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International Bible Encyclopedia
In the New Testament, English Versions of the Bible attempts to distinguish between (Ε?´λληνες, He´lle¯nes), which is rendered “Greeks,” and (Ε?λληνισται´, Helle¯nistai´), which is rendered “Grecians” or “Grecian Jews,” or in the Revised Version, margin “Hellenists,” e.g. Act_6:1; Act_9:29. These latter were Jews of the Dispersion, who spoke Greek (see HELLENISM; HELLENIST), as distinguished from Palestinian Jews; but since many of the latter also spoke Greek by preference, the distinction could in no sense be absolute. Indeed in Joh_7:35, “the Dispersion among (the Revised Version, margin, Greek “of”) the Greeks,” can hardly refer to any but “Grecian Jews” (Helle¯nistai), although Helle¯nes is used, and in John 12:20 the “Greeks” (Helle¯nes) who went up to worship at the feast of the Passover were almost certainly “Grecian Jews” (Helle¯nistai).
Easton Bible Dictionary
Grecians
Hellenists, Greek-Jews; Jews born in a foreign country, and thus did not speak Hebrew (Act_6:1; Act_9:29), nor join in the Hebrew services of the Jews in Palestine, but had synagogues of their own in Jerusalem. Joe_3:6 = Greeks.