Definition
Boulema (Greek: βούλημα) means “resolve,” “purpose,” or “determined plan.” In contrast to thelema (God’s wish/desire), boulema denotes God’s irresistible and definitive decision — that which God has purposed and which cannot be thwarted. In Jones’ corpus the thelema/boulema distinction functions as the conceptual tool for reconciling human freedom with divine sovereignty: at the level of thelema there is space for human resistance; at the level of boulema God’s ultimate goal is absolutely certain.
Usage in the Corpus
Stephen Jones
Jones bases the distinction on Rom. 9:19 (“who has resisted his will [boulema]?”) versus 1 Tim. 2:4 (“who desires [thelema] all men to be saved”). Pharaoh resisted God’s thelema (his desire that Pharaoh obey him) but could not resist God’s boulema — his hardening served God’s sovereign purpose. For Jones this provides the key to his restorationism: God’s boulema that all things be restored (ἀποκατάστασις) will irrevocably be realized, even if people can temporarily resist his thelema. [Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 11]
Origin
Βούλημα derives from the verb boulomai (to will, decide, purpose), which in classical Greek expresses a firmer act of will than thelō. In the LXX and NT the two are sometimes interchangeable, but in philosophical and legal usage the distinction — settled intention versus open wish — is preserved.