47. Iv. CONCURRENT GREEK USAGES: "PNEUMA"

It is used of (1) God, (2) Christ, (3) the Holy Spirit, (4) the Operations of the Spirit, (5) the New Nature, (6) Psychologically, (7) of Character, (8) by *Metonymy* for what is not of the body, (9) by *Syncedoche* for one's self, (10) Adverbially, (11) of Angels, (12) of Demons, (13) of the Resurrection Body, (14) in combination with the word "holy," without the article.

The usages of this word are so important that it requires a separate volume for their full treatment.

One great fact may be noted here, *viz.*, that the expression πνεῦμα ἄγιον (*pneuma hagion*), *holy spirit*, occurs *fifty* times (out of 388), and it always refers to *the gifts and operations* of the Holy Spirit, and never to the Holy Spirit, *the Giver*.

The evidence is simple and clear. In Luke xxiv. 49 the Lord Jesus calls "the promise of my Father" (for which the apostles were to tarry in Jerusalem), "power from on high."

In Acts i. 5 He calls this same promise "*pneuma hagion*."

Therefore *pneuma hagion* is "power from on high."

This proves that *pneuma hagion* is *what is given*, and not the Giver.

If further proof is needed, then it is furnished by that crucial passage, Acts ii. 4, "And they were all filled with *pneuma hagion*, and began to speak with other tongues as THE SPIRIT gave them utterance."

Here the Giver and His gifts are quite distinct. What was given was "the gift of tongues." The Giver, who "gave," was "The Spirit."

Nothing could be clearer than this.

Unfortunately the A.V. and R.V. have, in all these fifty occurrences of *pneuma hagion*, arbitrarily inserted the article, and used capital letters for "Holy Spirit," so that the English reader is entirely misled, and is compelled to understand that it is the Person who is meant; while he is kept quite uninformed of the fact that it means *His gifts and operations*.

The subject is so important, and the information so difficult to be obtained, that it will be necessary for us to give a list of the fifty passages. They will repay abundantly any pains that may be taken in their careful study. The reader should take his or her Bible, and mark in the margin every one of these

Fifty occurrences of pneuma hagion: Matt. i. 18, 20; iii. 11. Mark i. 8. Luke i. 15, 35, 41, 67; ii. 25; iii. 16; iv. 1 (first); xi. 13. John i. 33 (second); xx. 22. Acts i. 2, 5, 8; ii. 4 (first), 33, 38; iv. 8 (25¹), 31; vi. 3, 5; vii. 55; viii. 15, 17 (18²), 19; ix. 17; x. 38, 45; xi. 16, 21; xiii. 9, 52; xix. 2 (twice), 6. Rom. v. 5; ix. 1; xiv. 17; xv. 19. 1 Cor. ii. 13; vi. 19; xii. 3 (second). 2 Cor. vi. 6. 1 Thess. i. 5, 6. 2 Tim. i. 14.¹ Titus iii. 5. Heb. ii. 4; vi. 4. 1 Pet. i. 12. 2 Pet. i. 20. Jude 21.

Some of the above passages are very important, and will be found most instructive if studied in the following order: Acts vi. 3. Luke xi. 13. John xx. 22. Acts viii. 15, 17, 19, 20.

3. Church.—We have already considered this word under "Dispensational Truth and Teaching" (Part I., chap. III., pp. 145–148). But there is something further to be learnt from the usage of the word ἐκκλησία (ecclesia), of which it is generally the translation.

This rendering is unfortunate, considering the fact that our English word "church" has also, itself, several usages.

It is important therefore that we should carefully adjust the two usages, and rightly adjust and appropriate the one to the other.

The Greek word ecclesia means a convocation of persons called out. Hence, an assembly of persons so called out.

It is used (1) of Israel as a People called out from the rest of the nations (Gen. xxviii. 3); (2) of the Tribal Council of Simeon and Levi, a smaller company, called out from each Tribe (Gen. xlix. 6); (3) of an assembly of Israelites called out for worship or any other purpose (Deut. xviii. 16; xxxi. 30. Josh. viii. 35. Judg. xxi. 8. 1 Kings viii. 65. 1 Chron. xxix. 1. Acts vii. 38); (4) any assembly of worshippers as a congregation (Ps. xxii. 22, 25. Matt. xvi. 18; xviii. 17. 1 Cor. xiv. 19, 35. Gal. i. 13. Heb. ii. 12.); (5) of separate assemblies in different localities (Acts. v. 11; viii. 3. 1 Cor. iv. 17, etc.); (6) of the Guild or Company of

¹ These verses are the subjects of Various Readings, and our larger book should be consulted.