Πνεῦμα in the Septuagint
type: CreativeWork
description: The aim of this study is to accomplish a lexicographical description of πνεῦμα in the translated texts of the LXX. I take a multicausal approach which considers both the source texts and discourse context of the Greek translation together as formative (to varying degrees) for word choice, and thereby also for the examination of word meaning. The primary focus is on instances of πνεῦμα as WIND, which especially involves the relationship between ἄνεμος and πνεῦμα. Chapter 2 catalogues the main collocational patterns of ἄνεμος and πνεῦμα as WIND across the corpus and demonstrates the congruence of these patterns with those arising from Greek texts more broadly. Chapter 3 builds on this data to argue that discourse context is formative for LXX lexicography. Chapter 4 begins to directly outline the semantic contours of πνεῦμα as WIND through paradigmatic comparison with ἄνεμος. Key insights are that πνεῦμα denotes WIND distinctly from ἄνεμος by being used for stronger and more severe instances and by being used when WIND accomplishes more than simply moving (or withering) something, and that πνεῦμα does not denote “nothing” by evoking insubstantiality in metaphorical expressions. In chapter 5, observations on the polysemy and taxonomical relations of πνεῦμα are offered based on a survey of the broader uses of πνεῦμα. In the concluding chapter, the distinct connotations that arise in LXX texts using ἄνεμος and πνεῦμα where the source texts had רוּחַ are explicated.
abstract: The aim of this study is to accomplish a lexicographical description of πνεῦμα in the translated texts of the LXX. I take a multicausal approach which considers both the source texts and discourse context of the Greek translation together as formative (to varying degrees) for word choice, and thereby also for the examination of word meaning. The primary focus is on instances of πνεῦμα as WIND, which especially involves the relationship between ἄνεμος and πνεῦμα. Chapter 2 catalogues the main collocational patterns of ἄνεμος and πνεῦμα as WIND across the corpus and demonstrates the congruence of these patterns with those arising from Greek texts more broadly. Chapter 3 builds on this data to argue that discourse context is formative for LXX lexicography. Chapter 4 begins to directly outline the semantic contours of πνεῦμα as WIND through paradigmatic comparison with ἄνεμος. Key insights are that πνεῦμα denotes WIND distinctly from ἄνεμος by being used for stronger and more severe instances and by being used when WIND accomplishes more than simply moving (or withering) something, and that πνεῦμα does not denote “nothing” by evoking insubstantiality in metaphorical expressions. In chapter 5, observations on the polysemy and taxonomical relations of πνεῦμα are offered based on a survey of the broader uses of πνεῦμα. In the concluding chapter, the distinct connotations that arise in LXX texts using ἄνεμος and πνεῦμα where the source texts had רוּחַ are explicated.
author: Horton, Tyler
keywords: biblical studies, lexicography, pneumatology, postclassical greek, septuagint, wind, πνεῦμα
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/facf119f-55dd-4297-8ad5-c93c61d14d0c/download
license: http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved
date published: 2024-09-30
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:24Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.118484