The Four Gospels Translated from the Greek, with Preliminary Dissertations, and Notes Critical and Explanatory (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1837. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... DISSERTATION VI. INO.UIRY INTO THE DIFFERENCES IN THE IMPORT OF SOME WORDS COMMONLY THOUGHT SYNONYMOUS. Several words in the New Testament considered by our translators as synonymous, and commonly rendered by the same English word, are not really synonymous, though their significations may have an affinity, and though sometimes they may be used indiscriminately. I shall exemplify this remark in a few instances of words which occur in the Gospels. PART I. Aiupol.og, Aalftwv, And Auijiovtov. The first of this kind on which I intend to make some observations, are didj)okog, daiftoiv, and daifiovtov, all rendered in the common translation almost invariably devil. The word diupokog, in its ordinary acceptation, signifies calumniator, traducer, false accuser, from the verb diupakknv, to calumniate, etc. Though the word is sometimes, both in the Old Testament and in the New, applied to men and women of this character, it is, by way of eminence, employed to denote that apostate angel who is exhibited to us particularly in the New Testament as the great enemy of God and man. In the two first chapters of Job, it is the word in the Septuagint by which the Hebrew yaw Satan, or adversary, is translated. Indeed the Hebrew word in this application, as well as the Greek, has been naturalized in most modern languages. Thus we say indifferently, the Devil or Satan, only the latter has more the appearance of a proper name, as it is not attended with the article. There is this difference between the import of such terms, as occurring in their native tongues, and as modernized in translations. In the former they always retain somewhat of their primitive meaning, and; beside indicating a particular being, or class of beings, they are of the nature of appellatives, and mark a special ...