[B-Greek] The meaning of "theopneustos" in 2 Timothy 3:16
Harold Holmyard
hholmyard at ont.com
Wed Jul 26 07:50:11 EDT 2006
Dear Bryant,
You write:
>Perhaps, however, this is not an expression of Phocylides, but of the
>pseudo Phocylides.
Good work in finding that old post from the B-Greek archives and all the
other material. This information explains why Elizabeth could not find
the reference in Phocylides. Pseudo-Phocylides is listed as a Jewish
writer active perhaps in the first century B.C. or the first century
A.D. His work is listed, of course, among the Pseudepigrapha. Here is a
paragraph from a treatment of his work, the first of the three
references below (the other two are lists):
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_sd/ps-phoc.html
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/pseudophocylides.html
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/
Since Ps-Phoc. uses some fifteen words that do not occur in texts before
the first century B.C.E., this sets the earliest date of composition of
the work. Its many agreements with Philo and other popular
philosophical-ethical preachers active in the early Roman period
suggests a date before 100 C.E. The only viable suggestion for the place
of composition is in Alexandria, the only place known in antiquity where
dissection was practiced (van der Horst). V 102 seems to be against such
a practice. The influence of the LXX on the poem points to a time of
origin long after the real Phocylides who lived in the middle of sixth
century B.C.E. in Miletus. Phocylides is a name of great fame in
antiquity, famous for his wisdom and counsel on daily living. The use of
this Greek pseudonym gives authority for the wise counsels in the work.
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
>Dear List,
>
>To those who have better search engines in the classics, you will find the
>following of interest to see if THEOPNEUSTOS or cognates is used in Plato's
>Dialogues. See the following for references or
>visithttp://www.bhsu.edu/artssciences/asfaculty/dsalomon/nyssa/boundaries.htm
>which quotes from References on inspiration from Plato: Complete Works (edited
>by John M. Cooper, Indianapolis, 1997) and the article is from "Boundaries" by
>Gregory of Nyssa.
>
>Reference is found in Barnes NT Notes, on II Tim 3:16, "...The idea seems to
>have been, that the life was in the breath, and that an intelligent spirit was
>communicated with the breath. The expression was used among the Greeks, and a
>similar one was employed by the Romans. Plutarch ed. B. ix, p. 683, 9. touv
>oneirouv touv yeopneustouv; Phocylid. 121. thv de yeopneustou sofihv logov estin
>aristov. Perhaps, however, this is not an expression of Phocylides, but of the
>pseudo Phocylides. So it is understood by Bloomfield. Cicero, pro Arch., 8.
>poetam-quasi divino quodam spiritu infiari. The word does not occur in the
>Septuagint, but is found in Josephus, C. Ap. i. 7. "The Scriptures of the
>prophets who were taught according to the inspiration of God, kata t hn
>epipnoian thn apo tou yeou."
>
>Reference should also be made to Carl's response to Jim West dated 09/17/1999,
>Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
>Mon Sep 20 09:17:01 EDT 1999
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>
>At 8:00 AM -0400 9/20/99, Jim West wrote:
>
>
>>At 01:36 PM 9/20/99 +0200, you wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I am looking for secular or other biblical uses of the word theopneustos
>>>(as used in 2 Tim. 3:16).
>>>
>>>Was this a common word? How would you define God-breathed?
>>>
>>>
>>It occurs in Ps.-Phocylides and some of the Sybilline oracles and some other
>>obscure Greek inscriptions. In the NT it only occurs in 2 Tim.
>>Whether we like it or not, I think that the word is used by the author to
>>denote his idea that God "breathes" into his writer that which he wishes to
>>have said- just as in Greek thought the Muse breathes the idea into the mind
>>of the poet or writer. To put it mythologically, God is the Muse for the
>>writers of various NT documents (so far as the author of 2 Tim is concerned).
>>
>>
>
>What Jim says is right enough, but I think this way of putting it may make
>what's being said sound more mystical than is necessary; just recognizing
>that the -PNEU- in QEO-PNEU-STOS is cognate with the word for
>"spirit"--PNEUMA--and recalling the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus in
>John 3 where there is a deliberately play upon the double sense of PNEUMA
>as "wind" and "spirit"
>
>(John 3:8 TO PNEUMA hPOU QELEI PNEI KAI THN FWNHN AUTOU AKOUEIS, ALL' OUK
>OIDAS POQEN ERCETAI KAI POU hUPAGEI; hOUTWS ESTIN PAS hO GEGENNHMENOS EK
>TOU PNEUMATOS.),
>
>or the same evangelist's account of the giving of the Spirit to the
>disciples in John 20:22 (KAI TOUTO EIPWN ENEFUSHSEN KAI LEGEI AUTOIS:
>LABETE PNEUMA hAGION),
>
>where ENEFUSHSEN is the same word used in the LXX version of Genesis 2:7
>for the inbreathing of the breath of life into the nostrils of the first
>created man, we can see the associations of both life and spirit in the
>words for "breath" and "breathe" that are to be found in many languages and
>certainly in Greek and Hebrew; so QEOPNEUSTOS does mean literally
>"God-breathed" but we may ask whether the usage of the word-root -PNEU- is
>to be understood literally or metaphorically here, i.e. as a term normally
>associated with a material phenomenon but clearly being used of something
>non-material. I would agree with Jim's analogy of Holy Spirit as
>functionally equivalent to the Muse of Greek poetry; so would Milton
>(Paradise Lost, 1.6-10):
>
> Sing, heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
> Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
> That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed
> In the beginning how the heavens and earth
> Rose out of Chaos:
>
>One point Jim makes is, I would note, disputed: whether 2 Tim 3:16 is
>referring to NT texts or only to Old Testament documents when saying "All
>scripture is QEOPNEUSTOS." This has been discussed on more than one
>occasion in the past on this list with different list-members arguing
>different positions. I dont believe that the Greek text itself can resolve
>that particular question.
>
>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
>
>
>En Xristwi,
>
>Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
>
>
>
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