Greek

In the New Testament, a distinction is observed between "Greek" (Hellēn) and "Grecian" or "Hellenist" (Hellēnistēs). A "Greek" (Hellēn) was a non-Jew — a Gentile — whether ethnically Greek or simply a Greek-speaking member of the broader Hellenistic world. Paul uses the pairing "Jew and Greek" as a comprehensive term for all humanity (Romans 1:14, 16; 10:12; 1 Corinthians 1:22–24; Galatians 3:28), expressing that Christ's salvation breaks down the fundamental ethnic and cultural division of the ancient world.

A "Hellenist" or "Grecian" (Acts 6:1; 9:29), by contrast, was a Greek-speaking Jew — a member of the diaspora who had adopted Greek language and culture but retained Jewish religious identity. The tension between Hellenist and Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christians in the Jerusalem church over the care of widows (Acts 6:1) was one of the first internal challenges the early church faced, resolved by the appointment of the seven deacons. Timothy, born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father (Acts 16:1), exemplified the mixed heritage common in diaspora communities.