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ἁγνισμός

hagnismós

G49 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Purification, the process or act of making ritually or morally pure. In ceremonial contexts, it refers to rites or actions undertaken to achieve ritual purity, especially according to Israelite or later Judean tradition. Secondarily, it may denote a state or period of being purified, or occasionally moral purification in a more general sense.

Semantic Range

ritual purification, act or process of ceremonial cleansing, period of purification, moral purification (rare)

Root / Etymology

From ἁγνίζω (hagnízō, to purify), itself derived from ἁγνός (hagnós, pure, sacred, untainted). The ending -μός forms a noun of action or process.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἁγνισμός rarely appears and has a limited documentary range, being primarily found in Hellenistic and especially Koine contexts. In the Septuagint and related Second Temple literature, the word is used for Israelite/Judean ritual purification, such as washing, abstaining, or other procedures required after contact with things regarded as impure according to Torah. In the New Testament (notably Acts 21:26; 24:18), it refers to specific purification rites undertaken in Jerusalem according to Judean custom. Standard English translations use 'purification' or 'purifying', which capture the general sense but often obscure the ritual-legal technicality implied in many passages. The word carries a context-specific connotation of ritual rather than generic cleaning. It differs from καθαρισμός (katharismós), which can refer to both physical and ritual cleaning more broadly, while ἁγνισμός connects more directly to ancient Israelite/Judean concepts of cultic purity. There is no indication the term implied membership in the community; it refers solely to the action or state of purification.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἁγνίζω; a cleansing (the act), i.e. (ceremonially) lustration:--purification.

Root Family

ἁγνισμός (hagnismos) — purification, cleansing, ritual purification

Root ἁγνι- to make pure, to cleanse, to purify ritually

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G49-01 ἁγνισμοῦ agnismou N GEN M SG purification of purification purification 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G49-01 Acts 21:26 ἁγνισμοῦ agnismou N GEN M SG purification of purification purification
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