ἅγιος

ἅγιος, ία, ον orig. a cultic concept, of the quality possessed by things and persons that could approach a divinity (so among the Trag. poets only Thespis, Fgm. 4 p. 833 Nauck² βωμῶν ἁγίων, but found since V B.C. as a cultic term in Ion. and Att., e.g. ἱρόν Hdt. 2, 41; 44; Pla., Critias 116c, τόπος Leg. 904e; τελεταί Aristoph., Nub. 304 and Demosth. 25, 11 [ἁγιώταται τ.]; above all in the mysteries [GWobbermin, Rel. gesch. Studien 1896, 59ff, cp. OGI 721, 1 τῶν ἁγιωτάτων, Ἐλευσῖνι μυστηρίων]; LXX [HGehman, VetusT 4, ’54, 337–48]; LXX, pseudepigr., Philo, Joseph., apolog.)

① as adj. pert. to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God

ⓐ in the cultic sense dedicated to God, holy, sacred, i.e. reserved for God and God’s service:

α. of things ἁ. πόλις of Jerusalem (Appian, Syr. 50, §250: Jerus. is called the ἁγιωτάτη πόλις of the Jews; also Mithrid. 106 §498; Is 48:2; 52:1; 66:20; 2 Esdr 21:1; Da 3:28; 1 Macc 2:7 al.; B-D-F §474, 1) Mt 4:5; 27:53; Rv 11:2; of the heavenly Jerusalem 21:2, 10; 22:19; τόπος ἅ. of the temple (2 Macc 2:18; 8:17; 3 Macc 2:14) Mt 24:15; Ac 6:13; 21:28, but of the next life 1 Cl 5:7, like ὁ ἅ. αἰών the holy age = αἰὼν μέλλων (cp. in the addition to the Lat. transl. of Sir 17:27 ‘aevum sanctum’) B 10:11; γῆ ἁ. (2 Macc 1:7; TestJob 33:5) Ac 7:33 (Ex 3:5); ὄρος ἅ. (Wsd 9:8; Ps 14:1; 42:3 al.—Appian, Bell. Civ. 1, 1 §2 τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε [i.e. something extremely significant occurred] κλῃζόμενον ἱερόν) of the mountain of Transfiguration 2 Pt 1:18; σκεύη (1 Esdr 8:57; 1 Macc 4:49) Ox 840, 14; 21; 29 (ASyn. 150, 112; 114; 116); σκηνή Hb 9:2 (JSwetnam, CBQ 32, ’70, 205–21, defends the Vulgate transl.). διαθήκη (Da 11:28ff Theod.; 1 Macc 1:15) Lk 1:72; γραφαί Ro 1:2 (cp. 1 Macc 12:9; Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 159); εὐαγγέλιον AcPlCor 2:36. λόγος 1 Cl 13:3; 56:3; Dg 7:2 (cp. Herm. Wr. 1:18 ὁ θεὸς εἶπεν ἁγίῳ λόγῳ). Since Christians are called ‘holy ones’ (s. 2dβ), their κλῆσις is also ἁ. 2 Ti 1:9; so also of the ἐντολή given them 2 Pt 2:21. Their community forms an ἐκκλησία ἁ. ITr ins; Hv 1, 1, 6; 1, 3, 4; cp. 4, 1, 3, as well as a ἱεράτευμα ἅ. 1 Pt 2:5 and an ἔθνος ἅ. (Wsd 17:2) vs. 9. For φίλημα ἅ. s. φίλημα.—πίστις is ἁγιωτάτη most holy Jd 20 (for the superl. cp. Pla., Leg. 729e; Diod S 3, 44, 2 ἱερὸν ἁγιώτατον=an exceptionally holy temple; SIG 339, 14; 768, 16 [31 B.C.]; Jos., Ant. 16, 115; ἁγιώτατος θεός: OGI 755, 1; 756, 3; cp. PGM 4, 668. Of the synagogue CIJ 754; 781; 867).

