[B-Greek] PNEUMA hAGION as a proper name

Blue Meeksbay bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com
Wed May 12 14:35:28 EDT 2010


Hi Mark –
 
If my math is correct the proper name Holy Spirit is used 82 times in the GNT. 40 times it is anarthrous and 42 times it is articular. I did not count the times spirit was used by itself, since the use of the article seems, in most cases, to be the means of distinguishing the Holy Spirit from the human spirit or from the essential quality of spirit.
 
Recalling that a name is definite without the article, (as Smyth says, (1136) *Names of persons and places are individual and therefore omit the article unless previously mentioned or specially marked as well know* and (1137) * Names of deities omit the article, except when emphatic…or when definite cults are referred to…*),  it seems in most cases there was no significance to the term being anarthrous.
 
However, the following did seem significant. These are some examples where it seems the article was used for emphasis:
 
MARK 12:36 AUTOS DAUID EIPEN EN TWi PNEUMATI TWi hAGIWi• EIPEN KURIOS TWi KURIWi MOU• KAQOU EK DEXIWN MOU, hEWS AN QW TOUS ECQROUS SOU hUPOKATW TWN PODWN SOU.
 
 
MARK 13:11 KAI hOTAN AGWSIN hUMAS PARADIDONTES, MH PROMERIMNATE TI LALHSHTE, ALL᾽ hO EAN DOQHi hUMIN EN EKEINHi THi hWRAi TOUTO LALEITE• OU GAR ESTE hUMEIS hOI LALOUNTES ALLA TO PNEUMA TO hAGION.
 
 
ACTS 1:16 ANDRES ADELFOI, EDEI PLHRWQHNAI THN GRAFHN hHN PROEIPEN TO PNEUMA TO hAGION DIA STOMATOS DAUID PERI IOUDA TOU GENOMENOU hODHGOU TOIS SULLABOUSIN IHSOUN,
 
 
ACTS 28:25 ASUMFWNOI DE ONTES PROS ALLHLOUS APELUONTO EIPONTOS TOU PAULOU hRHMA hEN, hOTI KALWS TO PNEUMA TO hAGION ELALHSEN DIA HSAI+OU TOU PROFHTOU PROS TOUS PATERAS hUMWN
 
 
What is also interesting is that where the idea is being full or filled with the Holy Spirit it is always anarthrous, without fail, (unless I missed something).
 
 
LUKE 1:15 ESTAI GAR MEGAS ENWPION [TOU] KURIOU, KAI OINON KAI SIKERA OU MH PIHi, KAI PNEUMATOS hAGIOU PLHSQHSETAI ETI EK KOILIAS MHTROS AUTOU,
 
LUKE 1:41 KAI EGENETO hWS HKOUSEN TON ASPASMON THS MARIAS hH ELISABET, ESKIRTHSEN TO BREFOS EN THi KOILIAi AUTHS, KAI EPLHSQH PNEUMATOS hAGIOU hH ELISABET,
 
LUKE 1:67 KAI ZACARIAS hO PATHR AUTOU EPLHSQH PNEUMATOS hAGIOU KAI EPROFHTEUSEN LEGWN•
 
LUKE 4:1 IHSOUS DE PLHRHS PNEUMATOS hAGIOU hUPESTREYEN APO TOU IORDANOU KAI HGETO EN TWi PNEUMATI EN THi ERHMWi
 
ACTS 2:4 KAI EPLHSQHSAN PANTES PNEUMATOS hAGIOU KAI HRXANTO LALEIN hETERAIS GLWSSAIS KAQWS TO PNEUMA EDIDOU APOFQEGGESQAI AUTOIS.
 
ACTS 4:8 TOTE PETROS PLHSQEIS PNEUMATOS hAGIOU EIPEN PROS AUTOUS• ARCONTES TOU LAOU KAI PRESBUTEROI,
 
ACTS 6:5 KAI HRESEN hO LOGOS ENWPION PANTOS TOU PLHQOUS KAI EXELEXANTO STEFANON, ANDRA PLHRHS PISTEWS KAI PNEUMATOS hAGIOU, KAI FILIPPON KAI PROCORON KAI NIKANORA KAI TIMWNA KAI PARMENAN KAI NIKOLAON PROSHLUTON ANTIOCEA,
 
ACTS 11:24 hOTI HN ANHR AGAQOS KAI PLHRHS PNEUMATOS hAGIOU KAI PISTEWS. KAI PROSETEQH OCLOS hIKANOS TWi KURIWi.
 
