Simeon's spirit

Peter Phillips (p.m.phillips@cliff.shef.ac.uk)
Fri, 28 Nov 1997 08:39:55 -0000

Last night I went to an informal communion service here in College. I was
following the reading in my GNT and was a little startled at the
translation of what I saw before me. Luke 25b says, KAI PNEUMA HN 'AGION
EP AUTWI. The translation was "the Holy Spirit was upon him".

Doesn't the Greek actually suggest - "the spirit on him was a holy one" -
i.e. he was a holy man rather than a reference to the Holy Spirit. It
would seem that the alternative would be that he was demonised - i.e. the
spirit on him was an unholy (KAKON?) one.

Any Luke experts fancy informing me on this?

Pete Phillips
Cliff College
near Sheffield, UK