Bible Lexicons

In its narrower sense we may compare a psephism from Assos, dated A.D. 37, Syll 364.20 τὴν πάτριον ἁγνὴν Παρθένον (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:2), i.e. Athena Polias, as Dittenberger notes—the ";Blessed Virgin"; of Greek religion : cf. Preisigke 2481 (i/A.D.) Ἰουλία ἁγνή, ἐτῶν κ ̄γ ̄, εὐψύχι. It is applied to holy places in P Tebt II. 616 (ii/A.D.), a letter from a προφήτης,—[ὅ ]τι ἔξεσ ̣[τι ] πᾶσι ἐν ἁγνοῖς τόποις γενέσθαι. For the ceremonial use of ἁ. see Priene 205, εἰσίναι εἰς τ [ὸ ] ἱερὸν ἁγνὸν ἐ [ν ] ἐσθῆτι λευκ [ῆι ], an inscription at the entrance to a ἱερὸς οἶκος. Rouffiac (Recherches, p. 62), who cites the passage, aptly recalls the inscription of the temple of Epidaurus mentioned by Clement Alex. (Strom. V. 1. 13, 3) to illustrate the transition from the ritual to the moral sense—

ἁγνὸν χρὴ νηοῖο θυώδεος ἐντὸς ἰόντα

ἔμμεναι · ἁγνείη δ᾽ ἐστὶ φρονεῖν ὅσια.

(Also in Porphyry de abst. ii. 19, ap. Syll ii. p. 267.) There is also a noteworthy usage in the Chian dialectic inscr., Syll 570.8 (iv/B.C.) [ὁ ἰ ]δὼν κατειπάτω πρ [ὸς ] τὸς βασιλέας ἁγ [νῶς ] πρὸς το θεο, ";give information . . . if he would be blameless before the God."; An interesting example of the adj. occurs in P Oxy I. 41.29 f. (the report of a public meeting, iii/iv A.D.), where at a popular demonstration in honour of the prytanis the people are described as shouting—ἁγνοὶ πιστοὶ σύνδικοι, ἁγνοὶ πιστοὶ σ ̣υ ̣[ν ]ή [γορο ]ι, ἰς ὥρας πᾶσι τοῖς τὴν πόλιν φιλοῦσιν, ";True and upright advocates, true and upright assessors! Hurrah for all who love the city!"; (Edd.). Ἁγνῶς in the sense of Philippians 1:17, ";honestly,"; is common in honorific inscriptions, as OGIS 485.13 (Magnesia, Roman age) τὰς λοιπὰς δὲ φιλοτειμίας τελιάσαντα ἁγνῶς καὶ ἀμέμπτως, ib. 524.5 (Thyatira, do.) ἀγορανομήσαντα τετράμηνον ἁγνῶς : so as .early as Pindar (Ol. iii. 37).

The adjective and its derivatives may accordingly take a wide meaning, as wide as our pure in the ethical sense. But a starting-point must not be overlooked : cf. the Avestan yasna ";ritual,"; Sanskrit yaj, Av. yaz ";to worship,"; showing that it originally denoted ";in a condition prepared for worship."; The uses noted under ἁγνεία and in this article show that this meaning persisted; and it is not out of sight in NT times. In pagan technical language it definitely connoted twofold abstinence, as a necessary condition of entrance into a temple. The definition of Heyschius gives us the condition in its oldest form : ";ἁγνεύειν · καθαρεύειν ἀπό τε ἀφροδισίων καὶ ἀπὸ νεκροῦ.";

 

αγνα αγνά ἁγνά αγναί αγνας αγνάς ἁγνάς αγνη αγνή ἁγνή αγνην αγνήν ἁγνὴν αγνον αγνόν ἁγνὸν αγνος αγνός ἁγνός αγνού άγνου αγνους αγνούς ἁγνοὺς αγνών agna agnas agne agnē agnen agnēn agnon agnos agnous hagna hagná hagnas hagnás hagne hagnē hagnḗ hagnen hagnēn hagnḕn hagnon hagnòn hagnos hagnós hagnous hagnoùs