acrostics-what is it?

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Mon Jan 24 06:34:49 EST 2000


At 8:07 PM -0800 1/23/00, Garrett B Trott wrote:
>On Sun, 23 Jan 2000 19:59:17 -0600 "Grant" <grant at cajun.net> writes:
>>B-Greek,
>>
>>
>>What is acrostics?
>>
>Acrostics are a device used in Hebrew Poetry (and elsewhere) where the
>first line starts with the first letter of the alphabet, the second line
>starts with the second, etc...
>
>Can' t think off hand any examples in NT, but there are a handful of
>examples in the Hebrew OT (Ps 111,112, 119, 145) - I'm sure there are
>more.  If you have a Hebrew OT with you look at these Psalms, its kind of
>neat how the acrostic is structured, or at least get someone to show you
>these Psalms.

I don't know of a New Testament example either, but it is said that the
Greek word for "fish" , ICQUS, was an acrostic representing a credal
formula because each letter of this word in succession yielded the initial
letters of the five words of the creed about Jesus:

	I	=	IHSOUS	=	Jesus
	C	=	CRISTOS	=	Christ
	Q	=	QEOU	=	God's
	U	=	hUIOS	=	Son
	S	=	SWTHR	=	Savior



Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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