What's the difference between a ghost and a spirit?

[tonychanyt]

English Standard Version, Matthew 14:

26 when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

a ghost!”
Φάντασμά (Phantasma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 5326: An apparition, ghost, spirit, phantom. From phantazo; a show, i.e. Spectre.

Φάντασμά is ambiguous. It could mean a spirit or some apparition/appearance.

Luke 24:

39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

a spirit
πνεῦμα (pneuma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

πνεῦμα is comparatively more specific.

What is the difference between Φάντασμά-ghost and πνεῦμα-spirit?

Their meanings overlap. Φάντασμά is more generic.

Can a Φάντασμά possess a person and make them do things?

In the narrow sense of the word, no; in the broad sense, yes.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

English Standard Version, Matthew 14:


a ghost!”
Φάντασμά (Phantasma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 5326: An apparition, ghost, spirit, phantom. From phantazo; a show, i.e. Spectre.

Φάντασμά is ambiguous. It could mean a spirit or some apparition/appearance.

Luke 24:


a spirit
πνεῦμα (pneuma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

πνεῦμα is comparatively more specific.

What is the difference between Φάντασμά-ghost and πνεῦμα-spirit?

Their meanings overlap. Φάντασμά is more generic.

Can a Φάντασμά possess a person and make them do things?

In the narrow sense of the word, no; in the broad sense, yes.

Φάντασμά sounds more "false' or deceptive, illusionary.


πνεῦμα sounds more spiritual, essential and perhaps universal.

I have been appreciated Brene Brown's Atlas of The Heart . In it she shares the research on how people use 87 emotion words.

I appreciate that attention to word usage and meaning.

 

[NBB]

ghosts don't exists, its superstition, people can't roam around after they die, except some exceptions, like Jesus after resurrection, a spirit could be a good one from God or an evil one. Heard lots of stories about places that gives you the creeps, that bad thing happen, people are afraid to enter etc, that are no ghosts they are evil spirits.

 

[Bobber]

I think using ghosts was just a King James way of saying it. I know the greek has ghosts, spirit it seems as equals in the definaintion but I prefer the use of Spirit or spirit over Ghost. It's just that ghosts brings to mind dark things of mystic we think of as from the occult......Using Spirit takes away all that feeling.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

4151 pneúma – properly, spirit (Spirit), wind, or breath. The most frequent meaning (translation) of 4151 (pneúma) in the NT is "spirit" ("Spirit"). Only the context however determines which sense(s) is meant.

[Any of the above renderings (spirit-Spirit, wind, breath) of 4151 (pneúma) is always theoretically possible (spirit, Spirit, wind, breath). But when the attributive adjective ("holy") is used, it always refers to the Holy Spirit. "Spirit" ("spirit") is by far the most common translation (application) of 4151 (pneúma).

The Hebrew counterpart (rûach) has the same range of meaning as 4151 (pneúma), i.e. it likewise can refer to spirit/Spirit, wind, or breath.]

5326 phántasma – properly, a manifestation; "an appearance, apparition (so Aesch., etc.)" (A-S).

[5326 (phántasma) originally referred to "seeing" a ghost or apparition.]

Strong's Greek: 4151. πνεῦμα (pneuma) -- wind, spirit

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