devotional

σέβασμα, ατος, τό (σεβάζομαι) someth. that relates to devotional activity, devotional object (so Dionys. Hal. 1, 30; Wsd 14:20; 15:17; Bel 27 Theod.; Jos., Ant. 18, 344; SibOr 8, 57; Ps.-Clem., Hom. 10, 21 and 22; Ar.) w. θεός 2 Th 2:4. Pl. (ViEzk 2 [p. 74, 8 Sch.=Torrey 23, 1f] ἐπὶ εἰδώλων σεβάσμασι) τὰ σεβάσματα Ac 17:23. The pl. together with the verb ἀναθεωρέω refers to the total visual impact of a city full of cultic monuments.—DELG s.v. σέβομαι II. M-M. TW.

νηστεία, ας, ἡ (νηστεύω; since Hdt. 4, 186; pap, LXX; Ps-Sol 3:8; Test12Patr, Philo, Joseph., Just.) ‘fasting’.

① the experience of being without sufficient food, going hungry gener., of hunger brought about by necessity: pl. (B-D-F §142; W-S. §27, 4d; s. Rob. 408) of oft-recurring situations (cp. Da 9:3; 2 Macc 13:12) ἐν νηστείαις through hunger 2 Cor 6:5. ἐν νηστείαις πολλάκις often without food 11:27.

② the act of going without food for a devotional or cultic purpose, fast

ⓐ of public fasts: of the Day of Atonement (יוֹם כִּפּוּר; Strabo 16, 2, 40 τὴν νηστείας ἡμέραν [for the Jews]; Philo, Spec. Leg. 2, 193ff; Jos., Ant. 14, 66; 18, 94; Just., D. 40, 4) Ac 27:9; 7:4.—For D 8:1 s. on νηστεύω, end.

ⓑ of private fasting Hs 5, 1, 3, end; 5, 2, 1; 5, 3, 5. κατὰ τὴν συνή̣θ̣ι̣α̣[ν τῆς]| νη̣[ … νη]σ̣τίας (prob. ditt. and = κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τῆς νηστείας) according to their habit of fasting AcPl Ha 7, 10f (context uncertain). διὰ [τ]ὰ̣ς [νης]τ̣ί̣α̣ς κ̣α̣[ὶ τὰς]| δι[α]νυκτερεύσις … βα̣ρηθεί̣ς wearied by the fasts and vigils (with his friends) AcPl Ha 7, 25f. Of Moses on the mountain (w. ταπείνωσις; cp. Jdth 4:9 v.l.; Ps 34:13; PsSol 3:8) 1 Cl 53:2; likew. of Esther 55:6. (W. προσευχή; cp. Tob 12:8; Da 9:3) Mt 17:21; Mk 9:29 v.l. (νηστεία strengthening prayer as 2 Macc 13:12; Test Jos 10:1f); 1 Cor 7:5 v.l. (W. δεήσεις; cp. Da 9:3 Theod.) Lk 2:37. προσεύχεσθαι μετὰ νηστειῶν pray and fast Ac 14:23. νηστείαν νηστεύειν (צוּם צוֹם 2 Km 12:16; 3 Km 20:9) keep, observe a fast Hs 5, 1, 2f; νηστεύειν τήν ν. keep the fast (day) 7:3 (ἡ νηστεία=fast day, as Jos., Ant. 18, 94). νηστεύειν τῷ θεῷ νηστείαν keep a fast to God Hs 5, 1, 4b (Just., D. 15, 1). μεγάλην ν. ποιεῖν 5, 1, 5. φυλάσσειν τὴν νηστείαν 5, 3, 5; τελεῖν τὴν ν. 5, 3, 8. ἡ ν. τελεία 5, 3, 6, acc. to Hermas, includes abstaining fr. all evil as well as fr. food. τιμίαν ταύτην ν. AcPl Ha 6, 25 (cp. Just., D. 15, 1 ἀληθινήν … ν.).—προσκαρτερεῖν νηστείαις persevere in fasting Pol 7:2. ἀποθέσθαι τὴν νηστείαν end the fast AcPl Ha 6, 37. Fasting better than prayer 2 Cl 16:4 (cp. Tob 12:8f). Rejected by God 3:1ff (Is 58:5f). τῆς νηστείας εἰρωνεία affected observance of fast days Dg 4:1.—RArbesmann, D. Fasten b. d. Griech. u. Römern 1929; MFreiberger, D. Fasten im alten Israel 1929; JMontgomery, Ascetic Strains in Early Judaism: JBL 51, ’32, 183–213; IAbrahams, Studies in Pharisaism and the Gospels I 1917, 121–28; GMoore, Judaism II 1927, 55ff; 257ff; Billerb. IV 1928, 77–114: V. altjüd. Fasten; MShepherd, ATR 40, ’58, 81–94; RAC VII 447–93.—DELG s.v. 1 νῆστις. TW. Sv.

