controversy
zetesis denotes a dispute or debated matter, including controversies to avoid and a matter requiring investigation.
The attested use chiefly concerns disputes or debates: controversies that produce quarrels, arise over purification, or are to be avoided as foolish and futile. A rarer occurrence concerns a matter for which an official is uncertain how to proceed with an investigation.
Senses in use
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Dispute or debated controversy · dominant
In 1 Timothy 6:4 the accusative plural occurs in the clause whose APB rendering speaks of an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words, followed by envy, strife, and suspicions. In 2 Timothy 2:23 and Titus 3:9, the plural names matters to refuse or avoid because the APB renders the surrounding clauses as controversies that beget quarrels and as foolish, unprofitable disputes. The singular also marks a controversy over purification in John 3:25 and sustained debate in Acts 15:2 and Acts 15:7.
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Matter requiring investigation · rare
In Acts 25:20, the accusative singular stands in a clause about uncertainty over how to investigate the matters and whether to go to Jerusalem for judgment. The verse presents the term's context as a contested matter requiring an official decision rather than as advice to avoid a quarrel.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the surrounding clauses with “controversies,” “controversy,” “debate,” and investigation of “these matters.” These expressions show the verse-level presentation rather than fixed English equivalents.