I’ve come across an interesting usage of πνεύμα without the article in Apollinaris’s Commentary on Matthew, specifically in the fragment on chapter 11, concerning John’s role and the Kingdom of Heaven. I’m finding it difficult to interpret his syntax in verse 12, where he writes:
Βια δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν παραγίνεσθαι φησίν ὡς παραγίνεται, διότι βίας δεῖ πρὸς τὸ κρατῆσαι φύσεως σωματικῆς καὶ πνεύματι συγκραθῆναι,
κόσμῳ μὲν ἀποθανόντας, ζῶντας δὲ τῷ θεῷ, ὅπερ οὔπω νόμος ἔχει καὶ προφῆται.
My tentative understanding is as follows:
“The Kingdom of Heaven advances through force, he says, to those to whom it comes. Hence, force is required to restrain the body’s nature and unite it with spirit—having died to the world and living to God—since the Law and the Prophets do not yet possess this.”
What puzzles me is the absence of the article before πνεύματι. Would this construction suggest the Holy Spirit, or simply spirit in a more general sense?
Brill’s note suggesting a possible meaning of οὔπω as “not at all” doesn’t seem to fit the passage’s context, at least to me.
I’d appreciate any thoughts or insights into whether the lack of the article might alter the interpretation here.
Apollinaris on Matthew – Question About πνεύμα Without the Article
Forum rules
Please quote the Greek text you are discussing directly in your post if it is reasonably short - do not ask people to look it up. This is not a beginner's forum, competence in Greek is assumed.
Please quote the Greek text you are discussing directly in your post if it is reasonably short - do not ask people to look it up. This is not a beginner's forum, competence in Greek is assumed.
-
Dwightillo
- Posts: 1
- Joined: October 26th, 2025, 10:22 pm
- Contact:
-
Jonathan Robie
- Posts: 4245
- Joined: May 5th, 2011, 5:34 pm
- Location: Durham, NC
- Contact:
Re: Apollinaris on Matthew – Question About πνεύμα Without the Article
I think it's probably qualitative. That's a common usage, and your translation captures it well:Dwightillo wrote: ↑October 29th, 2025, 10:56 pm What puzzles me is the absence of the article before πνεύματι. Would this construction suggest the Holy Spirit, or simply spirit in a more general sense?
The absence of the article emphasizes quality rather than personality—it’s qualitative rather than personal: “with spirit” or “spiritually,” rather than “with the Spirit.”“The Kingdom of Heaven advances through force, he says, to those to whom it comes. Hence, force is required to restrain the body’s nature and unite it with spirit—having died to the world and living to God—since the Law and the Prophets do not yet possess this.”
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
-
Alex Hopkins
- Posts: 63
- Joined: June 10th, 2011, 7:15 am
Re: Apollinaris on Matthew – Question About πνεύμα Without the Article
Dwightillo asks about
Could you tell us where we might see the citation, perhaps in a broader context, and where Brill's note that you refer to (in reference to οὔπω) may be seen? LSJ does acknowledge the sense that Brill suggests is relevant in this passage.
What words are you basing "to those to whom it comes" on? Is this a rendition of ὡς παραγίνεται?
It's interesting to see συγκραθῆναι used in the LXX of Dan 2:43 καὶ ὡς εἶδες τὸν σίδηρον ἀναμεμειγμένον ἅμα τῷ πηλίνῳ ὀστράκῳ, συμμειγεῖς ἔσονται εἰς γένεσιν ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ ἔσονται δὲ ὁμονοοῦντες οὔτε εὐνοοῦντες ἀλλήλοις, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὁ σίδηρος δύναται συγκραθῆναι τῷ ὀστράκῳ.
(I checked a different text of this verse - an old Bagster LXX hardcopy - and I'm aware there are variations. The text I cite is from https://hodoi.fltr.ucl.ac.be/concordanc ... ture/2.htm) Interesting that an article is used with σίδηρος as with ὀστράκῳ.
Without broader context I wouldn't like to comment on what Apollinaris intends through his omission of the article.
For me, the word "unite" is a little too strong for συγκραθῆναι. Maybe coalesce or be commingled? It's a bit about our responses to English words, but for me "to unite" suggests unity and becoming one, whereas our verb doesn't have that force on my reading. Again, can you open up the broader context which might change my perception? How does the present quote fit more broadly with Apollinaris's ideas.
Finally, any who follow the thread may be interested to see the verse Apollinaris is commenting on, which I understand from your post is Mat 11:12
Alex Hopkins
Melbourne, Australia
Should the first word be Βιᾳ?Βια δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν παραγίνεσθαι φησίν ὡς παραγίνεται, διότι βίας δεῖ πρὸς τὸ κρατῆσαι φύσεως σωματικῆς καὶ πνεύματι συγκραθῆναι, κόσμῳ μὲν ἀποθανόντας, ζῶντας δὲ τῷ θεῷ, ὅπερ οὔπω νόμος ἔχει καὶ προφῆται.
Could you tell us where we might see the citation, perhaps in a broader context, and where Brill's note that you refer to (in reference to οὔπω) may be seen? LSJ does acknowledge the sense that Brill suggests is relevant in this passage.
What words are you basing "to those to whom it comes" on? Is this a rendition of ὡς παραγίνεται?
It's interesting to see συγκραθῆναι used in the LXX of Dan 2:43 καὶ ὡς εἶδες τὸν σίδηρον ἀναμεμειγμένον ἅμα τῷ πηλίνῳ ὀστράκῳ, συμμειγεῖς ἔσονται εἰς γένεσιν ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ ἔσονται δὲ ὁμονοοῦντες οὔτε εὐνοοῦντες ἀλλήλοις, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὁ σίδηρος δύναται συγκραθῆναι τῷ ὀστράκῳ.
(I checked a different text of this verse - an old Bagster LXX hardcopy - and I'm aware there are variations. The text I cite is from https://hodoi.fltr.ucl.ac.be/concordanc ... ture/2.htm) Interesting that an article is used with σίδηρος as with ὀστράκῳ.
Without broader context I wouldn't like to comment on what Apollinaris intends through his omission of the article.
For me, the word "unite" is a little too strong for συγκραθῆναι. Maybe coalesce or be commingled? It's a bit about our responses to English words, but for me "to unite" suggests unity and becoming one, whereas our verb doesn't have that force on my reading. Again, can you open up the broader context which might change my perception? How does the present quote fit more broadly with Apollinaris's ideas.
Finally, any who follow the thread may be interested to see the verse Apollinaris is commenting on, which I understand from your post is Mat 11:12
ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν.
Alex Hopkins
Melbourne, Australia