Bible Lexicons

** ἀσέλγεια , -ας , ἡ

(< ἀσελγής , licentious; v. MM, s.v.),

[in LXX: Wisdom of Solomon 14:26, 3 Maccabees 2:26 *;]

licentiousness, wantonness, excess: Mark 7:22, Romans 13:13, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19 (Lft., in l), Ephesians 4:19, 1 Peter 4:3, 2 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 2:7; 2 Peter 2:18, Judges 1:4.†

SYN.: ἀσωτία G810, profligacy, prodigality (v. Tr., Syn., § xvi; DB, iii, 46).

ἀσέλγεια appeared in p Magd 24.5 according to the original reading, but has been corrected in the new edition. The adj. appears among a number of technical epithets of ζῴδια in Vettius Valens p. 335.34—ἢ χερσαῖα ἢ ἀσελγῆ ἢ λατρευτικὰ καὶ τὰ λοιπά . An obscure and badly-spelt document of iv/v A.D., BGU IV. 1024 v. 17, seems to contain this noun in the form ἀθελγία —ἀλλὰ ̔̓ναντία καὶ ταύτης ὑπὸ σοῦ γενόμενον ἀθελγία ἐλενλέχ [ο ]υσα τὰ πεπραγμένα , which the editor understands as = ἀλλ᾽ ἐναντία ταύτῃ ἡ ὑπὸ σοῦ γενομένη ἀθελγία ἐλέγχουσα κτλ . But we mention this passage only to note how early the popular etymology was current connecting it with θέλγω . It is dubious at best, and the history of the word is really unknown; but cf. Havers in Indogerm. Forschungen xxviii (1911) p. 194 ff., who, adopting the foregoing etymology, understands ἀσελγής as = ";geschlagen,"; then ";wahnsinnig,"; and then ";liebestoll, wollüstig."; He has not convinced Prof. Thumb. For the idea of sensuality associated with the word in late Greek, see Lightfoot on Galatians 5:19.

A cognate noun appears in P Oxy VI. 903.21 (iv/A.D.) πολλὰ ἀσελγήματα λέγων εἰς πρόσωπόν μου καὶ διὰ τῆς ῥινὸς αὐτο [ῦ ], ";using many terms of abuse to my face, and through his nose"; (Edd.). The complainant is a Christian.