'Truth, as the revealed reality lying at the basis of, and agreeing

with, an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter;

hence, the reality appertaining to an appearance or manifestation,

truth' (Dr. E. W. Bullinger Critical Lexicon and Concordance).

In the New Testament this word is associated with 'telling',

'teaching', 'witnessing'; with the 'Word', with 'knowledge' and with

consequent 'walk'.  The epistles speak of 'the truth of the gospel', 'of

God', 'of Christ'.  The Saviour Himself being the very embodiment of truth,

'as the truth is in Jesus'.

Alethes occurs 25 times in the New Testament and of this number,

23 occurrences are translated in the Authorized Version 'true'.

'Unconcealed, manifest, open; hence real, actual; that is alethes,

whose appearance is not mere show, but is the reality it appears to be;

that is alethes, whose utterance agrees with the reality and does not

conceal it.  True, as opposed to what is false; thus "God is alethes"

(John 3:33) inasmuch as He cannot lie -- as He is apseudes' (Dr. E. W.

Bullinger Critical Lexicon and Concordance).

Here we can make a further advance in our understanding of the term

'Truth'.  Truth not only is a revelation, revealing reality, it is an

utterance, statement or testimony that 'agrees with reality'.  We must

remember the words 'revelation', 'reality' and 'agreement' for their

consideration will be necessary to our full understanding.

We have one word more to examine, that is the word:

This word is defined in appendix 175 of The Companion

Bible as:

'Very.  Fr. v,ritable: i.e. genuine, real, substantial, as contrasted

with that which is fictitious, unreal, shadowy, or symbolical.  Hence

alethinos is that which has truth for its base and is all that it

claims to be (John 6:32; 15:1).  See 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Hebrews 8:2;

The reader

will have to take each of these words separately in order to

discover the way

in which they are employed by the inspired writers, but

before doing so,

it will be well to be sure that the words 'reality' and

'revelation' are

We have seen from the meaning of the words translated 'truth' in the

New Testament that it is among other things 'the revelation of reality'.

These words must be used with understanding if we are not to becloud the

issue at the commencement.  By a revelation, we understand 'the art of

disclosing or unveiling that which is secret, private or unknown'.  By

reality we mean:

In ordinary language, the quality or state of being real; actual

being or existence, fact as opposed to mere appearance.

In Philosophy.  That which underlies and is the truth of

appearances or phenomena.