φῶς, φωτός. τό, (contr. fr. φάος, fr. φάω to shine), fr. Hom. (who [as well as Pind.] uses the form φάος) down, Hebr. 18, light (opp. to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία) ; 1. prop. a. univ.: ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, 3 Co. iv. 6 (Gen. i. 3); λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς, Mt. xvii. 2; νεφέλη φωτός [Grsb. txt.] i. e. consisting of light, i. q. φωτεινή in RLT Tr WH, Mt. xvii. 5; τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, of the sun, Jn. xi. 9; τὸ φῶς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, the light (i.e. illumining power) is not in him, consequently he does not see or distinguish the things about him, Jn. xi. 10; the light emitted bya lamp, Lk. viii. 16; [xi.33L Tr txt. WH]. a heavenly light, such as surrounds angels when they appear on earth: hence ἄγγελος φωτός, 2 Co. xi. 14, and illumines the place where they appear, Acts xii. 7; a light of this kind shone around Paul when he was converted to Christ, Acts xxii. 6, [9], 11[W. 371 (848)]; with the addition of οὐρανόθεν, Acts xxvi. 13; of ἀπὸ [ογ ἐκ] τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, Acts ix. 3. b. by meton. anything emitting light: a heavenly luminary (or star), pas plur. Jas. i. 17 [see πατήρ, 8 a.]; fire, because it is light and gives light: Lk. xxii. 56; θερμαίνεσθαι πρὸς τὸ φῶς, Mk. xiv. 54, (1 Mace. xii. 29; Xen. Hell. 6, 2,29; Cyr. 7, 5, 27); α lamp or torch: plur. φῶτα, Acts xvi. 29 (pas ἔχειν, Xen. Hell. 5, 1, 8; in plur. often in Plut.). c. light i.e. brightness (Lat. splendor), [see a. above]: ἡλίου, Rev. xxii. 5; of a lamp, Jn. v. 35 (where it symbolizes his rank, influence, worth, mighty deeds) ; with the addition of λύχνου, Rev. xviii. 23 (Jer. xxv. 10); of the divine Shechinah (see δόξα, III. 1), Rev. xxi. 24 (Ps. Ixxxviii. (Ixxxix.) 16; Is. Ix. 1, 19 sq.). 2. φῶς is often used in poetic discourse, in metaphor, and in parable ; a. The extremely delicate, subtile, pure, brilliant quality of light has led to the use of φῶς as an appellation of God, i. 6. as by nature incorporeal, spotless, holy, [ef. Westcott, Epp. of St. John, p. 15 sqq.]: 1 Jn. i. 5 (Sap. vii. 26 where ef. Grimm); he is said εἶναι ἐν τῷ φωτί, in a state of supreme sanctity, 1 Jn. i. 7; φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, a fig. describing his nature as alike of consummate majesty and inaccessible to human come prehension, 1 Tim. vi. 16 (Ps. ciii. (civ.) 2); used of that heavenly state, consummate and free from every imperfection, to which the true disciples of Christ will be exalted, i. q. the kingdom of light, Col. i. 12. b. By a fig. freq. in the N. T. [ef. in classie Grk. τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς, Eur. 1. T. 1046 ete.; see L. and S. s. v. IL. 2], φῶς is used to denote truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity congruous with it, (app. to τὸ σκότος b., ἣ σκοτία, 4. ν.) : ἡ ζωὴ ἣν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, had the nature of light in men, i. 6. became the source of human wisdom, Jn. i. 4; esp. the saving truth embodied in Christ and by his love and effort imparted to mankind, Mt. iv. 16; Jn. i. 53 iii. 19-21; Acts xxvi. 18, 23; 2 Co. vi. 14; Eph. v. 13" [ef. below]; τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, 1 In. ii. 8; τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φῶς, 1 Pet. ii. 9 (Clem. Rom. 1 Cor. 36, 2 cf. 59, 2); τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν, the divine truth with which ye are imbued, Mt. v. 16; ἔχειν τὸ φ. τῆς ζωῆς, the light by which the true life is gained, Jn. viii. 12; τὰ 6mAa[Lehm. mrg. ἔργα] τοῦ φωτός, Ro. xiii. 12; καρπὸς τοῦ φωτός, Eph. v.9GLT Tr WH; ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατεῖν, to live agreeably to saving wisdom, 1 Jn. i. 7; ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι, to be imbued with saving wisdom, μένειν, to continue devoted to it, to persevere in keeping it, 1 Jn. ii. 9 sq.; of viol τοῦ φωτός (see vids, 2 p. 635"), Lk. xvi. 8; Jn. xii. 36; 1 Th.v.5; τέκνα τοῦ qb. (see τέκνον, ὁ. B. p- 618"), Eph. v. 8. by meton. φῶς is used of one in whom wisdom and spiritual purity shine forth, and who imparts the same to others: φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει, Ro. ii. 19; [φῶς ἐθνῶν, Acts xiii. 47]; in a pre-eminent sense is Jesus the Messiah called φῶς and τὸ φῶς: Lk. ii. 32; In. i. 78q-; xii. 35 sq. 46; τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, Jn. viii. 12; ix. 5, (τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμον τὸ δοθὲν ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς φωτισμὸν παντὸς ἀνθρώπου, Test. xii. Patr. test. Levi § 14); τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, In. i. 9; by the same name the disciples of Jesus are distinguished, Mt. v. 14; Christians are called φῶς ἐν κυρίῳ, having obtained saving wisdom in communion with Christ, Eph. v.8. πᾶν τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν, everything made manifest by the aid of Christian truth has taken on the nature of light, so that its true character and quality are no longer hidden, Eph. ν- 13

