Forms of the word

Dictionary: θρησκεία, ας, ἡ

Greek transliteration:  thrēskeia

Simplified transliteration:  threskeia

Frequency in New Testament:  4

Gloss:  religion, worship

Definition:  religious worship, Col. 2:18; religion, a religious system, Acts 26:5; religion, piety, Jas. 1:26, 27*

Greek-English Concordance for θρησκεία

Acts 26:5
for they have known from the first, if they are willing to go on record, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest party of our religious (thrēskeias | θρησκείας | gen sg fem) system.

Colossians 2:18
Let no one rob you of your prize, insisting on self-abasement and the worship (thrēskeia | θρησκείᾳ | dat sg fem) of angels, taking his stand on visions, puffed up with empty notions by his earthly way of thinking.

James 1:26
If someone thinks that he is religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion (thrēskeia | θρησκεία | nom sg fem) is worthless.

James 1:27
Religion (thrēskeia | θρησκεία | nom sg fem) that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their time of trouble, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Bill Mounce

Matthew Mark Luke John??

Nada. Zilch. Nein. No.

Seems Jesus never used the word. Not like we do. Not like we like to. Not like we like to own the word.

Not like we all seem to mean God or Church or Love or Compassion – just with a different spelling.  Not like that.

From what I can see.

(my thanks to The Smiling Pilgrim, “Verse of the Day”)