[B-Greek] PNEUMA HO THEOS and similar expressions

Jerry Austin Reimer jerry at lsm.org
Tue Jun 26 12:12:48 EDT 2007


Would it be correct to say that because pneuma is anarthrous it tends toward
qualitative (adjectival) rather than count or even predicate substantive?
God is pneumatic. God is spiritual. Seems versions (like NIV) are more on
the side of predicate noun.

Jerry Reimer

-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Harold Holmyard
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 9:06 AM
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] PNEUMA HO THEOS and similar expressions


Dear Jonathan and Kramer,
> OK, let me try to dredge my memory, and let the experts correct me or
> fill in.
>
> I think there's two things going on here. When a subject and predicate,
> both nouns, are joined by a form of ESTIN like this, the subject
> normally has the article, the predicate does not.
>
> In Greek, as in English, both the subject and the predicate are
> nominative, so the cases do not distinguish subject from predicate.
> Instead, the article is used to identify the subject: the noun with the
> article is the subject, the noun without the article is the predicate.
>
> I think that's the primary significance of the presence or absence of
> the article in these constructions, but it's also true that the
> predicate noun, in Greek or in English, often comes across as
> qualitative - in your examples, God is not "a love" or "the love", God
> is love. God is not "a light" or "the light", God is light. I remember
> seeing similar examples where a particular person is not "a king" or
> "the king", but simply king.
>

HH: Right, but in English in many contexts, we would say, "He is king
(over us, over the land, etc.)." We could also say in some
circumstances, "He is a king." We would not say, "He is thief." In this
type of sentence "thief" is a count noun, not a qualitative noun, so we
would say, "He is a thief." In John 4:24 it is a matter of
interpretation whether PNEUMA ("Spirit") is to be seen as a count noun
or a qualitative noun. The King James Version took it as a count noun:

King James Version: John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth.

HH: The modern versions are taking it as a qualitative noun:

New International Version: John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers
must worship in spirit and in truth.”

New Revised Standard Version: God is spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in spirit and truth.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible: God is spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard

>


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