The Greek noun pathema means suffering, affliction, or passion — the experiences of pain and hardship undergone by a person. It appears approximately 16 times in the New Testament and is closely associated with Christ's sufferings and the participation of believers in those sufferings.
Pathema is one of Paul's central concepts for understanding the Christian life. Far from being an aberration, suffering is presented as a participation in Christ's own experience. Romans 8:17 establishes the principle: 'Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings (sympaskhomen) in order that we may also share in his glory.' Second Corinthians 1:5 contains one of the most remarkable pastoral formulas: 'For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings (pathemata) of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.' The measure of suffering and the measure of comfort are linked — the more Paul shares Christ's pathemata, the more he experiences Christ's consolation. Peter addresses suffering Christians with the same logic: 'Rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings (pathemasin) of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed' (1 Peter 4:13). The pathema is not meaningless pain — it is a fellowship, a co-participation with Christ that points toward shared glory.