ACTS 13:9 SAULOS DE, hO KAI PAULOS, PLHSQEIS PNEUMATOS hAGIOU ATENISAS EIS AUTON
 
ACTS 13:52 hOI TE MAQHTAI EPLHROUNTO CARAS KAI PNEUMATOS hAGIOU.
 
In every case when the concept of being baptized with the Holy Spirit was mentioned it was also anarthrous, without fail.
 
MATTHEW 3:11 EGW MEN hUMAS BAPTIZW EN hUDATI EIS METANOIAN, hO DE OPISW MOU ERCOMENOS ISCUROTEROS MOU ESTIN, hOU OUK EIMI hIKANOS TA hUPODHMATA BASTASAI• AUTOS hUMAS BAPTISEI EN PNEUMATI hAGIWi KAI PURI•
 
MARK 1:8 EGW EBAPTISA hUMAS hUDATI, AUTOS DE BAPTISEI hUMAS EN PNEUMATI hAGIWi.
 
LUKE 3:16 APEKRINATO LEGWN PASIN hO IWANNHS• EGW MEN hUDATI BAPTIZW hUMAS• ERCETAI DE hO ISCUROTEROS MOU, hOU OUK EIMI hIKANOS LUSAI TON hIMANTA TWN hUPODHMATWN AUTOU• AUTOS hUMAS BAPTISEI EN PNEUMATI hAGIWi KAI PURI•
 
ACTS 1:5 hOTI IWANNHS MEN EBAPTISEN hUDATI, hUMEIS DE EN PNEUMATI BAPTISQHSESQE hAGIWi OU META POLLAS TAUTAS hHMERAS.
 
ACTS 11:16 EMNHSQHN DE TOU hRHMATOS TOU KURIOU hWS ELEGEN• IWANNHS MEN EBAPTISEN hUDATI, hUMEIS DE BAPTISQHSESQE EN PNEUMATI hAGIWi.
 
However, when the concept is having the Holy Spirit *upon* you, it is always articular except for one exception (Luke 2:25).
 
LUKE 2:25 KAI IDOU ANQRWPOS HN EN IEROUSALHM hWi ONOMA SUMEWN KAI hO ANQRWPOS hOUTOS DIKAIOS KAI EULABHS PROSDECOMENOS PARAKLHSIN TOU ISRAHL, KAI PNEUMA HN hAGION EP᾽ AUTON•
 
ACTS 1:8 ALLA LHMYESQE DUNAMIN EPELQONTOS TOU hAGIOU PNEUMATOS EF᾽ hUMAS KAI ESESQE MOU MARTURES EN TE IEROUSALHM KAI [EN] PASHi THi IOUDAIAi KAI SAMAREIAi KAI hEWS ESCATOU THS GHS.
 
ACTS 10:44 ETI LALOUNTOS TOU PETROU TA hRHMATA TAUTA EPEPESEN TO PNEUMA TO hAGION EPI PANTAS TOUS AKOUONTAS TON LOGON.
 
ACTS 10:45 KAI EXESTHSAN hOI EK PERITOMHS PISTOI hOSOI SUNHLQAN TWi PETRWi, hOTI KAI EPI TA EQNH hH DWREA TOU hAGIOU PNEUMATOS EKKECUTAI•
 
ACTS 11:15 EN DE TWi ARXASQAI ME LALEIN EPEPESEN TO PNEUMA TO hAGION EP᾽ AUTOUS hWSPER KAI EF᾽ hHMAS EN ARCHi.
 
ACTS 19:6 KAI EPIQENTOS AUTOIS TOU PAULOU [TAS] CEIRAS HLQE TO PNEUMA TO hAGION EP᾽ AUTOUS, ELALOUN TE GLWSSAIS KAI EPROFHTEUON.
 
As to the question, What does this mean? I am not sure, but it seems when the idea is being filled or receiving the Spirit, (except in Acts 10), the proper name is always anarthrous. This makes me wonder even more if the quality or essence of the Holy Spirit is being emphasized over the identity of the Holy Spirit, which would go together with the partitive idea in Joel in the LXX. In other words, we receive *of* the Holy Spirit. We receive of his holiness, of his joy, of his love, etc., so that we are filled *of* Him. Notice the genitive PNEUMATOS hAGIOU in Acts 2:4.
 
