[Greek] κόσμος (kosmos), [Latin] cosmos: order, arrangement, world, cosmos, structure, adornment, unity; over 150 scriptures
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This important term is found extensively in all walks of life. The world can be viewed in both in a spatial and a temporal sense. This term conveys the meanings of order, unity, adornment, and understanding of the cosmos and world. Order infers unity between the totality and its parts. Adornments relate to spatial order, beauty (physical adornment), government, attitudes, and qualities. The cosmic “worldview” (world, heaven and the universe) is viewed with totality, structure, arrangement, beauty, and unity. This world can also be viewed in the sense of the inhabited world (individuals and the totality of humanity).
Literature:
Herodotus’ The Histories 8.67: Soldiers sat in order one after another.
Aristophanes’ Birds 330: Distribute the birds according to their character.
Homer’s Odyssey 8.469: Trojan Horse made with Athena’s help.
Demosthenes’ On The Crown 18.216: Your conducts elicited princes of all nations.
Herodotus’ The Histories 1.99: The first to establish the rule.
Hesiod’s Works and Days 76: Athena girded and clothed her.
Herodotus’ The Histories 3.123: Splendid furnishing of the men’s apartment.
Lysias’ Against Eratosthenes 12.19: Jewelry, furniture, and women’s apparel beyond what they expected.
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics 1124a: Crowing ornament of virtues.
Plato’s Timaeus 30b: Cosmos..a living creature with soul and reason.
Plato’s Gorgias 508a: This world by the name of order, not of disorder or dissolution.
Plato’s Timaeus 32c: Cosmos harmonized by proportion.
Plato’s Timaeus 30b: The Cosmas as a living creature endowed with soul and reason.
Old Testament: This term has a biblical sense and a philosophical sense. Although Hebrew has no word for universe, this term means heaven, earth, and adornment. Under the influence of Greek Hellenism, the Greek notion of the ‘world’ develops in the later parts of the Old Testament and in Judaism. The Jewish Greek philosopher Philo becomes heavily influential in the use of such terminology as: universe, inhabited earth, humanity, and, “to come into the world”. This temporal sense of ‘world’ eventually finds itself in cultic and liturgical use. In the New Testament, Jesus will make references to the earthly world in contrast to His heavenly kingdom.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed (Gen.2:1). These the Lord, your God, has let fall to the lot of all other nations under the heavens (Deut.4:19). You shall be arrayed with them all as with adornments, like a bride you fasten them on you (Isa.49:18). Like a chain of gold is learning to a wise man, like a bracelet on his right arm (Sir.21:21). Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world (Sol.9:9). But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it (Wis.2:24). A great number of wise men is the safety of the world, a prudent king, the stability of his people (So. 6:24).
New Testament: This term means universe, earth, world system, people, adornment, tremendous amount, and supernatural power. The New Testament provides a Hellenistic perspective of the term world. Not surprisingly, over half of these scriptural references are found in John’s gospel. As with Apostle Paul, the Apostle John was heavenly influenced by Hellenism. The Hellenistic perspective perceives the world as heaven and earth, inhabited earth (temporal and spatial senses), and the abode of man. Jesus makes many references to the world being opposed to His heavenly (spiritual) realm.
Scripture:
“In which you once lived following the age of this world, following the rule of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.” Eph. 2:2
Paul speaks to the temporal aspects of the world which will pass.
“He said to them, ‘You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world’”. Jn. 8:23
Jesus speaks of the differences between the world and His heavenly realm.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Jn.3:16-17
Jesus is speaking in His native Aramaic language. The Aramaic word chav means to cherish. The Aramaic word almah means young unmarried girl (in a singular sense). Rather than referring to a young girl, Jesus refers to a young naïve generation (in a sociological sense). Essentially, Jesus cherishes this young naïve generation. Also, it does not make sense that Jesus would cherish a political world system. Jesus makes a distinction between the people and the physical (spatial) world.
Etymology: From the Greek adjective comes the word cosmetic, meaning skilled in adornment or arrangement. This term was first coined in the 1640’s. So it is not really difficult to see how cosmos can lead to cosmetics.
Conclusion:
Cosmos, cosmological, cosmetics
This term becomes a very important subject of philosophical discussion in the Hellenistic world. It is was interesting to discover the various ranges of meanings like adornment and orderliness. These meanings can involve discipline, good behavior, fashion, and cosmetics (beautiful adornment). The Greeks viewed the cosmos as beautifully arranged, adorned, and ordered.
In the Old Testament, this term already has a theological sense, meaning adornments and heaven. It is significant to note that the Old Testament culture (and Judaism) later incorporate the Hellenistic understanding of the world. This will later become more significant as Jesus repeatedly makes references to the world in contrast to His heavenly kingdom.
I guess you can say that this term has a beautifully arranged sense of meanings. One does not need makeup to see this!