The New Testament was written in Koine Greek — not in English. Every translation involves choices. FirstCenturyLens shows you where those choices were made, and what the original text was working with.
When you read "eternal punishment" in Matthew 25:46, you're reading a theological conclusion — not a translation. The Greek word κόλασις meant corrective discipline. The word αἰώνιος meant age-long, not infinite.
These aren't fringe claims. They're what the Greek words actually meant to first-century speakers — before centuries of Latin theology reshaped how they were rendered in English.
FirstCenturyLens doesn't tell you what to believe. It shows you the gap between what the Greek says and what your Bible tells you it says. Then you decide.
Choose from a growing collection of high-impact passages — Matthew 25:46, John 3:16, Romans 5:12, and more — each selected for the interpretive weight they carry in the original Greek.
Original Greek with transliteration. A plain 1st-century Koine hearing. The modern English translation — all side by side.
Switch between Traditional Evangelical, Christian Universalist, Annihilationist, Plain Koine, or Catholic / Patristic to see how each tradition reads the same verse.
Every major doctrine about hell, salvation, judgment, and eternal life hangs on a handful of Greek words. See their full semantic range — what they meant before centuries of translation narrowed them.
Built for curious people — not just scholars.
Every verse scored Green / Amber / Red based on how much theological weight the translation carries beyond what the Greek says.
Tap any flagged Greek word to see its semantic range, how it was used in non-biblical 1st-century texts, and why it matters.
See how Traditional Evangelical, Universalist, Annihilationist, Plain Koine, and Catholic / Patristic readings interpret the same Greek text — and where they agree or diverge.
Export any verse as a Teaching Slide (1920×1080 — drop straight into PowerPoint or Keynote) or a bold Social Card (1080×1080 — built for Instagram and X). Both include your URL and download as PNG.
Default comparison uses the World English Bible (WEB) — modern and public domain. Switch to the Catholic / Patristic lens and the comparison automatically switches to the Douay-Rheims Bible — the historic Catholic English translation.
Every verse includes three hand-written discussion questions grounded in the Greek lexical data — ready to print and use in a Bible study, home group, or sermon prep.
A dedicated reference page for the twelve Greek words that shape entire doctrines — aiōnios, kolasis, gehenna, pistis, and more. Each with full semantic range and links to every verse in the tool. Explore →
Open it, use it. No sign-up required. Just the text, the Greek, and the tools to understand what it actually says.
We don't tell you what to believe. We show you how five major traditions read the same Greek text — and let you see the differences for yourself.
No account. No paywall. Just the original Greek, the 1st-century hearing, and the tools to see the difference.
Open FirstCenturyLens →