AND BYZANTINE GREEK. 39 



but after the death of Alexander the Great. Their Hebrew phraseology proves them 

 to have proceeded from Jewish Hellenists. 



The disciples of the Great Teacher propagated his religion in Greek, that is, in 

 the Macedonian- Attic of Western Asia and of Egypt, as spoken by Jews of limited 

 education. The Greek is the original of all the books of the New Testament, with 

 the exception of the Gospel of Matthew. But as there was a great gulf between 

 Christian ideas and the religion of the Greeks, the writers were not unfrequently 

 obliged to give new meanings to old words and expressions. Further, their diction is, 

 in a manner, based upon that of the Septuagint. It is hardly necessary to observe 

 here that the style of the sacred books of the Christians was regarded as contemptible 

 by mere verbal critics.^^ 



The Hebraisms occurring in the Septuagint and New Testament, and in Byzantine 

 Greek, may be divided into four classes. 



First. Hebrew words in Greek letters without any further change ; as 'iv, Kop^av, 

 •jratrya, pa^^v, (f)aaeK. 



Second. Hebrew words with Greek endings and accents; as a/3yS5?, cl^pa, diip,a<s, 

 ^uTO'i, ^va<To<;, yetco/aa?, Kci/So?, Kop^ava^, Kopo'i, fiaficova^. 



Third. Hebrew words slightly modified ; as Ki/3ovpi,ov, a-ucXo'?, a coin. 



Fourth. Hebrew idioms; as Iloiria-a o-e el? e^t/o? iie^a. Kal eye vera ore ereXea-ev 

 6 Ii](Tov<; iravraf; tou? Xoyov; tovtov;, elire roi? fiaOr]Tal<; avTov. 



With regard to Hebrew proper names, in the Septuagint they are generally inde- 

 clinable ; as 'ABdfi, Kdiu, "A^eX, Syd, iViSe. In the New Testament, they are commonly 

 declined ; as 'IdKwl3o<;, BapOoXo/xam, 'Ia)dvvr}<;, 'Itjo-ov?, Kti^u?, Xov^d?. In Josephus they 

 are regularly declined ; as "ABap.o';, Kai:<i, "A/SeXo?, X'nOo'i, Nweog. 



The following table contains the names of the Hebrew letters written in Greek 

 characters. (See Sept. Qprfvoi 'lepe/xiov, and Orig. Hexapla.) 

 K, 'AXe(f>. In power it corresponds to the Greek smooth breathing ; as 'ABd/x, 



E<l)paifi. 

 3, Bv6 — B, B^jra. 

 J, Pt/xeX, r I fiX — r, Fafi/xa. 



'5 Orig. IV, 93 C 'OarpaKtvaiv di (TKevmv Trjs cii-eXoCy Koi fVKaratjjpovfiTov nap' "EXXj/o-t Xi^cas rav ypa<j}av aKrjBas 

 {mep^oX^s Sviidpeas tov 6eov ip.^aivopivrjs, on i'o-p^uo-e ra t;";? aKrjOelas pvcnrjpia Ka\ 17 Svvapis twv Xeyophav ovk 

 epLTToSt^opiVT] xmo ttjs euTfXoCs cjipda-eas (pdda-ai etor nepdrav y^r, k. t. X. LaCTANT. Instlt. G, 21 Inde homines 

 litterati quum ad dei religionem accesserint, si non fuerint ob aliqiio perito doctore fundati, minus crcdunt. 

 Adsueti enim dulcibus et politis sive orationibus, sive carminibus, divinarum litterarum simplicem commu- 

 nemque sermonem pro sordido aspernantur. 



