Acts 11:26

καὶ εὑρὼν ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν. Ἐγένετο δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον συναχθῆναι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ διδάξαι ὄχλον ἱκανόν, χρηματίσαι τε πρῶτον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοὺς μαθητὰς Χριστιανούς.

RBT Greek Interlinear:

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 2147; heurōn; εὑρὼν; he who has found; V-APA-NMS

Strongs 71; ēgagen; ἤγαγεν; he led; V-AIA-3S

Strongs 1519; eis; εἰς; into; Prep

Strongs 490; Antiocheian; Ἀντιόχειαν; Antioch; N-AFS

Strongs 1096; egeneto; ἐγένετο; has become; V-AIM-3S

Strongs 1161; de; δὲ; and; Conj

Strongs 846; autois; αὐτοῖς; to themselves; PPro-DM3P

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 1763; eniauton; ἐνιαυτὸν; cycle of time; N-AMS

Strongs 3650; holon; ὅλον; entirely; Adj-AMS

Strongs 4863; synachthēnai; συναχθῆναι; led together; V-ANP

Strongs 1722; en; ἐν; within; Prep

Strongs 3588; tē; τῇ; the; Art-DFS

Strongs 1577; ekklēsia; ἐκκλησίᾳ; summoned assembly; N-DFS

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 1321; didaxai; διδάξαι; to teach; V-ANA

Strongs 3793; ochlon; ὄχλον; Multitude; N-AMS

Strongs 2425; hikanon; ἱκανόν; long; Adj-AMS

Strongs 5537; chrēmatisai; χρηματίσαι; to conduct business; V-ANA

Strongs 5037; te; τε; both; Conj

Strongs 4413; prōtōs; πρώτως; first; Adv

Strongs 1722; en; ἐν; within; Prep

Strongs 490; Antiocheia; Ἀντιοχείᾳ; Antioch; N-DFS

Strongs 3588; tous; τοὺς; the; Art-AMP

Strongs 3101; mathētas; μαθητὰς; Learners; N-AMP

Strongs 5546; Christianous; Χριστιανούς; Christians; N-AMP

RBT Translation:

τοὺς μαθητὰς Χριστιανούς = The Christian Learners

And he who found he led into Holding Opposite ("Antioch"), and he became to themselves, and for an entire cycle⁵³ to lead together within the Summoned Assembly and to teach a fitting multitude, and to deal firstly with the Christian Learners within Holding Opposite ("Antioch").⁵⁴

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it was for a whole year they were assembled together in the churches, and taught a sufficient crowd. And the disciples were Christians by divine intimation first in Antioch.

LITV Translation:
And finding him, he brought him to Antioch. And it happened that many of them were gathered to them in the church a whole year. And they taught a considerable crowd. And the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

Footnotes

53

Act 11:26

Self Cycle

ἐνιαυτός originally means “the completed cycle" 
It is not just “year” in a calendar sense, but literally the returning / recurring period that closes upon itself.

Homeric and archaic examples preserve this cyclic sense:

• ἐνιαυτῷ = “at the completion of the annual cycle”
• περιπλομένων ἐνιαυτῶν (Od. 1.16) = “as the years rolled around (completed their orbits).”

Hence the semantic extension:
ἐνιαυτός → any full cycle / period that returns into itself.

In inscriptions (e.g., Delphi, Crete):

• πρὸ τῶ ἐνιαυτοῦ = “before the year has completed its cycle.”

• ἐνιαυτῷ = “when the yearly cycle expires.”

The term marks a closed temporal loop, not simply the number 12 months.

Because the base meaning is “a completed cycle,” Greeks extended it to any recurring temporal pattern, especially astronomical ones. Thus:

a. The Metonic Cycle

19 years = period after which lunar and solar calendars realign.
DS 12.36:
ὁ μέγας ἐνιαυτός used of the 19-year Metonic cycle.

b. The 600-year cycle

Josephus (AJ 1.3.9) mentions a 600-year ἐνιαυτός for a long astronomical period.

c. “ἀΐδιος ἐνιαυτός” (Apollodorus)

The “eternal cycle” = an unending cosmic recurrence.

