The popular striving after emphasis which ap- pears in many of these usages shows itself, further, in the use of the active voice with the reflexive pronoun instead of the middle ; of ἴδιος instead of the simple possessive pronoun; of εἷς for the in- definite τις, and, in general, a needless multiplica-
LANGUAGE OF THE NEW TEST.
LANGUAGE OF THE NEW TEST. 39
tion of pronouns; of devices for strengthening the forms of comparison, 6.4. ἐλαχιστότερος, μειζότερος, μᾶλλον περισσότερον, and the use of παρά and ὑπέρ with comparatives instead of ἤ (yet 4 alone is at times used with comparative force, e.g. Mt 18%, Lk 157, 1 Co 14°); of prepositions to reinforce the simple cases. The use of the neut. sing. of an adjective with the art. as a substitute for the abstract noun, though not unusual in the classics, is more common in Paul and Hebrews, and in the later Gr. writers became a striking literary mannerism.
Il. THE ARAMAIC AND HEBREW ELEMENT.—It is usual to distribute the Hebraisms of the NT into two classes: ‘perfect’ or pure Hebraisms, which consist of such words, phrases, and con- structions as have no precedent or analogue in extant Gr., and hence are held to be directly transferred to the NT from the mother tongue of the Jews; and ‘imperfect’ Hebraisms, consisting of Hebraistic expressions to be found, indeed, for substance in Gr., but the use of which by the NT writers is most naturally traced to the influence of their native language. The limits of this latter class, however, our scanty knowledge of the his- tory of the later Gr. language makes it difficult to fix; and for our present purpose it will be more convenient to follow the classification adopted by us hitherto. A just impression, moreover, of this element of the NT language requires that our presentation of facts should be liberal and in- elusive, rather than rigorously restricted. For example, the word σπέρμα with the meaning pro- gen may be traced as far back as Aischylus and
indar ; but the more than thirty instances of its use in this sense in the NT fairly entitle it to be enrolled as a Hebraism.
(A) Lexical Hebraisms :—not all of which, be it peru puibered, first make their appearance in the
a. New words.—Of these, some are (1) Semitic words simply transliterated; as, ἀββά, ἁλληλουιά, ἀμήν, γαββαθά, γολγοθά, κορβάν, πάσχα, ῥαββεί etc., ῥακά, σαβαώθ, σατάν, σίκερα, ταλειθά, χερουβείν ; others are (2) Grecized by some slight change, generally of termination; as, βάτος, yéevva, ζιζάνιον, (and as is commonly thought) κάμηλος, κιννάμωμον (to which may prob. be added the names of several other plants and spices, as well as of precious stones; as, κύμινον, λίβανος, συκάμινος, ὕσσωπος, σἀπφειρος), κόρος, μαμωνᾶς, μάννα, σάτον, σάββατον.
Ὁ. Far more numerous are the words and phrases, Gr. in form, which under Heb. influence have taken on a new meaning ; as, ἄγγελος (ἀρχάγγελο:), ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος (ἐκεῖνος, ὁ μέλλων), ἀνάθεμα (-τίζειν), Ὑλῶσσα ‘a people,’ δέειν and λύειν ‘to forbid’ and ‘permit,’ ὁ διάβολος, δόξα ‘brightness’ (rod φωτός, Ac 22"), δύναμις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (οἵ the stars), ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ‘in the judgment of God,’ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ‘give praise,’ ἐξορκιστής ‘an exorcist,’ ἐπισκοπή of the divine visitation, μακροθυμέω ‘be long-suffering,’ νύμφη ‘daughter-in-law,’ οἰκοδομεῖν in trop. sense (7), ὄνομα ‘authority,’ ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός of envy, ὀφει- λέτης (-λήματα, in reference to sin), περιπατεῖν and ὁδός in a technical sense, of a course of life, (ποιεῖν νόμον in classic Greek ‘to make a law’) ποιεῖν τὸν νόμον ‘to do, keep, the law,’ πορεύεσθαι ‘to die,’ also 7. ὀπίσω τινός to ‘become one’s follower.’ πορ- νεύειν (-vela) of idolatry, πρόσωπον θαυμάζειν and λαμβάνειν, also els πρόσωπον βλέπειν, etc., of exter- nals, σκάνδαλον (-λίζειν) in a fig. sense, σπέρμα ‘ off- spring,’ dwrifw of spiritual enlightenment.
Not a few are due to national institutions, usages, historic incidents, and the like; as, ἀκρο- Bvoria, ἀποδεκατόω, ἀποσυνάγωγος (ἀρχισυνάγωγος,
ete.), οἱ ἄρτοι τῆς προθέσεως, γραμματεύς, διαθήκη, διασπορά, δωδεκάφυλον, ἐνκαίνια (-νίζω), ἐπιγαμβρεύω, εὐνουχίζω, θυσιαστήριον, τὸ ἱλαστήριον, καθαρίζω and κοινόω levitically, κληρονομέω in its technical use,
λατρεία the ritual service, λυτρόω in its theocratic Sense, μοσχοποιέω, νομοδιδάσκαλος, ὁλοκαύτωμα, πατρι- dpxns, πεντηκοστή, πρεσβυτέριον, προσήλυτος, προφήτης, πρωτοκαθεδρία, πρωτοτόκια, σκηνοπηγία, υἱὸς τοῦ ἀν- θρώπου (τοῦ θεοῦ), φυλακτήριον. There are indica- tions, however, that some of these terms (e.g. καθαρίζω, πρεσβυτέριον, προφήτης) were known te heathen usage in a religious reference (Deissmann, Neue Bibelstudien, Marburg, 1897).
Others spring from the Oriental love of pictorial- hess and circumstantiality ; as, ἀπερίτμητος τῇ καρ- dia, ἐν καρδίᾳ λέγειν, ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν πεπλάτυνται, ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡ ρῴδου, ἐνωτίζεσθαι, ἔσκαψε καὶ ἐβάθυνε, ζητεῖν τὴν ψυχήν τινος, καρπὸς τῶν χειλέων, ποτήριον in a fig. application, σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα, σπλαγχνίζεσθαι, στηρίζειν τὸ πρόσωπον, στόμα μαχαίρης, υἱός or τέκνον with the gen. especially of an abstract (e.g. εἰρήνης, βροντῆς, φωτός, ὀργῆς, ὑπακοῆς, ete.), χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης.
But some of these phrases may with equal pro- priety be ranked with—
(B) Grammatical Hebraisms.— The great dis- similarity in structure between the Heb. and the Gr. operated as a barrier to the free introduction of the characteristic idioms of the former language into the latter. The grammatical influence οὗ their native tongue shows itself in the NT writers rather in their general style of expression; in particular, a marked inaptness in the use of moods (even as compared with contemporary Gr. authors), simplicity of construction, and a co- ordination of clauses which would have seemed monotonous if not illogical to a Greek. Still, usages are not wanting which distinctly recall the Hebrew. Among them are the following :—An extended use of prepositions; for instance, ἐν (cf. 2): not only in construction with verbs, as εὐδοκεῖν, ὀμνύειν, etc., but particularly with instrumental force, as κράζειν ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ (Rev 14”), ποιεῖν κράτος ἐν βραχίονι (Lk 151), πολεμεῖν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ στόματος (Rev 918). -- εἰς (cf. >): in such phrases as γίνεσθαι els οὐδέν (Ac 5*), λαμβάνειν els κληρονομίαν (He 118), λογίζεσθαι els περιτομήν (Ro 938); and in general, its insertion before the second accusative after verbs signifying ‘make,’ ‘hold,’ ete., as, eis προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶχον (Mt 2145).- ἀπό (ef. Pp as, φεύγειν ἀπό, etc. (Mt 3’, Jn 105). ---ἐπί (cf. Sy): as, ἐλπίζειν ἐπί, ete.—perd (cf. oy): μεγαλύνειν, ποιεῖν, ἔλεος μετά, ete. (Lk 1°-7),—Periphrastic expansion of prepositions :—by the use of ὀφθαλμός (cf. ‘ry2 Mt 21%, Lk 1953;-- πρόσωπον (ef. 325) Ac 5, Mk 1", Ac 13% ;—oréyua (ef. 53) Mt 44, Lk 1”, (5 Sy) 2 Co 131, Mt 186 ;—yelp (ef. 22) Jn 1039, Gal 3, Ac 23 7*.—The employment of ἔμπροσθεν (Mt 1135 1812), ἐνώπιον (Ac 6°), κατενώπιον (Eph 14), κατέναντι (Ro 427), ὀπίσω (Lk 1457), as prepositions. —The pleonastic use of pronouns (see above, I. B. Ὁ, sub jin.), especially αὐτός (e.g. Rev 27-17), which is even added in a relative sentence (Mt 313, Mk 7%, Rev 72° ete.).— The use of a limiting genitive to express quality (Lk 18°, Ja 24 1°).—'Fhe use of (a superfluous) καὶ ἐγένετο (or ἐγένετο δέ) before a specification of time or occurrence.—An imitation of the Heb. infinite absolute by a cognate dative prefixed to the verb (as ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα Lk 22%, χαρᾷ χαίρει Jn 339), or (in quotations) by a pitied participle (as βλέποντες βλέψετε Mt 13%, cf. the pictorial ἀναστάς or πορευθείς before a verb).—ei (cf. Heb, ox) in sentences with suppressed apodosis as a formula of swearing or to