φῶς phōs 73x

light, Mt. 17:2; 2 Cor. 4:6; daylight, broad day, Mt. 10:27; Lk. 12:3; radiance, blaze of light, Mt. 4:16; Acts 9:3; 12:7; an instrument or means of light, a light, Mt. 6:23; Acts 16:29; a fire, Mk. 14:54; Lk. 22:56; from the Hebrew, the light of God’s presence, 2 Cor. 11:14; 1 Tim. 6:16; met. the light of Divine truth, spiritual illumination, Lk. 16:8; Jn. 3:19; Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:9; 1 Jn. 1:7; 2:8, 9, 10; a source or dispenser of spiritual light, Mt. 5:14; Jn. 1:4, 5, 7, 8, 9; 8:12; 9:5; pure radiance, perfect brightness, 1 Jn. 1:5

φῶς (Att.. contr. from φάος; < φάω), gen., φωτός, τό,

[in LXX chiefly for אוֹר ;]

light (opp. to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία): Mt 17:2, 5, Jo 11:9, 10, II Co 4:6; ἡλίου, Re 22:5; of a lamp, Lk 8:16 11:33, Jo 5:35, Re 18:23; of a supernatural heavenly light, Ac 9:3 12:7 22:6, 9, 11 26:13; hence, ἄγγελος φωτός, II Co 11:14; ὁ κλήρος τ. ἁγίων ἐν τ. φ., Col 1:12; of the divine glory, Re 21:24; by meton., of that which gives light: of fire, Mk 14:54, Lk 22:56 (cl.; I Mac 12:29; cf. DCG, i, 595); pl., of a lamp or torch, Ac 16:29; of heavenly bodies, Ja 1:17.

Metaph.,

of God: I Jo 1:5, 7; φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, I Ti 6:16;

of spiritual truth and its effects on the lives of men: Mt 4:16 5:16, Jo 1:4, 5 3:19-21, Ac 26:18, 23, II Co 6:14, Eph 5:13, I Pe 2:9, I Jo 2:8; τ. φ. τ. ζωῆς, Jo 8:12; τ. ὅπλα τοῦ φ., Ro 13:12; καρπὸς τοῦ φ., Eph 5:9; έν τ. φ. περιπατεῖν (εἶναι, μένειν), I Jo 1:7 2:9, 10; υἱοὶ (τέκνα) τοῦ φ., Lk 16:8, Jo 12:36, Eph 5:8, I Th 5:5; by meton., of one from whom truth shines forth: Ac 13:47 (LXX), Ro 2:19; esp. of Christ, Lk 2:32, Jo 1:7, 8 12:35, 36, 46; τ. φ. τ. κόσμου, Jo 8:12 9:5;τ. φ. τ. ἀληθινόν, Jo 1:9; of Christians, Mt 5:14, Eph 5:8;

of the spiritual under­standing: τ. φ. τὸ ἐν σοί, Mt 6:23, Lk 11:35;

adverbially, of that which is open to view (opp. to ἐν τ. σκοτίᾳ): ἐν τ. φ., Mt 10:27, Lk 12:3.†

