• Philologus (F. W. Emmons). "Wind and Spirit." Millennial Harbinger 3 (December 1832): 604-605.
• Philologus (F. W. Emmons). "Wind and Spirit--Again." Millennial Harbinger 4 (January 1833): 24-26.
• H. T. Anderson. "Septuagint Use of Pneuma." The Millennial Harbinger 40 (June 1869): 317-318.
• W. K. Pendleton. Reply to H. T. Anderson's "Septuagint Use of Pneuma." The Millennial Harbinger 40 (June 1869): 318-319.
• W. K. Pendleton. "John III: 8." The Millennial Harbinger 40 (August 1869): 478.
• W. K. Pendleton. "John III. 8--Wind or Spirit--Which?" The Millennial Harbinger 40 (September 1869): 522-529.
• L. B. Wilkes. "Wind or Spirit--Which?." The Millennial Harbinger 40 (December 1869): 688-694.
• W. K. Pendleton. "Comments" on L. B. Wilkes' "Wind or Spirit--Which?" The Millennial Harbinger 40 (December 1869): 694-701.
• A. Burns. "'Wind or Spirit--Which?'" The Millennial Harbinger 41 (January 1870): 35-37.
• W. K. Pendleton. Reply to A. Burns' "Wind or Spirit--Which?" The Millennial Harbinger 41 (January 1870): 37-38.
• A. Burns. "Bro. Burns on John III. 8--Again." The Millennial Harbinger 41 (April 1870): 197-201.
• W. K. Pendleton. "Reply" to "Bro. Burns on John III. 8--Again." The Millennial Harbinger 41 (April 1870): 201-202.

FOR THE MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.      

      The Spirit breathes where he pleases, and you hear the voice of him; but cannot tell whence it comes and whither it goes: so is every person who is born of the Spirit.--John iii. 8.

      'TO err is human.' This the experience and observation of every man attest. But to confess our errors, how hard! How much more natural--how much more congenial to the mind of the flesh, to justify, excuse, or palliate them. And yet, To confess that we have erred, [24] when convinced, of the fact, is only saying, that we are wiser to-day than we were yesterday. And when the TRUTH requires it, alike do our duty and our happiness.

      For several years past, the TRUTH with us has been the pearl of great price: in the pursuit of it, we have had occasion, on many points, to change our views--to yield up opinions; and some, from their supposed value, very dear to us. But this is the common experience of all, whose object is the same, and who take the same course of examining, thinking, and re-examining for themselves, to attain it. Three years ago, having added to our faith from testimony; and to our knowledge, from studying the Scriptures; we were constrained to give up a whole set of opinions, and with them (they having been principles of action) 'a living,' that we might keep a good conscience, and the better follow and serve our Lord and Redeemer. But still we are 'human.' Since our essay on "Wind and Spirit" of December last was published, we have discovered in it the following errors:--

      1. "It," referring to the Holy Spirit, is several times used for he.

      2. There being nothing in Greek expressed for the English nominative to "comes" and "goes"--as the pronoun may be either "it" or "he;" and may refer to sound, report, "voice," or "Spirit;" we would now, after the sentence, "As you know not whence the Spirit of God comes, and whither he goes," have supplied; or the voice of him, or the report of his breathing.

      3. We said, "We have but one word," &c. "Pneuma."

      We meant not by this, that Pneuma was the only word in the Greek language translated into English by either wind or spirit. We knew that anemos, in the Septuagint of the Old, and in the Greek of the New Testament, was also rendered wind, But we meant that Pneuma was the only representative of both. But, "but" in this sentence may be an error. But, again--(We now come to the CAPITAL mistake.) Knowing the Septuagint use of the word Pneuma, we supposed the New Testament use to be the same. This we have since found to be an error.

