W. H. DUNDAS. SPIKENARD ( = ' spiked nard').— The AV and RV rendering of vdpSos TnariKT) in Mk 14^, Jn 12^, or rather of the Vulg. nardi spicati (in Jn. nardi pistici). The word ' sjiikanard ' {sic) appears first in Wyclifs version, the Anglo-Saxon having merely 'deorwyrges' ( = ' precious'). Tindale has 'pure.' Tliese various translations indicate the doubt as to the meaning of the Greek, which was felt from very early times, and is reflected in the Versions generally. The oldest Syriac version and some Old Latin texts simply transliterate, while the Peshitta renders by rishaya (=' choicest'). Of the various explanations of the word wicttlkt), the most generally accepted are: (1) 'Genuine,' as though it were connected with Trio-rts (Meyer, Weiss, etc.). The word TncTTiKbi does actually occur in Artemidorus (Oncir. 2. 32) in the sense of ' faithful ' (yvvr) iriariKr] Kal oiKovpos) ; and we learn from Pliny {HN xii. 26) that adulterations of nard were fre- quent.* (2) 'Liquid,' as though it was connected with vivo}. Ovid {Ai's. Am. iii. 443) uses the epithet liquida with nardus ; and Clement of Alexandria (Pted. II. viii. 64) distinguishes between ixvpa vypd and fj.vpa ^ripd. (3) 'Drinkable.' Athenanis tells us that some unguents were drunk (689 C). But the Greek word for drinknblc is iroTb^, not iritr- TiK6s.t Some have suspected a 'primitive error'
* Cf. Theophylact, t^v a^oXov viUphov kou ,ueT« Tia-rtu? xaTao*- xiiitx.<r9{i(r(it.v (Com. on St. Mark, Mi^ne, Pat. Gr. cxxix.).
t Scaliger derived the word from tTic-rnv, 'to pound.' But this does not give a satisfactorj- sense.
in the text here, and have proposed various emendations. It has been suggested that the true reading is 'IcSu-^s. All our authorities agree in stating that the genuine nard came from India, while inferior sorts came from other countries. Others would read awiKdr-q^ ( = Vulg. spicati), a word found in Galen, vi. 178 C, 182 C, E. Naber [Mnemosyvc, 1902, pp. 1-15) conjectures an original form, aTreiaTiKTJs ( = ' liquid'), which, being a d-rra^ Xeydfjievov, might have been corrupted into TrtcrriKTjs. Prof. E. N. Bennett (Classical Reviciv, 1890, p. 319) suggests that the true form may be 7ri(rrdK7;s, and points out that the resin of the Pistacia tercbinthvs was anciently mixed with the oil of nard, and that it was a very valuable scent (Dioscorides, i. 91). All these emendations, however, ingenious and interesting as they are, are rendered improbable by the fact that neither in St. Mark nor in St. John is there any variation in the MSS.
It is difficult to say with anything like certainty what the meaning of the word was. It may be a local name, as RVm suggests.* Possibly it is the Greek equivalent of Pisitd, one of the Skr. names for Nardostachys jatamansi (Dymock, Phartnaco- grapihia Indica, ii. p. 233). But most likely it is a technical term denoting some sjjecially valu- able kind of nard.t Modern experience goes to show how easily the exact meaning of similar technical or ' fancy ' names can be lost. Such has probably been the case with the word we are dis- cussing. See also artt. Nard, Ointment.
Literature. — See the authorities cited at end of art. Nabd. The question is discussed by C. F. A. Fritzsche (Com. on St. Mark, Leipzig, 1830) at great length, and very fully by Morison (Com. on Mk., in toe). JJ. W. FULFORD.
SPINNING. — From very early times in Palestine, spinning of wool and flax by means of hand-spindles was one of the common occupations, especially of women. Jesus referred to spinning (vriOeLv) in teaching God's providential care, even of the lilies of the Held, whicii are richly clothed though they neither toil nor spin (Mt 6"^ Lk 122^).
E. B. Pollard.
SPIRIT [irvev/xa). — This word occupies a very important place in the writings of the Evangelists, covers a wide area of thought, and is not always clearly defined as to the particular use it is put to in a given context. The prominent place thus assigned to the word may be considered as indi- cative of the position which the principal idea embodied by it fills in the general scheme of con- structive Clu'istian jjsychology. In this respect we have a good example of the almost instinctively creative power of Jewish, and especially of Chris- tian-Jewish, religious thought. In classical writings TTvev/jLa is found largely employed in a physiological sense (cf. ti^ irveiiian rod (XTo/xaTos avrov, 2 Th 2® ; and for a similar use see Jn 3**, He V), but in them it never appears as a psychological term, as it does so often in Biblical writings both of the OT and the NT (see Cremer's Bibl.-Thcol. Lex. s.v.).
The determining factor in the employment of this word by NT writers is the ijrofound belief, inherited from the prophets and teachers of tlie OT, that there existed from the very beginning a unique fellowship between God and man (cf. tti'ot;;' t^iTjs, Gn 2^ [LXX]). In spite of much and repeated unfaithfulness on man's j)art(cf. the difficult, though, for our jiresent purpose, the sufficiently significant passage, ' My spirit shall not remain [/fara/xe/yr;] for ever in man,' (in 6-^), this fellowship continued to be realized more and more intensely as one gene-
* 'OTiiTTtxri; (from Opis, near Babylon), "^iTrxxiKr,? (from Psittake on the Tigris), and n,<rTr,; (from the (?) Persian town Pisteira) have been suggested as possible readings. But none of these is an Indian town.