ACTS 2:4 KAI EPLHSQHSAN PANTES PNEUMATOS hAGIOU KAI HRXANTO LALEIN hETERAIS GLWSSAIS KAQWS TO PNEUMA EDIDOU APOFQEGGESQAI AUTOIS.
 
I know the genitive can carry the idea of *with,* as is seen in most translations, but what if Luke was trying to emphasize *of.*
 
I do not mean to deny that the New Testament writers also believed that the Holy Spirit as a person also indwelt the Christian for that is exactly what John states Jesus declares in Jn. 14:17, but, perhaps, the idea is that a person cannot be fully filled with the Holy Spirit (articular construction), for how can the finite contain the infinite?
 
I do not know. Perhaps, this explains the going back and forth between the anarthrous and articular, at least in those places where the name is not anarthrous simply because it is definte without the article. 
 None of this is set in concrete.  I am still trying to figure out if there is any significance to all this or not. 
 
Blue Harris
Sincerely,



________________________________
From: Mark Lightman <lightmanmark at yahoo.com>
To: Blue Meeksbay <bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com>; b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 6:37:30 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] PNEUMA hAGION as a proper name


Blue asked (in reference to why Luke has TO PNEUMA TO AGION
in Acts 10:47 but PNEUMA AGION elsewhere with LAMBANW)

<Could it possibly be Luke wants to emphasize that the Holy Spirit
 that just fell on the Gentiles was one and the same Spirit that fell
 on the Jews at Pentecost, (possibly because of some prejudice),
 and that is why he uses an articular construction...>

Hi, Blue,

Yes, I think this is exactly right.  The article here is almost used as the demonstrative
as it is in Homer  "[the Gentliles] received this self same Holy Ghost just like
we did."

On the other hand, setting aside the use with LAMBANW and just looking at the term in general,
 just glancing at my concordance, it appears that Luke sometimes
uses the article with Holy Spirit and sometimes does not, and I cannot spot a general
pattern.  Can you?  Can anyone? I imagine this has been discussed before. 

Mark L



FWSFOROS MARKOS 




________________________________
From: Blue Meeksbay <bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Tue, May 11, 2010 3:32:15 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] PNEUMA hAGION as a proper name

ACTS 8:15 hOITINES KATABANTES PROSHUXANTO PERI AUTWN hOPWS LABWSIN PNEUMA hAGION•
 
ACTS 8:17 TOTE EPETIQESAN TAS CEIRAS EP᾽ AUTOUS KAI ELAMBANON PNEUMA hAGION.
 
ACTS 8:19 LEGWN• DOTE KA)MOI THN EXOUSIAN TAUTHN hINA hWi EAN EPIQW TAS CEIRAS LAMBANHi PNEUMA hAGION.
 
I think I already know the answer to this question, since proper names are sufficiently definite even without an article, but why would the same author use an anarthrous construction as is seen above for PNEUMA hAGION, and then switch in the same writing to an articular construction as is seen below in Acts 10:47 and then switch back to an anarthrous construction in Acts 19:2? These are the only five instances that I can find of PNEUMA hAGION being used in Acts when it is used in conjunction with the verb LAMBANW.  In all cases they are anarthrous except this one below.
                      
ACTS 10:47 MHTI TO hUDWR DUNATAI KWLUSAI TIS TOU MH BAPTISQHNAI TOUTOUS, hOITINES TO PNEUMA TO hAGION ELABON hWS KAI hHMEIS;
 
ACTS 19:2 EIPEN TE PROS AUTOUS• EI PNEUMA hAGION ELABETE PISTEUSANTES; hOI DE PROS AUTON• ALL᾽ OUD᾽ EI PNEUMA hAGION ESTIN HKOUSAMEN.
 
Could it possibly be Luke wants to emphasize that the Holy Spirit that just fell on the Gentiles was one and the same Spirit that fell on the Jews at Pentecost, (possibly because of some prejudice), and that is why he uses an articular construction, or does everyone think there is absolutely no significance at all? Or, on the other hand, can it have any bearing on the partitive idea shown in the previous thread on Joel 3:1-2? In other words, in Luke’s mind can he be thinking we receive that which is substantially Spirit (i.e. some of the Spirit, as Carl Conrad suggested), and not that we receive *the* Spirit in his entirety?
 Blue Harris


      
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