GNT words for soul and spirit

N & RJ Hanscamp nar.hanscamp at clear.net.nz
Thu Jun 24 00:34:26 EDT 1999


Wayne wrote:
>>> I have a couple of questions.  There are  two primary words used in the
greek new testament for soul and spirit. Also, there are renditions of
these.  What was the understanding of that era  of the soul and spirit and
what is the literal definitions for these words.
 5590  psuche (psoo-khay');,  4151  pneuma (pnyoo'-mah);

 Thank you,
 Wayne Shelton



Wayne
I have found it helpful to look at comparison via perseus.

Here is a search I did
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/engindex?lookup=pneuma

Some work in The Oxford Classical Dictionary 3rd Edn.  Eds S. Hornblower, A
Spawforth. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1996. will also give you some
answers

A summary will include the use of PNEUMA as a medical term (from
Hippocrates) meaning breath, but more often associated with wind.   It later
came to be developed as PNEUMA BIOU to refer to life itself or the psychic
air in humans.   "It is the heart or the region of the heart which supplies
movement to pneuma generally in the body." (Aristotle)

PNEUMA in Jn 11.33, and 13.21 is paralleled with YUXH in Jn 12.27 where the
words are linked with Jesus' personal distress/ anger
ENEBRIMHSATO TW PNEUMATI KAI ETARAXEN EAUTON (11.33)
ETARAXQH TW PNEUMATI (13.21)
h YUXH MOU TETARAKTAI (12.27)


Hope this helps

Nigel
Nigel and Rebecca Hanscamp
Trinity Methodist Theological College
Auckland Consortium of Theological Education, New Zealand
Email: nar.hanscamp at clear.net.nz





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