Grace in Greek: χάρις (charis) Chariotized: κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitôménē) Theology of grace: θεολογία της χάρης (theologia tis charis)

The Greek Word for “Grace”

The Greek word for “grace” is χάρις (charis), a feminine noun of the third declension, derived from the verb chairō (“to rejoice”). In the New Testament in Greek, charis appears 155 times, with meanings encompassing: divine grace, free favor, gratitude, and beauty. The Latin translation, firmly established as gratia, is consistently used by Jerome’s Vulgate to translate charis in Paul’s epistles and the Johannine writings. Its etymology unveils a theological structure: grace (charis) is the free gift that brings joy (chara) to its recipient.

Charis in Paul: Grace as a Free Gift

St. Paul of Tarsus is the preeminent theologian of charis. In Romans 3:24, he proclaims, “Justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s understanding of grace includes these three aspects: (1) Free, unmerited. (2) Effective, transforming sinners. (3) Universal, offered to all. In Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” The significant expression kecharitōménē in Luke 1:28 is closely tied to this tradition: Mary is the one who fully and permanently received grace.

Kecharitōménē: Grace in Mary

The verb form kecharitōménē (κεχαριτωμένη) in Luke 1:28 is a perfect passive participle of charitoō, derived from charis. The perfect aspect in Greek indicates an action completed in the past with ongoing effects in the present: Mary did not merely “receive grace” (as if it were a one-time event), but she is in a state of having been fully granted grace, and this state persists. Ignace de la Potterie, a Jesuit exegete, demonstrated that this verb form occurs only twice in the New Testament: Luke 1:28 (Mary) and Ephesians 1:6 (the whole Church). The difference is that Mary receives the vocative, becoming kecharitōménē, her new name.

Charis vs. Karis: Orthographic Note

In Portuguese searches, “karis” (with a k) is sometimes encountered instead of the correct Greek word, charis. Both refer to the same Greek term. The scientific transliteration system uses “ch” (charis), which accurately represents the digraph chi (χ). The “k” is a phonetic simplification, as chi in classical Greek is pronounced like an aspirated “c,” but in modern Greek it sounds like “h” or “j.” For academic purposes, the correct form is charis.

Charis in Patristic Tradition

The Greek Church Fathers developed a rich theology of charis. Clement of Alexandria (2nd century) viewed grace as the beauty of the soul illuminated by the Logos. Origen interpreted Luke 1:28 as Mary’s perfectio gratiae. John Damascene (8th century), in a homily on Mary’s Nativity, exclaimed, “Chaire, kecharitōménē, Hail, you who are full of grace, for you are the only one who, before being born, received the fullness of divine grace that was not given to any other creature.” The Greek mariology saw in kecharitōménē an expression of the Immaculate Conception, preceding the formulation of this dogma by the Western Church in 1854.

Gratia Plena: The Vulgate Translation

Jerome’s translation, “gratia plena” (full of grace), has been immensely influential in Western liturgy and theology. The Latin Ave Maria uses “gratia plena.” While this translation captures the sense of fullness, it loses the temporal dimension of the Greek perfect. A more literal rendering would be “you who are and have been fully graced.” The debate over the best translation of kecharitōménē was one of the most significant exegetical discussions in the 20th century, with contributions from Max Zerwick, René Laurentin, and Ignace de la Potterie.

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Learn what the Church teaches about Mary as Mediator of all Graces.