δύναμις: Difference between revisions

|txtha=δυνάμεως, ἡ; (from Homer down); the Sept. for חַיִל, גְּבוּרָה, עֹז, כֹּחַ, צָבָא (an army, a host); strength, ability, power;<br /><b class="num">a.</b> universally, "inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth": ἡ δύναμις ἐν ἀσθένεια τελεῖται (R G τελειοῦται)); ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει, μεγάλη δυνάμει, ἑκάστῳ κατά τήν ἰδίαν δύναμιν, ὑπέρ δύναμιν, beyond our power, ἐν δυνάμει namely, ὤν, endued with power, ἔρχεσθαι ἐν δυνάμει, powerfully, evidently, ἐν δυνάμει σημείων καί τεράτων, through the power which I exerted upon their souls by performing miracles, δύναμις εἰς τί, δύναμις ἐπί τά δαιμόνια καί νόσους θεραπεύειν, ἡ δύναμις τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ νόμος, sin exercises its power (upon the soul) through the law, i. e. through the abuse of the law, τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the power which the resurrection of Christ has, for instructing, reforming, elevating, tranquilizing, the soul, τῆς εὐσεβείας, inhering in godliness and operating upon souls, δυνάμεις μέλλοντος αἰῶνος (see αἰών, 3), τό πνεῦμα τῆς δυνάμεως (see πνεῦμα, 5), δύναμις is used of the power of angels: τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, i. e. of the devil, τοῦ δράκοντος, δυνάμεις (cf. (Philo de mutat. nora. § 8 δυνάμεις ἀσωματοι) Meyer as above; Lightfoot on ἄγγελος): ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ, universally, the power of God: δύναμις ὑψίστου, ἡ δύναμις, especially in doxologies, the kingly power of God, הַגְּבוּרָה in Jewish writings; cf. Buxtorf Lex. talm. Colossians 385 (p. 201f, Fischer edition)) equivalent to ὁ δυνατός, δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ is used of the divine power considered as acting upon the minds of men, εἰς τινα, WH in brackets); ἐνδύεσθαι δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψους, δυνάμεις Θεοῦ: thus, ὁ Χριστός, ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ, τό εὐαγγέλιον, with the addition εἰς σωτηρίαν παντί, etc. Winer's Grammar, § 36,3b.). δύναμις is ascribed to Christ, now in one sense and now in another: a power to heal disease proceeds from him, ἄγγελοι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ (see ἄγγελος, 2), ministering to his power, Winer's Grammar, § 34,3b. note); metaphysical (or essential) power, viz. that which belongs to him as ὁ θεῖος λόγος, in the expression τό ῤῆμα τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, the word uttered by his power, equivalent to his most powerful will and energy, R G; and called ἡ θεία αὐτοῦ δύναμις in ἡ δύναμις τοῦ κυρίου, the power of Christ invisibly present and operative in Christian church formally assembled, δύναμις τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος: Winer's Grammar, 125 (119)); πνεῦμα ἅγιον καί δύναμις, ἀπόδειξις πνεύματος καί δυνάμεως (see ἀπόδειξις, b.), ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, under or full of the power of the Holy Spirit, ἐν δυνάμει πνεύματος ἁγίου, by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, the power of performing miracles: πᾶσα δύναμις, every kind of power of working miracles (with the addition of καί σημείοις καί τέρασι), ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, a mighty work (cf. Winer s Grammar, 32; Trench, § xci.): δύναμιν ποιεῖν, σημεῖα, σημεῖα καί τέρατα, ποιεῖν δυνάμεις, γίνονται δυνάμεις, moral power and excellence of soul: the power and influence which belong to riches; (pecuniary ability), wealth: τοῦ στρήνους, 'riches ministering to luxury' (Grotius), κατά δύναμιν καί ὑπέρ (others, δύναμιν, according to their means, yea, beyond their means, חַיִל, the Sept. Xenophon, Cyril 8,4, 34; an. 7,7, 21 (36)).<br /><b class="num">e.</b> power and resources arising from numbers: power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts, (Song of Solomon , both in singular and in plural, often in Greek writings from Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, on; in the Sept. and in Apocrypha); hence, δυνάμεις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, the host of heaven, Hebraistically the stars: δυνάμεις ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, הַשָּׁמַיִם צְבָא, σαβαώθ).<br /><b class="num">g.</b> Like the Latin vis and potestas, equivalent to the (force i. e.) meaning of a word or expression: Plato, Crat., p. 394h.; Polybius 20,9, 11; Dionysius Halicarnassus 1,68; Dio Cuss. 55,3; others). [ SYNONYMS: βία, δύναμις, ἐνέργεια, ἐξουσία, ἰσχύς, κράτος βία, force, effective, often oppressive power, exhibiting itself in single deeds of violence; δύναμις, power, natural ability, general and inherent; ἐνέργεια, working, power in exercise, operative power; ἐξουσία, primarily liberty of action; then, authority — either as delegated power, or as unrestrained, arbitrary power; ἰσχύς, strength, power (especially physical) as an endowment κράτος, might, relative and manifested power — in the N. T. chiefly of God; τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος, τήν ἐνέργειαν τῆς δυναμμεως, τήν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος, Schmidt, chapter 148; Lightfoot on Ephesians 1:19.]