Pike: pagan words for Christian thoughts

Saturday, October 3, 2015
    Commemoration of William Morris, Artist, Writer, 1896
    Commemoration of George Kennedy Bell, Bishop of Chichester, Ecumenist, Peacemaker, 1958
Meditation:
    When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
    —Acts 2:6 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Upon a little reflection one can see that no concepts which are restricted to Christianity could possibly be found in a language spoken only by pagans. How could pagans have developed words for Christian ideas which have never occurred to them? This identical situation existed when the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament. At that time many pagan words, with pagan-thought background, were used in Christian contexts; by the contexts the present Christian meaning eventually built up, until it was possible to express all the Christian meaning in the pagan terms.
    ... Kenneth L. Pike (1912-2001), With Heart and Mind, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962, p. 129 (see the book)
    See also Acts 2:6; Gen. 11:6-8; 2 Tim. 3:16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have made language Your tool. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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