Bible Lexicons

ἐπι-χρίω [ῑ],

I

1. anoint, besmear, ἐπιχρίοντες ἀλοιφῇ (sc. τὸ τόξον) Od. 21.179; χρῶτ' ἀπονιψαμένη καὶ ἐπιχρίσασα παρειάς 18.172: — Med., χρῶτ' ἀπονίπτεσθαι καὶ ἐπιχρίεσθαι ἀλοιφῇ ib. 179.

2. plaster over, τινι with a thing, Luc. Hist.Conscr. 62.

II

1. lay on ointment, μετὰ τὸ -χρισθῆναι Zopyr. ap. Orib. 14.58.1; κροτάφοις -χριόμενα v.l. in Dsc. 3.22; πηλὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς John 9:6, cf. IG 14.966 (Rome, ii A.D.).

2. abs., use for anointing, Call. Iamb. 1.270.

ἐπιχρίω: 1 aorist ἐπεχρισα; to spread on, anoint: τί ἐπί τί, anything upon anything, John 9:6 (WH text Tr marginal reading ἐπέθηκεν); τί, to anoint anything (namely, with anything), ibid. 11. (Homer, Odyssey 21, 179; Lucian, hist. scrib. 62.)

** ἐπι -χρίω ,

[in Sm.: Ezekiel 13:10; Ezekiel 22:28 *;]

to spread on, anoint: c. acc, John 9:11; id. seq. hi-I, c. acc, John 9:6 (cf. MM, Exp., xiv).†

A very striking parallel to the healing of the blind man in John 9:6 is afforded by an inscription probably from the temple of Asclepios at Rome after A.D. 138 : Syll 807.15 ff. Οὐαλερίῳ Ἄπρῳ στρατιώτῃ τυφλῷ ἐχρημάτισεν ὁ θεὸς ἐλθεῖν καὶ λαβεῖν αἷμα ἐξ ἀλεκτρυῶνος λευκοῦ μετὰ μέλιτος καὶ κολλυρίου συντρῖψαι καὶ ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐπιχρεῖσαι ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς · καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν καὶ ἐλήλυθεν καὶ ηὐχαρίστησεν δημοσίᾳ τῷ θεῷ, ";Valerius Aper, a blind soldier, was warned of the god to come and take the blood of a white cock along with honey, and to mix together an eye-salve, and for three days to anoint the eyes with it. And he received his sight, and came, and gave thanks publicly to the god."; (For the tenses here note an exact parallel in James 1:24, and cf. Proleg. p. 144 n.1.) See also P Leid X vii. 36 (iii/iv A.D.) ὅμοιον γὰρ εἶδος ἔχει τὸ ἐπιχρισθὲν ἢ γραφέν, which the editor explains ";aes totum illinitum, aut literae, figuraeve in eo scalptae eamdem auri speciem offerunt.";