SYN.: v.s. φέγγος

Ati these words are rendered, some occasionally, some always, in our Version, by ‘light’; thus, dos at Matt. iv. 16; Rom. xiii. 12, and often; φέγγος at Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; Luke xi. 33 (it does not occur again) ; φωστήρ at Phil. ii. 15 ; Rev. xxi. 11 (where only it occurs) ; λύχνος at Matt. vi. 22; John v. 35; 2 Pet.i. 19, and elsewhere; though this often by ‘ candle’ (Matt. v. 15; Rev. Xxli. 5); and λαμπὰς at Acts xx. 8, though elsewhere rendered ‘lamp’ (Matt. xxv. 1; Rev. vill. 10), and ‘ torch’ (John xviii. 3). The old grammarians distinguish between φῶς and φέγγος (which are but different forms of one and the same word), that φῶς is the light of the sun or of the day, φέγγος the light or lustre of the moon. The Attic writers, to whom this distinction must belong, if to any, themselves only imperfectly observe it. Thus, in Sophocles φέγγος is three or four times ascribed to the sun (Antig. 800; Ajax, 654, 840; Trachin. 597); while in Plato we meet φῶς σελήνης (Rep. vii. 516 ὃ; cf. Isai. xiii. 10; Ezek. xxxii. 7). This much right the grammarians have, that φέγγος is oftenest the light of the moon or other luminaries of the night, φῶς that of the sun or of the day; thus Plato (Rep. vi. 508 c) sets over against one another ἡμερινὸν φῶς and νυκτερινὰ φέγγη. This, like so Mm 2 164 SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, § χενι. many other finer distinctions of the Greek language, is so far observed in the N. T., that the light of the moon, on the only occasions that it is mentioned, is φέγγος (Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; cf. Joel ii. 10; iii. 15), as φῶς is that of the sun (Rev. xxii. 5). It will follow that φῶς, rather than φέγγος, is the true antithesis to σκότος (Plato, Rep. vii. 518 a; Matt. vi. 23; 1 Pet. ii. 9); and generally that the former will be the more absolute designation of light; thus Hab. 111. 4: καὶ φέγγος αὐτοῦ [τοῦ Θεοῦ] ὡς φῶς ἔσται : compare Huripides, Helen. 530: φησὶ δ᾽ ἐν φάει πόσιν τὸν ἀμὸν ζῶντα φέγγος εἰσορᾶν. See Doderlein, Lat. Synon. vol. ii. p. 69. Φωστήρ is rendered ‘light’ in our Version; thus, at Phil. 11. 15: “ Among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ). It would be difficult to improve on this, which yet fails to mark with entire precision what St. Paul intends. The ᾿φωστῆρες here are the heavenly bodies, ‘luminaria’ (Vulg.), ‘ Himmelslichter’ (De Wette), and mainly the sun and moon, the ‘lights,’ or ‘great lights’ (= ‘luces,’ Cicero, poet.), of which Moses speaks, Gen. i. 14, 16; where NNW is rendered φωστῆρες in the Septuagint. Compare Ecclus. xlili. 7, where the moon is φωστήρ: and Wisd. xiii. 2, where φωστῆρες οὐρανοῦ is exactly equivalent to φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ here, the κόσμος of this place being the material world, the στερέωμα or firmament, not the ethical world, which has been already designated by the γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη. Nor would it be easy to improve on our version: of Rev. xxi. 11: “ Her light [ὁ φωστὴρ αὐτῆς} was like unto a stone most precious.” Our Translators did well in going back to this, Wiclif’s rendering, and in displacing “ her shining,” which had been admitted into the intermediate Versions, and which must have conveyed a wrong impression to the English reader. Not that the present rendering is altogether satisfactory, being itself not wholly unambiguous. Some may still be tempted to understand ‘ her light’ as the light which the Heavenly City diffused; when, indeed, φωστήρ means, that which diffused light to the Heavenly City, her luminary or light-giver ; ‘lumen ejus,’ as in the Vulgate. What this light-giver was, we learn from ver. 23: “the Lamb is the light thereof;” ὁ λύχνος αὐτῆς there being =0 φωστὴρ αὐτῆς here. In rendering λύχνος and λαμπάς our Translators have scarcely made the most of the words at their command. Had they rendered λαμπάς by ‘torch,’ not once only (John xviii. 3), but always, this would have left ‘lamp,’ now wrongly appropriated by λαμπάς, disengaged. Altogether dismissing ‘ candle,’ they might then have rendered λύχνος by ‘lamp’ wherever it occurs. At present there are sO many occasions where ‘ candle’ would manifestly be inappropriate, and where, therefore, they are obliged to fall back on ‘light,’ that the distinction between φῶς and λύχνος nearly, if not quite, disappears in our Version. The advantages of such a re-distribution of the words would be many. In the first place, it would be more accurate. Λύχνος is not a ‘candle’ (candela, from ‘candeo,’ the white wax light, and then any kind of taper), but a hand-lamp, fed with oil. Neither is λαμπάς a ‘lamp,’ but a ‘torch,’ and this not only in the Attic, but in the later Hellenistic Greek as well (Polybius, iii. 93- 4; Herodian, iv. 2; Plutarch, Timol. 8; Alex. 38; Judg. vii. 16; xv. 4); and so, I believe, always in the N.T. In proof that at Rev. viii. 10, λαμπάς should be translated ‘torch’ (‘ Fackel,’ De Wette), see Aristotle, De Mund. 4. Our early translators, who rendered it ‘brand’ or ‘ firebrand’ (John xviii. 3), showed that they understood the force of the word. It may be urged that in the parable of the Ten Virgins the λαμπάδες are nourished with oil, and must needs therefore be lamps. But this does not follow. In the East the torch, as well as the lamp, is fed in this manner: ‘The true Hindu way of lighting up is by 166 SYNONYMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. § xin. torches held by men, who feed the flame with oil from a sort of bottle [the ἀγγεῖον of Matt. xxv. 4], constructed for the purpose’ (Elphinstone, Hist. of India, vol. i. p. 333). More passages than one would gain in perspicuity by such a re-arrangement; and mainly through the clear distinction between φῶς and λύχνος, which would then be apparent. One of these is John v.35: “ He was a burning and a shining light,’—so our Translation; but in the original, ἐκεῖνος ἣν ὁ λύχνος ὁ καιόμενος Kal φαίνων ; or, as the Vulgate has it: ‘ Ille erat lucerna ardens et lucens;’ not obliterating, as we have done, the whole antithesis between Christ, the φῶς ἀληθινόν (Johni. 9), φῶς ἐκ φωτός, that Eternal Light, which, as it was never kindled, so shall never be quenched, and the Baptist, a lamp kindled by the hands of Another, in whose brightness men might for a season rejoice, and which must then be extinguished again. In the use of λύχνος here and at 2 Pet. i. 19, tacitly contrasted here with φῶς, and there avowedly with φωσφόρος, the same opposition is intended, only now transferred to the highest sphere of the spiritual world, which our poet had in his mind when he wrote those glorious lines: ‘Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund Day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain-tops,’

