κατὰ σάρκα / κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης

Says The Son "came from the seed of David κατὰ σάρκα" (1:3) and was "appointed Son of God in power κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης" (kata pneuma hagiōsynēs, 1:4).

Says ἁγιωσύνη (hagiōsynē, "holiness") occurs only three times in the NT: Rom 1:4, 2 Cor 7:1, and 1 Thess 3:13. Only Rom 1:4 joins it to πνεῦμα.

SBLGNT, RP2018 and the TR agree at all three, and the SBLGNT apparatus has no entry for the word; Tischendorf records spelling variants only (vol. 2, pp. 364, 597, 758), except at 1 Thess 3:13, where A reads δικαιοσύνῃ. In Swete's LXX the noun occurs five times, never with πνεῦμα: Pss 30:4 (LXX 29:5; MT 30:5); 96:6 (LXX 95:6); 97:12 (LXX 96:12); 145:5 (LXX 144:5); and 2 Macc 3:12 (non-canonical). The phrase πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης does occur in T. Levi 18:11: καὶ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἔσται ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς (Charles, Greek Versions, 1908, p. 64; non-canonical, background only).

Implies The genitive is attributive, "holy Spirit," like the Hebrew רוּחַ קָדְשׁוֹ (ruakh qodsho) of Isa 63:10–11 and Ps 51:11 (MT 51:13). The κατά phrases contrast two orders. κατὰ σάρκα is the Son's human descent and weakness. κατὰ πνεῦμα is the Spirit who raised him (8:11) and installed him in power.

Uncertain Interpreters differ on what πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης refers to: 1. the Holy Spirit (team); 2. Christ's divine nature; 3. Christ's own holy spirit.

Every view affirms the Son's deity, and the Son exists before both clauses (1:3, τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ).