Πνεῦμα κατανύξεως

καθάπερ γέγραπται Ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς πνεῦμα κατανύξεως, ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν καὶ ὦτα τοῦ μὴ ἀκούειν, ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας. As it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, to this very day.” – Romans 11:8

Πνεῦμα κατανύξεως – a spirit of stupor, which renders their souls torpid, i. e. so insensible that they are not affected at all by the offer made them of salvation through the Messiah. The term is also related to German „geistige Umnachtung“ and „Blödsinn“ („dementia“) in psychoanalytic sense as described by Eugene Bleuler in his monograph on schizophrenia.

κατάνυξις stupefaction, slumber, – properly, a violent strike (prick); (figuratively) the bewilderment which comes after being struck, like falling into a mental stupor.

νύξ, νυκτός the night, night-time, μέσης νυκτός at midnight. Metaphorically, the time when work ceases, i. e. the time of death, John 9:4; the time for deeds of sin and shame, the time of moral stupidity and darkness, Romans 13:12; the time when the weary and also the drunken give themselves up to slumber, put for torpor and sluggishness, 1 Thessalonians 5:5.

ἡμᾶς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πέμψαντός με ἕως ἡμέρα ἐστίν· ἔρχεται νὺξ ὅτε οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐργάζεσθαι. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. – John 9:4.