Dunameis

Dunameis or δυναμεις means 'forces', 'powers' or 'mighty works' in Ancient Greek. You may recognise the words dynamic and dynamics. Obviously forces exist in nature, and a scientific definition exists. But the word dunameis also has an old, spiritual meaning, one that I remember very well from secondary school. The dunameis were believed to be the underlying drivers of the long history of Salvation of Mankind, as described in the Bible. They were the good forces, including the miraculous works, which were a gift from God. Contrary to what you think, miraculous works happen more often today than in the past. They are now done on a daily basis by surgeons in university hospitals.

It still makes sense to think of the meaning of dunameis today. Everything we make and do as a living being, is somehow driven by our longing for a better life. The origin of every dynamism is always suffering, we are not pleased with the status quo and want to see things change. Leaving your ‘comfort zone’ is sometimes recommended, but I wonder what this comfort zone is, and whether I will ever live in one. It is clear that ‘living’ implies striving for some kind of salvation. The Biblical meaning of dunameis seems to correspond to the forces that are driving all living creatures in this world. Religions are just ancient ways of expressing the human condition and the human dunameis within us. Our society needs to understand this and give these expressions their righteous place in society. We tend to say we don’t believe in miracles but we could still stand in awe for the dunameis we observe within us and around us.

May the dunameis be with you! I refer to my blog “a Sea of Change”.