Difference between revisions of "Air"

<p> The apostles, like other [[Jews]] of their time, regarded the air as a region between earth and the higher heavens, inhabited by spirits, especially evil spirits. In &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2 the air is the abode or Satan (see below); in &nbsp;Ephesians 6:12 ‘the heavenlies’ (τὰ ἐπουράνια)-a vague phrase used also in &nbsp;Ephesians 1:3; &nbsp;Ephesians 1:20; &nbsp;Ephesians 2:6; &nbsp;Ephesians 3:10 to denote the heavenly or spiritual sphere, the unseen universe*[Note: The Peshiṭta renders it ‘in heaven,’ except in &nbsp;Ephesians 6:12 when it significantly has ‘under heaven.’]-is where the wrestling of the [[Christian]] against the spiritual hosts of wickedness takes place, and is apparently in this ease equivalent to ‘this darkness’ (cf. &nbsp;Luke 22:53, &nbsp;Colossians 1:13 ‘power of darkness,’ <i> i.e. </i> tyranny of evil). In &nbsp;Revelation 12:7 the war between [[Michael]] and the dragon is in ‘heaven.’ This can hardly refer to the first rebellion of Satan, nor yet can we with [[Bede]] interpret ‘heaven’ as the Church; but rather the righting is in the heavens, a struggle of Satan to regain his lost place, ended by his final expulsion. ‘As the [[Incarnation]] called forth a counter-manifestation of diabolic power on earth, so after the [[Ascension]] the attack is supposed to be carried into heaven’ (Swete, <i> Com. in loc </i> .). But the conception is not unlike that of St. Paul as noted above. </p> <p> There are several parallels to these passages in that class of literature which is thought to be a Christian rehandling of [[Jewish]] apocalyptic writings. In the <i> Testaments of the XII. [[Patriarchs]] </i> ( <i> q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] </i> ) we read of the ‘aerial spirit Beliar’ (Benj. 3). In the <i> Ascension of Isaiah </i> ( <i> q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] </i> ) there is described an ascent ‘into the firmament,’ where were [[Sammael]] and his powers, and there was a great fight (vii. 9); Christ descends from the lowest heaven to the firmament where was continual warfare, and takes the form of the angels of the air (x. 29). In the Slavonic <i> Secrets of [[Enoch]] </i> the apostate angels are suspended in the second heaven awaiting the Last [[Judgment]] (§ 7; see Thackeray, <i> Relation of St. Paul to Contemp. Jewish [[Thought]] </i> , London, 1900, p. 176f.). These works in their present form probably date from the latter part of the 1st or the beginning of the 2nd cent. a.d. The ideas seem to have had much currency among Christians, for we find [[Athanasius]] ( <i> de Incarn </i> . 25) speaking of the devil having fallen from heaven and wandering about ‘our lower atmosphere,’ ‘there bearing rule over his fellow-spirits …,’ ‘while the Lord came to cast down the devil, and clear the air and prepare the way for us up into heaven.’ </p> <p> The <b> prince of the power of the air </b> (&nbsp;Ephesians 2:2) is Satan. That he had authority over the evil spirits whose abode is in the air was the general Jewish belief, except among the Sadducees. St. Paul does not, however, here say ‘powers of the air,’ <i> i.e. </i> evil spirits, but the ‘air-power’ or ‘air-tyranny’ (for this meaning of ἐξουσία see Lightfoot’s note on &nbsp;Colossians 1:13). Satan is the arch-tyrant whose abode is in the air. </p> <p> Literature.-See articleDemon. </p> <p> A. J. Maclean. </p>

<div> '''1: ἀήρ ''' (Strong'S #109 — noun, masculine — aer — ah-ayr' ) </div> <p> Eng., "air," signifies "the atmosphere," certainly in five of the seven occurrences, &nbsp;Acts 22:23; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:26; &nbsp;14:9; &nbsp;Revelation 9:2; &nbsp;16:17 , and almost certainly in the other two, &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2; &nbsp;1 Thessalonians 4:17 . </p> <div> '''2: οὐρανός ''' (Strong'S #3772 — — ouranos — oo-ran-os' ) </div> <p> denotes "the heaven." The RV always renders it "heaven." The AV translates it "air" in &nbsp;Matthew 8:20 . In the phrase "the fowls (or birds) of the heaven" the AV always has "air;" "sky" in &nbsp;Matthew 16:2,3; &nbsp;Luke 12:56; in all other instances "heaven." The word is probably derived from a root meaning to cover or encompass. See [[Heaven]] , Sky. </p>

