neuter Form

In philosophical or poetic usage, particularly in Homer and Plato, the neuter form αὐτό may denote one’s true self, either the soul (Od. 11.602) or, conversely, the body (Il. 1.4), depending on context. It also appears in abstract references to essence, identity, or the very thing itself (τὸ αὐτό), as in expressions of intrinsic nature or reality (cf. Plato, Republic 362d: αὐτὸ ὃ μάλιστα ἔδει ῥηθῆναι – "the very thing that most needed to be said").

Thus, while αὐτός is not reflexive in the grammatical sense (cf. ἑαυτοῦ, "of oneself/one's own self"), it does, especially in neuter form, preserve and express a conceptual sense of "Self" or "the same being", particularly in metaphysical or emphatic contexts.

in ancient Greek, αὐτό—specifically the neuter singular form of αὐτός—is the only appropriate and attested lexical item to express the metaphysical concept of "the self", especially in Platonic and post-Platonic philosophical discourse.

1. Philosophical Usage:

   • In Plato and later authors, expressions like τὸ αὐτό ("the selfsame") or αὐτὸ τὸ ὄν ("being itself") represent the essence or pure identity of a thing, distinct from its accidents or manifestations.

   • Notably, in Plato's dialogues, constructions such as:

     • αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθόν – “the Good itself”

     • αὐτὸ τὸ καλόν – “the Beautiful itself”
       are paradigmatic examples of Forms or Ideas, i.e., entities existing in themselves and through themselves — the metaphysical “Selves” of their kind.

2. Semantic Range:

   • While αὐτός generally functions as a third-person pronoun or intensifier, its neuter form, especially when used absolutely or with the definite article, becomes substantive and ontologically loaded:

     • τὸ αὐτό = "the same", "the selfsame", "the self (in essence)"

     • αὐτῷ "to self" (dative neuter is identical to dative masculine)

   • This contrasts with ἑαυτοῦ, which is grammatically reflexive and bound to a subject, not abstract or metaphysical.

3. Terminological Precedence:

   • Later philosophical traditions (Neoplatonic, Stoic, etc.) frequently use forms of αὐτός to express inner identity, core being, or metaphysical selfhood.

(cf. LSJ αὐτός)