ἀρχηγός, ἀρχηγόν, adjective, leading, furnishing the first cause or occasion: Euripides, Hipp. 881; Plato, Crat., p. 401 d.; chiefly used as a substantive, ὁ, ἡ, ἀρχηγός (ἀρχή and ἄγω);

1. the chief leader, prince: of Christ, Act 5:31; (Aeschylus Ag. 259; Thucydides 1, 132;. The Sept. Isa 3:5; 2Ch 23:14, and often).

2. "one that takes the lead in anything (1Ma 10:47, ἀρχηγός λόγων εἰρηνικῶν) and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter": τῆς πίστεως, of Christ, Heb 12:2 (who in the prominence of his faith far surpassed the examples of faith commemorated in Heb 11:1-40) (others bring this under the next head; yet cf. Kurtz at the passage). So ἀρχηγός ἁμαρτίας, Mic 1:13; ζήλους, Clement of Rome, 1Co 14:1-40; 1Co 1:1-31 [ET]; τῆς στάσεως καί διχοστασίας, ibid. 51, 1; τῆς ἀποστασιας, of the devil, Irenaeus 4, 40, 1; τοιαυτης φιλοσοφίας, of Thales, Aristotle, met. 1, 3, 7 (p. 983{b} 20). Hence,

3. the author: τῆς ζωῆς, Act 3:15; τῆς σωτηρίας, Heb 2:10. (Often so in secular authors: τῶν πάντων, of God (Plato) Tim. Locr., p. 96 c.; τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, of God, Diodorus 5, 72; ἀρχηγός καί αἴτιος, leader and author, are often joined, as Polybius 1, 66, 10; Herodian, 2, 6, 22 (14, Bekker edition)). Cf. Bleek on Heb. vol. ii. 1, p. 301f.