Pythagorean usage — ὁ μέγας ἐνιαυτός

Eudemus (ap. Theon Smyrnaeus 198H) gives the Pythagorean doctrine:

μέγας ἐνιαυτός =

the cosmic cycle after which the entire configuration of the heavens returns to the same starting-point
(all planets, sun, moon in identical relative positions).

Characteristics:

• A determinable but immense number of years.

• Not a simple solar year; it is a harmonic / astronomical cycle.

• Based on numerical ratios of planetary periods.

• When completed, all phenomena recur exactly (Pythagorean “eternal recurrence” doctrine).

Thus for the Pythagoreans:
ἐνιαυτός = cycle of recurrence.
μέγας ἐνιαυτός = total cosmic recurrence.

This turns “year” into a metaphysical notion:
a closed, resonant period determined by the harmonic ratios (λόγοι) of celestial motions.

The root of ἐνιαυτός is transparently cyclic:

• ἐν (in) + αὐτός (self) → originally “the time that returns into itself.”
  (cf. ancient etymologists: ἐν αὑτῷ γιγνόμενος χρόνος = “the time that becomes what it was.”)

Hence:

ἐνιαυτός = a completed, self-returning period.

The Pythagorean cycle (μέγας ἐνιαυτός) is the extension of the basic meaning of ἐνιαυτός—a completed, self-returning temporal loop—to the largest possible astronomical recurrence. The term naturally expands because its core sense is cyclic completion, not merely “year.”

(cf. LSJ ἐνιαυτός)

54

Act 11:26

χρηματίσαι is not a passive verb nor a past tense. It is an infinitive active “to conduct public business / to officially designate / to deal” This comes from the cluster of senses where χρηματίζω =

• deliberate / issue a determination, 
• conduct formal business, 
• give an official response, 
• be designated in an official or public manner. 

The verb casts the naming as a public, civic, or administrative act, not a casual nickname. It aligns with the sense used of assemblies and authorities “conducting business,” “issuing determinations,” or “designating something in an official capacity.”

Χριστιανούς "Christians"

The form, Χριστιανός (Christianos) is a Latinized political word. One would expect a suffix like -ικός (-ikos) Χρισματικος (Chrismatikós) if it was supposed to carry the meaning of Pertaining to the Anointing, similar to the name Charismatics derived from the Greek charis "divine gift." It skips these native Greek formations and instead uses the Latin loan suffix -ιανός (-ianos). This strongly implies the name's actual genesis was based on the social and political naming conventions of the Roman Empire, rather than theological derivation. 

That said, τοὺς μαθητὰς Χριστιανούς means unequivocally The Christian Learners or Christian Disciples. Does the verb χρηματίσαι split these words up as direct object + name? These three words are all in the accusative. χρηματίσαι is an aorist infinitive active in every single Greek manuscript.

Every translation mistranslates this into a past tense "were called." χρηματίσαι in itself cannot mean “were called.” It is the aorist active infinitive of χρηματίζω, whose primary senses are “to transact, do business, conduct affairs; to have dealings” (Classical → Hellenistic usage). The specialized sense is “to give oracular responses” from the noun χρησμός), but not passive “to be named/called.” (cf. LSJ χρηματίζω). Even the specialized sense doesn't fit. No one is giving divine oracles here. Julia Smith was the only one apparently to attempt to translate this as "by divine intimation" but that still defies the infinitive with an accusative. Since this was apparently too difficult for scholars to figure out, and they were absolutely certain of what was meant, it was an inconsequential thing to wave the wand and magically change the aorist infinitive active into a passive past tense. I mean, who's going to notice such subtle craft, right? And—as the reasoning goes—it's not like it's going to change the entire narrative or history of the Church, so...

"Presto!"