β. of humans and transcendent beings

א. of human beings consecrated to God, holy, pure, reverent (CB I/2, 386 no. 232, 8 [early III A.D.] of a gentile: Γάϊος, ὡς ἅγιος, ὡς ἀγαθός) prophets (Wsd 11:1; cp. ἅ. Ἀβράμ Did., Gen. 228, 23) Lk 1:70; Ac 3:21; 2 Pt 3:2. John the Baptist (w. δίκαιος) Mk 6:20; apostles Eph 3:5; of Polycarp, in EpilMosq 1; 3; 5; αἱ ἅ. γυναῖκες 1 Pt 3:5. Israel a λαὸς ἅ. (Is 62:12; Sir 49:12 v.l.; Da 7:27;PsSol PsSol:17) 1 Cl 8:3; cp. B 14:6; πᾶν ἄρσεν τῷ κυρίῳ Lk 2:23.—The Christians (Orig., C. Cels 3, 60, 16) ἅ. ἔσεσθε 1 Pt 1:16a (Lev 19:2). Charismatics (?; so EKäsemann, Beiträge zur Hist. Theol. 9, ’33, 146, n. 5) Col 1:26. ἀδελφοὶ ἅ. Hb 3:1; their children 1 Cor 7:14 (GDelling, Studien zum NT, ’70, 270–80, 281–87=Festschrift Fascher, 84–93; JBlinzler in Festschrift Schmid, ’63, 23–41; KAland, Die Stellung d. Kinder in d. frühen christl. Gemeinden u. ihre Taufe, ’67, 13–17). Presbyters IMg 3:1. W. ἄμωμος Eph 1:4; 5:27; Col 1:22; ἅ. ἐν ἀναστροφῇ 1 Pt 1:15, cp. D 10:6.

ב. of angels holy (Job 5:1; Tob 11:14; 12:15; cp. Bousset, Rel.³ 321; Cat. Cod. Astr. VIII/2 p. 176, 19; cp. PGM 4, 668; AscIs 3, 16) Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26; Ac 10:22; Rv 14:10; 1 Cl 39:7; Hv 2, 2, 7; 3, 4, 1f; ἐν ἁ. μυριάσιν αὐτοῦ w. his holy myriads Jd 14 (w. ἄγγελος P⁷²; cp. En 1:9).

ג. of Christ holy τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου Ac 4:27, 30; τὸ γεννώμενον ἅ. κληθήσεται Lk 1:35; GJs 11:3 (ἅ. belongs to the pred.).

ד. of God (Aristoph., Av. 522; Pla., Soph. 249a; OGI 262, 25; 378, 1 [19 A.D.] θεῷ ἁγίῳ ὑψίστῳ; 590, 1; 620, 2 [98 A.D.]; UPZ 79, 22 [159 B.C.] of Isis; likew. POxy 1380, 34; 36; 89; IDefixWünsch 4, 10 τὸν ἅ. Ἑρμῆν; Herm. Wr. 1, 31; PGM 1, 198; 3, 312; 4, 851; 2093. Further exx. in Wobbermin 70; Cumont³ 266.—LXX; Philo, Sacr. Abel. 101; SibOr 3, 478) holy J 17:11; 1 Pt 1:16b (Lev 19:2); Rv 4:8 (Is 6:3; TestAbr A 3, p. 79, 19 [Stone p. 6]; ParJer 9:3.—The threefold ἅγιος serves to emphasize the idea, as the twofold καλὸν καλόν=indescribably beautiful Theocr. 8, 73); 6:10. Of God’s name (LXX; PGM 4, 1190; 13, 638) Lk 1:49; 1 Cl 64.

ה. of spirit τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον or τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα or πν. ἅ., s. πνεῦμα 5c.

ⓑ shading over into the sense holy = pure, perfect, worthy of God (Stephan. Byz. s.v. Παλική: ὅρκος ἅγιος) θυσία Ro 12:1. ἀναστροφαί 2 Pt 3:11. Of the divine law Ro 7:12; ἀπαρχή (cp. Ezk 48:9ff ) 11:16a; ναός (Ps 10:4; 17:7 al.; Jos., Bell. 7, 379; cp. ἱερὸν ἅ.: Hdt. 2, 41; Diod S 5, 72, 3; 15, 14, 3; Paus., 10, 32, 13) 1 Cor 3:17; Eph 2:21.

② used as a pure subst. the holy (thing, pers.)

ⓐ ἅγιον, ου, τό that which is holy

α. concrete sacrificial meat (Lev 22:14.—Also concr. θύειν τὸ ἱερόν: 67th letter of Apollon. of Ty. [Philostrat. I 363, 30 K.]) μὴ δῶτε τὸ ἅ. τοῖς κυσίν Mt 7:6; cp. D 9:5. Cp. 1QS 9:17.

β. sanctuary (OGI 56, 59 [239 B.C.]; UPZ 119, 12 [156 B.C.]; Num 3:38; Ezk 45:18; 1 Esdr 1:5 v.l.; 1 Macc 10:42; Philo, Leg. All. 3, 125; Jos., Ant. 3, 125) τὸ ἅ. κοσμικόν Hb 9:1.

