196
Term for Elohim and Theos.
APRIT.,
But had the Greeks no term of such general range, a common name, by which they designated their objects of worship, embracing the high- est in rank and including the lowest? They certainly had, and if such a term as has been argued, was necessary to the Sacred Scriptures in their composition, and so also in their translation, then I am com- pelled with reverence to say the sacred writers have mistaken the term they needed. The advocates of shin claim for dog, what the Greeks predicated only of Saiw. This, and not eros, is that " common name which the heathen employed to designate their objects of wor- ship." On this point consult " Liddell and Scott's Greek and Eng- lish Dictionary," founded on the German of Passow, and which scho- lars of the present day regard as of standard authority. First, the word Osogo (Lat. Deus). General signification, God. In philosophical lan- guage, the Deity, Divine Essence; like lo sióv. General signification, v. Homer, Od. 9, 144, com. with Il. 13, 730. Also for a particular God, v. Od. 9, 142. sog is also used for bɛa, éɛaiva, a goddess; also by Homer." Also in the comparative Oswlspeg, more divine. Osos by later writers (vid. Strabo,) has one other application, viz. like ti, as the title of emperors, thus we have o . xaιsap. Θ. καιςαρ.
Here there is no allusion to all objects of worship, but only to that class esteemed divine, and the word is used emphatically for Deity, and the Divine Essence. Secondly, the word, "Aaiμwv d. 1st, A God or
Δαίμων Goddess, used like sig and téa. While Homer employs it occasionally for some particular God, he more commonly employs it as a general name for god, as the Latin numen. 2d. According to Hesiod, as a designation of those tutelary spirits and souls of men so constantly and universally worshiped by the Greeks and Romans, and in Latin called lares, lemures and genii. See also Theogenes and Plato."
Thus, according to Homer, and we will scarcely feel the need of better authority, when Aaíuwv only is employed, it signifies God, Deity, while at the same time, it is the generic and comprehensive term used by the Greeks for all objects of worship from the highest in rank to the lowest, whether of divine or human origin. But when daípoveg and soí are found in juxtaposition, then the former signifies those spiritual entities of supposed inferior rank, while soi retains its high signifi- cation, and indicates that class only who are esteemed divine beings. Thus, from the definition of sog as well as from its application, we learn that it is the distinguishing name for that class of beings, who as to origin, nature and attributes were esteemed to be divine. But because of certain accidents, common alike to this class of highest rank, and also to those of inferior rank, daiμoves is employed as a com-