[B-Greek] The word "holy"

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sat Apr 25 15:01:35 EDT 2009


On Apr 25, 2009, at 2:32 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:

>
> On Apr 25, 2009, at 11:08 AM, Marion Fox wrote:
>
>> I recently heard a man claim that the word hAGIOS was derived from
>> the alpha
>> privative and the word GH (Earth), and that it meant: "not of this
>> earth
>> ..." I had thought that it was derived from the root hAG which meant
>> "reverence" Help me to understand this word more fully.
>>
>>
>> Yours in His service,
>> --  
>> Marion Fox
>>
>>
>
>
> The best place to start is a study of the Hebrew word qodesh. Forget
> the greek etomolgy.

I really don't understand how the Hebrew word is supposed to be  
helpful to explain the meaning of a Greek word or root that is as old  
as Homer. Although the adjective hAGIOS doesn't appear until later,  
the earlier form hAGNOS based upon the same root and bearing the same  
sense appears commonly enough in Homeric verse. The suggested  
etymology hardly seems a propos, since the rough breathing belongs to  
the alpha and evidently represents an older lost consonant, perhaps an  
Iota consonant, preceding the vowel. The verb hAZOMAI "hold in  
reverence, awe" appears to be based upon the same root.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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