Exclaims the apostle: ‘We are [God’s] workmanship’, (Ephesians 2:10).

Explains the preacher: “The Greek word translated ‘workmanship’ is the source of our English word ‘poem’.  We are God’s ‘poem’ – isn’t that a lovely thought!”

Objects this kill-joy blogger: I’m sorry, but that explanation, attractive though it may be, is just a little bit fanciful.

The word in question is poiema, which, according to Wright:

‘sometimes has an artistic ring to it. It may be hinting that what God has done to us in King Jesus is a work of art, like a poem or sculpture. Or perhaps, granted what he goes on to say, we are like a musical score; and the music, which we now have to play, is the genuine way of being human, laid out before us in God’s gracious design, so that we can follow it.’ (Wright)

Arnold agrees that:

‘It is possible that Paul chose this word to emphasize God’s skillful and intelligent design’ (Arnold).

Some, however, go even further.  According to this article the word poiema:

‘signifies that which is manufactured, a product, a design produce by an artisan. Poiema emphasizes God as the Master Designer.’

‘As the artist seeks to express himself in his work, so God expresses Himself in us.’

‘You are His poem.’

‘Masterpiece- showpiece; blockbuster, success; gem, jewel, prize, treasure…these are the synomyms (words that mean the same) for masterpiece.’

This is all very appealing.  But is that what the word means?  May we import the nuances of the English word ‘poem’ back into this Greek word?

‘No’, says Bill Mounce.  The word, which occurs elsewhere in the NT only at Rom 1:20, simply refers to that which has been made.

Most English translations, therefore, render it: ‘workmanship’, ‘handiwork’, or similar.  (An exception is the NLT, which has ‘masterpiece’, which as Mounce comments, reflects the same entymological error as the quotations above.)

Let the preacher take care, then, before attempting to define ancient words using meanings derived from a modern and totally foreign language.

This is an example, then, of the ‘etymological fallacy’, which is the idea that the ‘true’ meaning of a word can be defined by reference to its historical meaning.

But ‘poiema‘ no more means ‘poem’ than ‘nice’ means ‘ignorant’, or ‘awful’ means ‘inspiring awe’, or ‘manufacture’ means ‘made by hand’.

[An updated version of a post originally published on 3 December 2024]