Encratites, Severians and the Original Hebrew Ascetics

[Secret Alias]

This is a continuation of the original diversion I made here:

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I think the original term would be 'hazakim' which is a common reference to the valor of soldiers in modern Hebrew. The Aramaic/Syriac reception of the term:

ḥzq vb. a/u to gird; to depart

G View a KWIC


1 to gird Syr. P 2S22:40 : ܬܚܙܩܢܝ ܚܝܠܐ ܒܩܪܒܐ‏ You gird me with strength in battle. P Is22:21 : ܒܗܡܝܢܟ ܐܚܙܩܝܘܗܝ‏ . P Ez23:15 : ܚܙܝܩܝܢ ܡܚ̈ܙܩܬܐ ܒܚ̈ܨܝܗܘܢ‏ . P Ps18:33 ; . (a) to wrap around Gal.

2 to hold Sam, Syr. (a) to to hold up Syr. (a.1) to make firm Syr. P 2Ch26:9 : ܘܚܙܩ ܐܢܘܢ ܒܩܪ̈ܢܬܗܘܢ ܒܩܠܝ̈ܕܐ ܕܦܪܙܠܐ‏ . (b) to fasten on Syr. IshExod 49:28 : ܘܚܙܝܩܐ ܥܠ ܟܬܦ̈ܬܐ‏ fastened at the shoulder pieces. (b.1) ܠ‏ : to go to‏ Syr. (c) to take possession JBA.

3 to go away Syr. AQoh.24 : ܚܕ ܥܿܐܠ ܫܪܐ ܒܥܠܡܐ܃ ܐܚܪܢܐ ܚܿܙܩ ܠܗ ܡܢܗ‏ one enters and dwells in the world while another takes his leave of it. P Mk13:34 : ܕܿܲܚܙܲܩ܂ ܘܲܫܒܼܲܩ ܒܿܲܝܬ‏ . (a) ܡܸܢ‏ : to abdicate‏ Syr.


D View a KWIC


1 to gird Syr. AphDem14.261:9 : ܘܡܚܙ̈ܩܝ ܒܘܨܐ‏ .

2 to tighten, fasten Gal, CPA, Syr, LJLA. TNM Gen50:1 : ומחזקין באבנ׳ דבו׳ וארגוונה ‏ . AphDem14.259:19 : ܢܚܙܩ ܡܪܟܒܬܗ‏ . (a) as co-verb: to do something in a tight, firm fashion Syr. AQoh.332 : ܐܢ ܕܡܟ ܠܡܚܣܢ ܚܿܙܩ‏ if it is lying there insist firmly. ThbK1 52:18 : ܡܛܠ ܕܒܗ ܡܚܙܩܐ ܘܠܝܦܐ ܟܠܗܿ ܒܪܝܬܐ܂ ܪ̈ܘܚܢܐ ܐܟܚܕ ܘܦܓܪ̈ܢܐ‏ because in him all creation is tightly interwoven, spiritual together with bodily things. (a.1) p.p. : firm Gal. JMP 16.1.R(18) : והדא כתבא שריר ובריר ומהימן ומחוזק ‏ . (b) ܐܝܕܗ‏ : to help him‏ Syr. P Ezra6:22 : ܠܡܚܙܩܘ ܐܝ̈ܕܝܗܘܢ ܒܥܒܿܕܐ ܕܒܝܬܐ ܕܡܪܝܐ‏ to help them in the work of the Lord's Temple.


C View a KWIC


1 to contain, hold tightly JBA. BTŠvu 29b(4) : דאחזיק תליסר ארוותא דתיבנא ‏ (a certain serpent) which had a capacity (to swallow) thirteen sacks of straw. (a) to tie up tightly PTA. GT FF1.50:1 : וְמַחְזְקה בחבלֵי בוצא [ו]אַרְגַוָנָא ‏ tightly tied with linen and purple cords †. (b) to take possession JBA. BT Er 25a(43) : מאי אעביד ליך דלא אחזקת כד מחזקי אינשי ‏ what can I do for you since you did not take possession in the proper way [lit. as people take possession].

