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(Frankl 1970:103). The generaluse of this word by Frankl is most ofthe time in the
sense" of"meaning"(Frankl 1970: 134). In fact, he described this word in the sense
of "meaning." His existentialistic interpretation ofthis word led him to say and to
conclude that logos means«meaning."
Froma Greek linguistic perspective,Frankl has grossly erred in sayingthatthe Greek
word logos means«meaning" or even "spirit:' Althoughwords, in hermeneutical
circles,do reveal meaning, logos more correctlymust be transcnbed as "loghos"
(pronounce it as "lo-ghos"). Greek scholars always used it in the sense of'rword"
(Abbott-Smith 1977:270-271; Arndt & Gingrich 1975:477-479). From a semantic
pointofview no word has "aparticularmeaning",but it is more correct to say that
"meaninghas words" (see also Louw & Nida 1987 Vol 2:153).
From an etymological point ofview "lo-ghos" is basically not used in the sense in
whichFrankl has used it. From the earliesttime in Greek historyup to today, this
word did not had the meaning of"meaning." From pre-classicaltimes, right through
the periods ofclassical Greek, Hellenistic Greek (Greek New Testament), patristic
Greek (Greek ofthe early church fathers), the Byzantine period and the early modem
and modem periods, logos never means "meaning."
This means that Frankl's explanationofwhat the word really means is strictly-speak­
ing wrong from a Greek linguistic perspective. Althoughit is incorrect from this
pointofview to say that "lo-ghos" means "meaning" or even "spirit" (the Greek
word for "spirit" is "pneuma" - Abbott-Smith 1977:367-368; Arndt & Gingrich
1975:680-685), Frankl has used logos in a hermeneutic-interpretative way. In a more
"loose" interpretive sense its means «word, logic, reason, study of" and/or "science."
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