<p> (ἀήρ )'','' the atmosphere, as opposed to the ether (αἰθήρ )'','' or higher and purer region of the sky (&nbsp;Acts 22:24; &nbsp;1 Thessalonians 4:17; &nbsp;Revelation 2:2; &nbsp;Revelation 16:17). The [[Hebrew]] term רוּחִ,, ''Ru’ Ach,'' occurs in this sense but once (&nbsp;Job 41:16); "air" is elsewhere the rendering of שָׁמִיַם, ''Shama’ Yim,'' in speaking of ''Birds Of The Heavens.'' The later Jews (see Eisenmenger, ''Entd. Jud.'' 2, 437 sq.), in common with the [[Gentiles]] (see Elsner, ''Obs.'' 2, 205; Dougtaei ''Annal.'' p. 127), especially the Pythagoreans, believed the air to be peopled with spirits, under the government of a chief, who there held his seat of empire (Philo, 31, 28; Diog. Laert. 8:32; Plutarch, ''Quaest. Romans'' p. 274). These spirits were supposed to be powerful, but malignant, and to incite men to evil. That the Jews held this opinion is plain from the rabbinical citations of Lightfoot, Wetstein, etc. Thus in ''Pirke Aboth,'' 83, 2, they are described as ''Filling The Whole Air,'' arranged in troops, in regular subordination (see Rosenroth, ''Cabbala Denud.'' 1, 417). The early Christian fathers entertained the same belief (Ignat. ''Ad Ephes.'' § 13), which has indeed come down to our own times. It is to this notion that Paul is supposed to allude in &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2, where Satan is called "prince of the power (i.e. of those who exercise the power) of the air" (see Stuart, in the Biblioth. Sacra, 1843, p. 139). Some, however, explain "air" here by darkness, a sense which it bears also in profane writers. But the apostle no doubt speaks according to the notions entertained by most of those to whom he wrote, without expressing the extent of his own belief (see Bloomfield, Rec. Syn., and Meyer, Comment. in loc.). (See [[Power]]); (See [[Principality]]). The sky as the midst of heaven, or the middle station between heaven and earth, may symbolically represent the place where the [[Divine]] judgments are denounced, as in &nbsp;1 Chronicles 21:16. (See [[Angel]]). </p> <p> The phrase είς ἀέρα λαλεῖν '', To [[Speak]] Into The Aim'' (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 14:9), is a proverbial expression to denote speaking in vain, like ventis verba profundere in Latin (Lucret. 4:929), and a similar one in our own language; and εἰς ἀέρα δέρειν, to beat the air (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:26), denotes ''Acting'' in vain, and is a proverbial allusion to an abortive stroke into the air in pugilistic contests (comp. Virgil, ''— Aen.'' 5, 377). (See [[Games]]). </p>

<p> '''''âr''''' ( ἀήρ , <i> '''''aḗr''''' </i> ): In the Old [[Testament]] "air" is used (with one exception) in the phrase "fowl" or "fowls (birds) of the air." The Hebrew word is usually rendered "heaven" or "heavens." According to ancient Hebrew cosmogony the sky was a solid dome (firmament) stretching over the earth as a covering. In the above phrase the air means the space between the earth and the firmament. In Job (&nbsp;Job 41:16 ) "air" renders רוּח , <i> '''''rūaḥ''''' </i> , "breath," "wind," "spirit." The scales of the leviathan are so closely joined together that no air can penetrate. In the New Testament the phrase "birds (or fowls) of the air," occurs ten times. This simply reproduces the Hebraism noticed above. Apart from this expression "air" in the King James Version represents <i> '''''aēr''''' </i> , which denotes the atmosphere which surrounds us. The expression "beating the air" (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:26 ) means to "deal blows that do not get home" - that miss the mark. In his conflict with the lower life represented by the body, Paul compares himself to a boxer who aims with unerring accuracy at his opponent. No stroke is lost. Paul also uses the phrase "speaking into the air" (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 14:9 ) in reference to the unintelligible utterances of those who "spake with tongues." In the expression, "prince of the powers of the air" (&nbsp;Ephesians 2:2 the King James Version) we find an echo of the current belief that the air was the dwelling place of spirits, especially of evil spirits. </p>