Back to results

University of Cambridge

Πνεῦμα in the Septuagint

Abstract

dc:description.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.

Degree

thesis:*
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
University of Cambridge
Year dc:date.issued
2024

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Horton, Tyler
Advisors dc:contributor.advisor
  • Gathercole, Simon
  • Aitken, james

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
DOI dc:identifier.doi
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.118484
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/384510

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Cambridge University
Base URL
api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Horton, Tyler. Πνεῦμα in the Septuagint. Doctoral thesis, University of Cambridge, 2024. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.118484