LATINISMS. This word, which properly sig nifies idioms or phraseology peculiar to the Latin tongue, is extended by Biblical critics so as to in clude also the Latin words occurring in the Grcek Testament. It is but reasonable to ex pect the existence of Lath:isms in the language of every country subdued by lite Romans. The in troduction of their civil and military officers, of settlers, and merchants, would naturally be followed by an infusion of Roman terms, etc., into the lan guage of their new subjects. There would be many new thimrs made known to some of them, for which they coufd find no corresponding word in their own tongues. The circumstance that the proceedings in courK: of law were, in every part of the Roman empire, conducted in the Latin language, would necessarily cause the introduction of many Roman words into the department of law, as might be amply illustrated from the present state of the ju ridical languaoe in every country once subject to the Romans, ancr, amono others, our own. Valerius Maximus (ii. 2. 2), ii?deed, records the tenacity of the ancient Romans for their language in their intercourse with the Greeks, and their strenuous en deavours to propagate it through all theirdominions. The Latinisms in the N. T. are of three kinds, consisting (r) of Latin words in Greek letters ; (2) of Latin senses of Greek words ; and (3) of those forms of speech which are more properly called Latinisms. The following may suffice as examples of each of these : First, Latin words in Greek cha racters : ciocrciptor, farthing,' from the Latin assa rins (Matt. x. 29). This word is used likewise by Plutarch, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Athe nxus, as may be seen in Wetstein, in /oc. Kiperos, censers (Matt. xvii. 25) : xevi-upicev, centurio (Mark xv. 39), etc.: Xeyel.Cm, //v.°, legion ' (Matt. xxvi. 53). Polybius (n.c. 150) has also adopted the Roman military terms (vi. 17, ff.) nrexcuAdrcop, speculator, a spy,' from speculor, to look about ;' or, as Wahl and Schleusner think, from spic/them, the weapon carried by the speculator. The word describes the emperor's life-guards, who, among other duties, punished the condemned ; hence ' an executioner' (Mark vi. 27), margin, one of his guard ;' (comp. Tacitus, i. 25 ; Joseph.
De Bell. Yeed. i. 33. 7 ; Seneca, De i. 16).
McirceXX01,, from macellzent, a market-place for flesh ' (1 Cor. x. 25). As Corinth was now a Roman colony, it is only consistent to find that the inhabitants had adopted this name for thcir public market, and that Paul, writing to them, should employ it. MIXtop (Matt. v. 41). This word is
also used by Polybius (xxxiv. r. 8) and Strabo (v. p. 332). Secondly, Latin senses of Greek words : as Icapr63 (Rom. xv. 28), fruit,' where it seems to be used in the sense of enzolumentune, gain upon money lent,' etc.: groyos, praise,' in the juridical sense of elogiune, a testimonial either of honour or reproach (r Cor. iv. 5). Thirdly, those forms of speech which are properly called Latinisms : as potA6,tievor rtti 6xXep Tr) votcyrat, 'willing to content the people ' (Mark xv. 15), which corre sponds to the phrase sathfacere alicui : X43/ip incerov wap/I, to take security of,' satis accipere ab (Acts xvii. 9) : ip-yacriav, give diligence,' da operam (Luke xii. 58); the phrase remitteeT ad alium judicem is retained in Luke xxiii. 15 : see thou to that,' tu videris (Matt. xxvii. 4) (Artier, Hermenent. Biblica, Viennx 1813, p. 99 ; Michaelis' Introduction to the N. T., by Marsh, Cambridge 1793, vol. i. part i. p. 163, sqq.) The importance of the Latinisms in the Greek Testament consists in this, that, as we have partly shown (and the proof might be much extended), they are to be found in the best Greek writers of the same era. Their occurrence, therefore, in the N. T. adds one thread more to that complication of probabilities with which the Christian history is attended. Had the Greek Testament been free from them, the ob jection, though recondite, would have been strong. At the same time the subject is intricate, and ad mits of much discussion. Dr. Marsh disputes some of the instances adduced by Michaelis (tee supra, p. 431, sqq.) Dresigius even contends that there are no Latinisms in the .N. T. (De Latinism's, Leipsig 1726 ; and see his Vendicia Disseetationis de Latin ismis). Even Arigler allows that some instances adduced by him may have a purely Greek origin. Truth, as usual, lies in the middle, and there are, no doubt, many irrefragable instances of Latinisms, which will amply repay the attention of the student (see Georgii Hierocrit. de Latinismis Novi Test., Witteberg 1733 ; Kypke, Observ. Sacr., 219, Wratis. 755 ; Pritii Introductio in Lect. Nov. The., p. 2o7, sqq., Lips. 1722. Winer refers also to Wernsdorf, De Christo Leine loqmente, p. 19 ; Jahn's Archiv. ii. iv.; Olearius, De Stylo Nov. Test., p. 368, sqq. ; Jnchofer, Sacra Latinitatis Historia, Prag. 1742; see Bibl. Real- lkiirterbuch, art. Romer, Remise/les, etc.)—J. F. D.