Μάχαιρα ja ῥομφαία

Sanat miekoille Uudessa testametissa

Authors

• Nikolai Paukkonen University of Helsinki, Muuritutkimus Oy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62442/ta.152034

Keywords:

Uusi testamentti, Eksegetiikka, Sanasto, Miekka, Makhaira, Romfaia

Abstract

The sword was and is a symbol of war, authority and death, but in the ancient Mediterranean society it was also a regular tool used by soldiers. Swords appear surprisingly often in the texts of the New Testament, and in this article, I explain the use and semantic development of the Greek words máchaira and rhomphaía. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, Septuaginta, is a main source of comparisons, but additionally I reflect the swords of the New Testament to other Greek and Latin contemporary texts. The results show that in the usage of the New Testament, both máchaira and rhomphaía are used as synonyms in a similar way as they are used in Septuaginta. Regardless, the rest of the Greek-writing world saw a clear difference between the meanings of the two words. The article sheds light on this idiosyncratic usage in the New Testament, and simultaneously brings forth new knowledge about the development of military vocabulary in koine Greek language.