2 to presume, i.e. to impose a presumptive status JBA. BT Sot 20a(6) : ואחזיקה נפשה בטומאה ‏ she considered herself to be unclean [i.e. she committed adultery]. (a) +טיבו ‏ : to acknowledge priority or origin ‏ Gal. PTBer5.a:43[2] : אנא מחזק טיבו לראשי דכד הוה מטי מודים הוא כרע מגרמיה ‏ I give credit to my head for when the modim (section of the tfillah) would come it would bow of its own accord †.


Gt View a KWIC


1 to be spread over Syr. (a) to take up residence in an area LJLA.


Dt View a KWIC


1 to gird oneself Syr. P Ez28:13 : ܟܠܗܝܢ ܟܐ̈ܦܐ ܛܒ̈ܬܐ ܐܬܚܙܩܬ‏ .

2 to donate JPAEpig.

3 +ב ‏_ : to hold on tightly ‏ LJLA.


Ct View a KWIC


1 to be under the presumption JBA. BT Git 2b(10) ; .



Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 440[225]; DJPA: 194b; DJBA: 447a; Jastrow: 445; Payne-Smith: ~1233; J. Payne-Smith: 137; Levy Ch-W: 1:247; Tal Sam: 261; DNWSI: 361; Audo: 1:328; DCPA[Schulthess]: 124[];

View a complete KWIC view additional bibliographic refs.

Derivatives:

hrzq vb. to imprison
ḥwzq, ḥwzqˀ n.m. right of possession
ḥzwq, ḥzwqˀ (ḥāzōq, ḥāzōqā) nom.ag. diaphragm; traveler
ḥzwqy, ḥzwqyˀ (ḥzūqē, ḥzūqyā) n.f. departure
ḥzwqy (ḥāzōqāy) adj. migratory
ḥzyq, ḥzyqˀ (ḥazzīq, ḥazzīqā) n.m. traveler
ḥzyqw, ḥzyqwtˀ (ḥzīqū, ḥzīqūṯā) n.f. conjunction
ḥzq, ḥzqˀ (ḥzāq, ḥzāqā) v.n. belt, bond
ḥzqh, ḥzqtˀ (ḥzāqā, ḥzāqtā) n.f. girdle
ḥzq, ḥzqˀ (ḥzeq, ḥezqā) n.m. fold ?
ḥzqh, ḥzqtˀ (ḥezqā, ḥezqǝṯā) n.f. possession
ḥzqw, ḥzqwtˀ (ḥāzqū, ḥāzqūṯā) n.f. departure
mwḥzq (muḥzaq) adj. verified
mḥzqh, mḥzqtˀ (maḥzɘqā, maḥzaqtā) n.f. girdle

[Secret Alias]

This is another clue to the mystery of 'encratism.' From the Clementine Homilies 3:

Accordingly, He, knowing the true things of the law, said to the Sadducees, asking on what account Moses permitted to marry seven, 'Moses gave you commandments according to your hard-heartedness; for from the beginning it was not so: for He who created man at first, made him male and female (Μωυσῆς κατὰ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑμῖν· ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γὰρ οὕτως οὐκ ἐγένετο. ὁ γὰρ κτίσας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν)

Compare:

Mark 10:5 Πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἔγραψεν ὑμῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην. ἀπὸ δὲ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς

The difference between what appeared in the gospel of the sect that originally wrote the Homilies and our text of Mark is quite astounding. Instead of saying that God originally created two people - Adam and Eve - that gospel rendered Genesis as saying that Man was originally bisexual as in Genesis 5:1:

αὕτη ἡ βίβλος γενέσεως ἀνθρώπων ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν Αδαμ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν
This [is] the genealogy of men in the day in which God made Adam; in the image of God he made him

This is of course a very old Jewish understanding of Genesis - namely that the Man in the beginning was both male and female. But Genesis was obviously altered from its original reading.

Even more interesting is the fact that the Clementine gospel reading more closely resembles Matthew:

Ὅτι Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑμῖν ἀπολῦσαι τὰς γυναῖκας ὑμῶν· ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐ γέγονεν οὕτως.[Matthew 19:8]

Μωυσῆς κατὰ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑμῖν· ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γὰρ οὕτως οὐκ ἐγένετο. ὁ γὰρ κτίσας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν

In Matthew unlike Mark no specific mention of 'commandments' is mentioned - as with the Clementine gospel. Moses 'allows' the Israelites to marry (note the context referenced in the Homilies) but this was not man's original 'natural' state.