φῶς. For ‘‘light” opposed to “" darkness,” see P Leid Wi. 4 (ii/iii a.p.) (=I1. p. 101) φωτὸς καὶ σκότους. In the imprecatory curse Sy// 891 (= ὃ 1240)" the prayer is uttered that the victim shall enjoy μηδὲ οἴκου, μὴ φωτός, μὴ χρήσεως, μηδὲ κτήσεως. The plur. is applied to ‘‘ windowlights” in P Lond 1179°* (ii/A.p.) (=III. p. 146) φῶτα θυρίδων, and to “‘torches,” as in Ac 167%, in BGU III. 909} (A.D. 359) ἐπελθόντες. . . TH ἡμετέρᾳ οἰκίᾳ καὶ φῶτα ἐπενεγκ[όν]τες ἐνέπρησαν αὐτὴν ἐκ θεματίου. Cf. 20. IV. 120 110 (A.D. 2) where φωτί takes the place οἵ πυρί or φλογί - εὕρωμεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἱεροῦ Σαράπειδος θεοῦ μεγίστου ὑφημένας (1 ὑφημμένας) φωτί. This last passage may illustrate Mk 1454 θερμαινόμενος πρὸς τὸ φῶς, where we should translate with the AV ‘‘warmed himself at the ». see C. H. Turner Comm. ad ἢ. in Gore’s New Commentary. The subst. is applied metaph. to those who impart light, as in Sy// 888 (=*%1238)? (c. A.D. 160) where a wife is described as τὸ φῶς τῆς οἰκίας, and in P Ryl II. 77%* (a.p. 192) μιμοῦ τὸν πα[τ]έρα τὸν φιλότιμον τὸν [γ]έροντα φῶτα. See also the Christian sepulchral inscr. P Hamb I. 224 (iv/a.p.), where Christ is invoked—6s τυφλοῖσιν ἔδωκας ἰδεῖν φάος ἠελίοιο (cf. Mt 9%", αΔλ), and the Christian amulet BGU III. 95428 (vi/a.p.) (= Selections, p. 134)— fire ὃ φῶς ἐκ φωτός, θ(εὸ)ς ἀληθινὸς χάρισον ἐμὲ τὸν δοῦλόν σου τὸ φῶς. Φῶς is naturally common in the magic papyri, e.g. P Lond y21563 (jii/a.p.) (=I. p. 102) ἐν φωτὶ Kpataw καὶ ἀφθάρτῳ: cf. the verso of BGU 11. 597% (a.D. 75) cited s.v. φωσφόρος.

φῶς (phōs) — light. φῶς, contraction for φάος, light (which see). φῴς, ἡ, plural φῷδες, contraction from φωΐς (which see).