Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament: The saints – οἱ ἅγιοι

Usage The plural adjective ἅγιοι is used substantively sixty times in the NT with reference to ‘Christians’ and in these cases is normally translated as ‘the saints’. The substantivised participle of ἁγιάζω is used five times to refer to people as ‘the sanctified ones’. οἱ ἅγιοι occurs unevenly across the New Testament and is predominantly a Pauline term, although it occurs significantly in Revelation. The occurrences are Matthew: 1; Paul: 30; Ephesians: 7; The Pastorals: 1; Acts: 4; Hebrews: 2; Jude: 1; Revelation: 14. Occurrences of the substantivised participle are 1 Corinthians: 1; Acts: 2; Hebrews: 2. ἅγιος means ‘dedicated to God, holy, sacred’ and ‘that which is holy’; οἱ ἅγιοι when used of people indicates that they are ‘consecrated to God’.