ⓑ ἅγια, ων, τά sanctuary (Jdth 4:12; 16:20; 1 Macc 3:43, 59 al.; Philo, Fuga 93 οἷς [sc. ἡ Λευιτικὴ φύλη] ἡ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνάκειται λειτουργία; Jos., Bell. 2, 341) Hb 8:2; 9:24f; 13:11. Also the front, or outer part of the temple, the holy place (3 Km 8:8; Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 226) Hb 9:2. τὰ ἅ. of the heavenly sanctuary (SibOr 3, 308) vs. 12; 10:19.—(τὰ) ἅγια (τῶν) ἁγίων the holy of holies (3 Km 8:6; 2 Ch 4:22; 5:7; GrBar ins 2; Philo, Leg. All. 2, 56. Cp. Polyb. 16, 12, 7 τὸ τοῦ ΔιὸϚ ἄβατον.—Formed like κακὰ κακῶν Soph., Oed. C. 1238, ἄρρητʼ ἀρρήτων Oed. R. 465; ἔσχατα ἐσχάτων Ael. Aristid. 46 p. 260 D.; B-D-F §141, 8; 245, 2) Hb 9:3; IPhld 9:1; GJs 8:3; 13:2; 15:3. Of Christians 1 Cl 29:3 (cp. 2 Ch 31:14; Ezk 48:12).

ⓒ ἅγιος, ου, ὁ the holy one

α. of God (En 14:1; 97:6; 98:6; 104:9) 1J 2:20 (β is also prob. [s. OPiper, JBL 66, ’47, 437–51]).

β. of Christ ὁ ἅ. Rv 3:7; 1 Cl 23:5; Dg 9:2; ὁ ἅ. καὶ δίκαιος Ac 3:14. ὁ ἅ. τοῦ θεοῦ Mk 1:24; Lk 4:34; J 6:69 (cp. Ps 105:16 ὁ ἅ. κυρίου of Aaron).

γ. of the martyr Polycarp EpilMosq 2 (of psalmists Did., Gen. 60, 18).

ⓓ ἅγιοι, ων, οἱ the holy ones

α. of angels (Zech 14:5; Ps 88:6; En 1:9; PsSol 17:43; PGM 1, 198; 4, 1345; 1347). For 1 Th 3:13; 2 Th 1:10; D 16, 7; Col 1:12 (cp. 1QS 11:7f), β is also prob.

β. believers, loyal followers, saints of Christians as consecrated to God (cp. Is 4:3; Tob 8:15; Ps 33:10; Da 7:18, 21) Ac 9:13, 32; Ro 8:27; 12:13; 15:25 (Ltzm., exc. ad loc. on the early community in Jerusalem); 1 Cor 6:1f; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 2:19; 3:8; Phil 4:22; Col 1:4; 1 Ti 5:10; Hb 6:10; Rv 22:21 v.l. (s. RBorger, TRu 52, ’87, 56f); D 16:7 perh.; 1 Cl 46:2; Hv 1, 1, 9 al.; κλητοὶ ἅ. Ro 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; οἱ ἅ. αὐτοῦ Col 1:26; cp. Ac 9:13; Hv 3, 8, 8; οἱ ἅ. καὶ πιστοὶ αὐτοῦ ISm 1:2.

γ. of other people esp. close to God (Dionys. Soph., Ep. 70 σωφροσύνη … προσήγαγέ σε θεῷ … τοῖς ἁγίοις παρέστησεν) Mt 27:52; cp. Rv 18:20, 24; Eph 2:19.—FJDölger, ΙΧΘΥΣ 1910, 180–83; WLink, De vocis ‘sanctus’ usu pagano, diss. Königsb. 1910; AFridrichsen, Hagios-Qadoš 1916; EWilliger, Hagios 1922; JDillersberger, Das Heilige im NT 1926; HDelehaye, Sanctus 1927²; ’33; RAsting, D. Heiligkeit im Urchristentum 1930; UBunzel, D. Begriff der Heiligkeit im AT, diss. Breslau 1914; JHänel, D. Religion d. Heiligkeit ’31; PChantraine/OMasson, Debrunner Festschr., ’54, 85–107; FNötscher, Vom Alten zum NT, ’62, 126–74 (Qumran). SWoodward, JETS 24, ’81, 107–16 (Qumran displays transition from association of the term for ‘saints’ with celestial beings to human beings, s. 1QS 5:6f; 8:5 and 8).—B. 1475. EDNT. DDD 1359–64. New Docs 4, 111. DELG s.v. ἅζομαι. M-M. TW. Sv.