Kecharitomene

catholicpoint.blogspot.com /2012/09/kecharitomene.html

My Protestant friend argues to me that Acts 6:8 says Stephen was " full of
grace". How is that any different than Mary? Abraham on Marys
Immaculate Conception

Kecharitomene
by c.pio

Well, thats a common argument made by members of Do-it-yourself-

religion. Like your opponents, an unknown protestant apologist named
Gerry Soliman once said in his article: [I]n Acts 6:8 of the Douay Rheims
version, Stephen was full of grace. So was Stephen immaculately
conceived?

[Luke 1:28] And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women

[Acts 6:8] And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people.

If you live during inscripturation period, surely your answer is a BIG NO!

Both Gospel of Luke and the book Acts of the Apostles were written in Greek, not in modern English as always
portrait by Bible-only groups. Now:

Language can never adequately translate another language with the same feeling, emphasis, rhyme, idiom, etc.
Due to these and other factors inherent in language, doing a word-for-word translation is not really that meaningful.
This would only be a valid kind of exercise if there were two languages that corresponded so close in structure that
the only difference in the two was their vocabulary. Then there would also be the requirement that each word in one
language had one and only one word that exactly corresponded to it in the other language. There are no two
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languages that correspond to each other in grammar, rules of syntax, semantic structure, etc., especially not modern
English and Koine (Biblical) Greek. [www.ntgreek.org]

Acts 6:8 plrs charitos

We must then, go back to the original Greek texts and let see if both verses use the same word full of grace.

[Luke 1:28] Kai eiselthon pros auten eipen, "Caire, kecharitomene!, ho Kurios meta sou."

[Acts 6:8] Stephanos de plrs charitos kai dynames epoiei terata kai smeia megala en t la

Are they the same? Obviously, not.

"Pleres charistos" [Acts 6:8] "Kecharitomene" [Luke 1:28]

The word grace came from the Greek word charis

The word used in Acts 6:8 referring to Stephen is a different word from the one referring to Mary.

Here, Stephen is described as "pleres charitos" literally "filled up with grace" meaning at that moment, he was full of
grace.

But the term used to Mary is "Kecharitomene" perfect passive participle of "charitoo" [charitoo (verb) comes from the
same Greek root of charis - which means grace and charito means to fill or endow with grace] or in other words:
"Hail, one who has always been full of grace"

To make it more clearer, "kecharitomene" is the perfect passive participle tense of the verb meaning "to fill with
grace," Because it is in the perfect participle tense, it means that Mary was already filled with grace and there is no
room for sin in her before the Annunciation, the implication being that she was the immaculate!

No other character in the bible was called kecharitomene except for Mary. The Angel Gabriel is not speaking his
own words, rather he is delivering Gods message to her.

Luke 1: 28 "Hail, (kecharitomene: one who has always been full of grace ), the Lord is with you. Blessed you among
women."

So in Luke 1:28, Mary has always been and remains full of grace, and Stephen gets filled with grace only from a
certain point in time [Acts 6:8]

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Ephesians 1:6: echaritosen

Some may oppose the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception using Ephesians 1:6, they attempted to argue that the
use of the verb "charitoo" in Luke 1:28 is the same verb (action word) used in Ephesians 1:6 for all Christians
although in different form.

Luke 1:28 uses a special conjugated form of " charitoo." It uses "kecharitomene," while Ephesians 1:6 uses
"echaritosen," which is a different form of the verb "charitoo." Echaritosen means "he graced (bestowed grace.)
Echaritosen signifies a momentary action, an action brought to pass. (Blass and DeBrunner, Greek Grammar of the
New Testament, p.166.),

Whereas

Kecharitomene, the perfect passive participle, shows a completeness with a with permanent result. Kecharitomene
denotes continuance of a completed action (H. W. Smyth, Greek Grammar (Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1968 ) 108-109, sec 1852:b) (Blass and DeBrunner p.175.)

Marys Immaculate Conception

Sinless at the moment of her existence

Perfect tense

John 19:30 "It is finished.": the word is, the work of the redemption is complete and forever enduring.

Perfect Participle Tense

Luke 1:42 " Blessed is the fruit of your womb.": the word blessed, Jesus is perfectly and endlessly blessed by
God the Father.

At what point in her life is Mary made without sin?

Luke 1:42 "Blessed are you among women : the word blessed, Mary is perfectly and endlessly blessed by God.

Therefore, Luke 1:28 points to Mary being without sin at the moment of her conception!

Arguments against Kecharitomene refuted!

Mary the New Eve
Mary: The New Ark of Covenant
Mary Immaculate Conception

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