The Greek noun hagnotes (ἁγνότης) means purity, chastity, or sincerity — the quality of being morally uncontaminated, unmixed, or free from moral blemish. It appears twice in the New Testament, both in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. The word derives from hagnos (G53, pure, clean, chaste).
The word describes an inner quality of moral integrity — a purity that is not merely external or ceremonial but characterizes the whole person. In its NT contexts, it describes the quality of apostolic ministry and the ideal of Christian character.
Paul uses hagnotes in a remarkable catalog of apostolic credentials in 2 Corinthians 6:6: he lists purity alongside knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, and sincere love as the marks of authentic ministry. True gospel ministry is not merely effective technique or impressive results — it is characterized by a particular moral quality: purity of motive, life, and conduct. The minister who lacks hagnotes contradicts the gospel by their life even while proclaiming it with their words.
The second occurrence (2 Corinthians 11:3) uses the related concept to describe the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ that Paul fears the Corinthians will lose under the influence of false teachers. As Eve was deceived in the garden, so believers can be led away from the "sincere and pure devotion to Christ." Hagnotes in the Christian life is ultimately a relational quality — the wholehearted, unmixed devotion of a heart that loves Christ without divided loyalty.