αὐτόπτης
autóptēs
G845 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An eyewitness, one who has seen something personally and directly. The primary lexical meaning denotes a person who observes an event with their own eyes as opposed to receiving information secondhand. In extended use, it may designate someone who testifies or reports based on direct visual experience.
Semantic Range
eyewitness, direct observer, one who personally sees an event, first-hand observer, onlooker, direct witness
Root / Etymology
From αὐτός ('self') + the verbal stem ὀπτ- of ὁράω/ὀπτάνομαι ('to see, to appear'). The compound directly conveys 'one who sees for oneself' or 'self-seer'.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Attested in Hellenistic and classical Greek literature for someone with direct visual experience, most often in historical or legal contexts as a reliable source or witness. In the New Testament (Luke 1:2), used to distinguish those who personally observed Jesus’s works from later recipients of their testimony. Greek historians (e.g., Herodotus, Thucydides) value the αὐτόπτης as an important guarantor of accuracy. English 'eyewitness' is an appropriate rendering, though the term carries added prestige and credibility in ancient historiography that may not be fully conveyed in modern use. There is no implication of religious or ethnic identity in the term itself; its function is factual, denoting direct perceptual access.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from αὐτός and ὀπτάνομαι; self-seeing, i.e. an eye-witness:--eye-witness.
Root Family
ὀπτ- (enṓpion) — to see, to appear
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G1799 | ἐνώπιον | in the sight of |
| G2734 | κατοπτρίζομαι | mirroring themselves |
| G3701 | ὀπτασία | to a visible manifestation |
| G3788 | ὀφθαλμός | to the eye |
| G3799 | ὄψις | visible appearance |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G845-01 |
αὐτόπται | autoptai | N NOM M PL |
eyewitnesses | self-seeing witnesses | eyewitnesses | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G845-01 |
Luke 1:2 | αὐτόπται | autoptai | N NOM M PL |
eyewitnesses | self-seeing witnesses | eyewitnesses |