κράτιστος, κρατίστη, κράτιστον, superlative of the adjective κρατύς (κράτος) (from (Homer) Pindar down), mightiest, strongest, noblest, most illustrious, best, most excellent: vocative κράτιστε used in addressing men of conspicuous rank or office, Act_23:26; Act_24:3; Act_26:25, (Otto, De ep. ad Diognetum etc. Jena 1845, p. 79ff, and in his Epist. ad Diognet. Leips. edition, p. 53f, has brought together examples from later writings). Perhaps also it served simply to express friendship in Luk_1:3 (as in Theophrastus, char. 5; Dionysius Halicarnassus, de oratt. 1; Josephus, Antiquities 4, 6, 8), because in Act_1:1 it is omitted in addressing the same person. Cf. Grimm in Jahrbb. f. deutsche Theol. for 1871, p. 50f.

κράτιστος kratistos 4x strongest; in NT κράτιστε , a term of respect, most excellent, noble, or illustrious, Luk_1:3 ; Act_23:26 ; Act_24:3 ; Act_26:25

κράτιστος , -η , -ον , superl , of κρατύς ( Hom .), 1. strongest, mightiest ( Hom .). 2. noblest, best ( cf. κρείσσων ), most excellent (find., Soph ., al. ): voc., κρατίστε , as title of honour and respect ( DCG , ii, 727a), Luk_1:3 , Act_23:26 ; Act_24:3 ; Act_26:25 .†

κράτιστος [page 358] κράτιστος ( egregius ) is very common as an honorific title in addressing persons of exalted rank, much as we use Your Excellency, e.g. P Fay 117 .5 (A.D. 108) a prefect, P Tebt II. 411 .5 (ii/A.D.) an epistrategus, P Oxy X. 1274 .10 (iii/A.D.) a procurator, al. [By the end of the third century the title was applied to persons of less importance, e.g. a ducenarius in P Oxy XIV. 1711 .4 : see the editors note on ib. 1643 .2 .] This corresponds with the usage in Act_23:26 ; Act_24:3 ; Act_26:25 , and possibly Luk_1:3 , though in this last case the word may be simply a form of courteous address. If, however, it is regarded here also as official, it is very unlikely that Theophilus was at the time a Christian, since, as Zahn ( Introd. iii. p. 42) has pointed out, there is no instance in the Christian literature of the first two centuries where a Christian uses a secular title in addressing another Christian, to say nothing of a title of this character. On the title as applied to the βουλή of Antinoλ in BGU IV. 1022 .1 (A.D. 196) see Wilcken in Archiv iii. p. 301, and cf. the introd. to P Strass I. 43. The adj. is never found as a true superlative in the NT, but is so found in literary books of the LXX (cf. Thackeray Gr. i. p. 185) : cf. BGU IV. 1118 .11 (B.C. 22) τῶν ὄντων ἐν τῶι κήπωι τὰ κράτιστα καὶ βέλτιστα .

κράτιστος κρά^τιστος, η, ον [Etym: a superl. formed from κρατύς] [Etym: κράτος] "strongest, mightiest", Il. , etc.; Λημνίων τὸ κρ. "the best" of their men, Thuc. :—of things, καρτίστη μάχη "the fiercest" fight, Il. generally, "best, most excellent", as Sup. of ἀγαθός, Pind. , Soph. , etc. οἱ κράτιστοι, like οἱ βέλτιστοι, of "the aristocracy", Xen. neut. pl. κράτιστα as adv., "best", id=Xen. —The comp. in use is κρείσσων, q. v.

κράτιστος, -η, -ον superl, of κρατύς (Hom.), __1. strongest, mightiest (Hom.). __2. noblest, best (cf. κρείσσων), most excellent (find., Soph., al.): voc., κρατίστε, as title of honour and respect (DCG, ii, 727a), Luk.1:3, Act.23:26 24:3 26:25.† (AS)