      What now have we lost, and what gained by this discovery? As on the above supposition rested the corner stone of our edifice; what comes of the superstructure--of the new translation? Is it wind--all WIND? Nay, verily: but spirit--all SPIRIT! The wind is all blown away, and with it the sand of supposition. We know our translation to be based upon rock. It is spirit and not wind, three hundred and thirty-nine to one! John iii. 8. if it be an exception, is the only one in all the New Testament, in which the word Pneuma occurs three hundred and thirty-nine times! Pneumata, Heb. i. 7. translated in the common version spirits, being a quotation from the Old Testament, (Psalm civ. 4.) we do not regard as an exception; and would not, if in this place translated winds. "He makes winds his angels." But anemos is the New Testament word for wind. This occurs twenty-nine times; in all of which it is translated wind, and in none spirit. Anemos for wind, twenty-nine to two. John iii. 8. and Acts ii. are exceptions, or rather supplements, in the common version of wind being [25] made from other words, Putting both together, three hundred and thirty-nine, plus thirty-one, minus the exceptions, we have THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY to TWO!!

      Now had Pneuma been used in the New Testament as in the Old, for both wind and spirit; having also this more definite word, anemos, for wind; we would here have offered two additional arguments for our translation on our first premises:--1st. From the Saviour's knowledge and previous use of anemos; and 2d. From the meaning of thelei, (pleases,) in construction with Pneuma: but now we need them not. It now appears, that we have two words in the Greek of the New Testament, viz. pneuma and anemos, for the two English words spirit and wind; and that they are never used in these writings interchangeably: therefore, if spirit in English means spirit, and not wind; and if wind in English means wind, and not spirit;--then must Pneuma John iii. 8. be translated, as we have rendered it, spirit first and last.

      A word or two farther now, on the meaning of this passage. In the beginning of Acts ii. we are informed, that 'when the day of Pentecost had fully arrived, the Apostles and their companions were all, with one accord, in one place; and, suddenly, there came from heaven, echoes, a sound, as of a rushing, mighty pnoes, breathing, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.' The effect of this was, 'there appeared to them separated tongues, as of fire; and it rested upon each of them. And they were all filled pneumatos agiou, with the Holy Spirit.' How happily correspondent are our two exceptions! In the first (John iii. 8 ) we have to Pneuma pnei, the Spirit breathes; and in the second (Acts ii. 2.) pnoes Pneumatos, the breathing of the Spirit, shown. Now, for 'the report of it'--'the sound,' or 'rumor of the Spirit's breathing;'--or, as we have translated ten phonen autou, at the head of this article, the voice of him.'--"And they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." The 'report of it,' or 'the Spirit's voice,' it hence appears, was then heard in the Spirit's word. But, as with Nicodemus a short time before, who heard it from the mouth of him, 'who spoke as man never spoke;' so now with the multitudes here assembled; 'they were all in amazement and perplexity, and said one to another, What does this mean? Others mocking, said, These men are filled with new wine.' They knew not whence the voice came, nor whither it went; nor whence nor whither the Divine Agent, who spoke to them. But what said Peter? "These men are not drunk, as you suppose; but this is that which was spoken of by the Prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass, in the last days, says God, I will pour out, of my Spirit upon all flesh.'"

PHILOLOGUS.      

[The Millennial Harbinger 4 (January 1833): 24-26.]

      Philologus's "Wind and Spirit--Again" was first published in The Millennial Harbinger, Vol. 4, No. 1, January 1833. The electronic version of the essay has been produced from the College Press reprint (1976) of The Millennial Harbinger, ed. Alexander Campbell (Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, January 1833), pp. 24-26.

      In response to a query about the identity of Philologus, Lee Snyder writes in an e-mail letter of 3 February 1999:

      Hans [Rollmann] passed on to me your question about the identity of "Philologus." You suspected that his identity is either Thomas Campbell or Frances W. Emmons. As far as I can tell, your suspicions are right--he is FWE. The proof for this is as follows:

      In MH 1836, p. 424, in a letter from Robert Richardson to FWE, Richardson refers to Emmons and himself as "Discipulus and Philologus." Which was which? Well, we know that Richardson was "Discipulus" (he confesses this in MH 1857, p. 703). So that leaves FWE as "Phililogus."

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 p. 25:     yesterday.' [ yesterday.
 p. 26:     echos, [ echoes,
            "And it shall [ 'And it shall
            flesh." [ flesh.'"
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 6 February 1999.
Updated 2 July 2003.