νηστεύω pres. ptc. fem. pl. by-form νηστέουσαι (AcPl Ha 5, 19f); fut. νηστεύσω; 1 aor. ἐνήστευσα, inf. νηστεῦσαι, impv. νηστεύσατε, ptc. νηστεύσας; pf. 2 pl. νενηστεύκατε Zech 7:5 (Aristoph.; Aristot.; Plut., Mor. 626f; Aelian, VH 5, 20; LXX; Test12Patr; ApcEsdr 1:3 p. 24, 9 Tdf. and oft.; Philo, Spec. Leg. 2, 197; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 308; Ar. [Milne 76, verso 1]; Just.) to fast as a devotional rite, among Jews and Christians: as a sign of grief (2 Km 1:12; 12:22; Zech 7:5; Bar 1:5) Mt 9:15 v.l.; Mk 2:19f; Lk 5:34f (cp. ν. ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Judg 20:26; 1 Km 7:6); 7:5; AcPl Ha 5, 19f; GPt 7:27. Moses B 4:7; 14:2 (for the idea cp. Ex 34:28) and Jesus (Iren. 3, 22, 2 [Harv. II 122, 6]; Did., Gen. 190, 13) Mt 4:2 fast for forty days and forty nights (cp. 1 Km 31:13; 1 Ch 10:12 ν. ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας; Marinus, Vi. Procli 19 Boiss. τινὰς ν. ἡμέρας). With lamentation 7:5. Of Joseph GJs 1:4. As preparation for prayer (Jos., Ant. 20, 89) Hv 3, 10, 6; for baptism D 7:4 (on fasting before being received into the Gr.-Rom. mystery cults s. Knopf, Hdb. ad loc.). W. προσεύχεσθαι (cp. Bar 1:5) Ac 13:3. W. δέομαι Hv 3, 1, 2. W. εὐχαριστεῖν 5, 1, 1. To increase the power of his prayer, Hermas fasts μίαν ἡμέραν for one whole day 3, 10, 7; a fifteen-day fast 2, 2, 1. His fast consists in taking only bread and water Hs 5, 3, 7. W. λειτουργεῖν τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 13:2 (EPeterson, Nuntius 2, ’49, 9f). Jesus and his disciples do not fast Mt 9:14; Mk 2:18; Lk 5:33 (HEbeling, D. Fastenfrage [Mk 2:18–22]: StKr 108, ’37/38, 387–96, but s. KSchäfer, Synopt. Studien [Wikenhauser Festschr.], ’53, 124–47; FCremer, D. Fastenansage Jesu, ’65). Right and wrong attitudes in fasting Mt 6:16–18. ν. νηστείαν observe a fast Hs 5, 1, 2f (s. νηστεία 2b). ν. τῷ θεῷ νηστείαν 5, 1, 4b; opp. ὸ̔ς ἂν μὴ νηστεύσῃ τὴν νηστείαν, θανάτῳ ἐξολεθρευθήσεται one who does not observe the fast-day shall pay the penalty of death 7:3 (s. νηστεία 2b). ν. τῷ θεῷ Hs 5, 1, 3; 5, 1, 4a; cp. 3:1 (Is 58:4). As an act pleasing to God (Hs 5, 3, 7), w. the pers. given, who is to profit from it: νηστεύετε ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς fast for those who persecute you D 1:3 (where Mt 5:44 has προσεύχεσθε.—Knopf, Hdb. ad loc.). Pious Israelites used to fast twice a week Lk 18:12, on Monday and Thursday (s. Schürer II 483f; Elbogen 126f; 225f; 533; 551; Billerb. on Lk 18:12), the Christians on Wednesday and Friday D 8:1.—ν. τὸν κόσμον Ox 1, verso 5–6 (ASyn. 54, 22; cp. GTh 27) has not yet been satisfactorily explained. Could it be taken fig. abstain from the world (see s.v. νηστεία 2b on Hs 5, 3, 6 and cp. Empedocles in Plut., Mor. 464b [Vorsokrat. I⁵ 369, 17] νηστεῦσαι κακότητος; LWright, JBL 65, ’46, 180)?—B. 1483. DELG s.v. 1 νῆστις. M-M. EDNT. TW.