Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

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Stirling Bartholomew
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Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Matt. 27:51 Καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη ἀπ᾿ ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω εἰς δύο καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, 52 καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν, 53 καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς.

Does μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ seem a little awkward after πολλὰ σώματα ... ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων rather than before?

In researching this I discovered that a few years ago there was minor controversy over this text, Michael Licona[1] reading it as apocalyptic atmosphere.

The subject matter, darkness, earthquake, rocks splitting, τὸ καταπέτασμα ἐσχίσθη … graves opening … lends itself to eschatology but not neccessairly apocalyptic. Similar language is used by Matthew describing the storm on the Sea of Galilee .

Matt. 8:24 καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν.



[1]Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus A New Historiographical Approach 2010.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Stephen Hughes
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Re: Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Stirling Bartholomew wrote:Does μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ seem a little awkward after πολλὰ σώματα ... ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων rather than before?
Awkward in the Greek or in the narrative sequence?
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Stirling Bartholomew
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Re: Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Stephen Hughes wrote:
Stirling Bartholomew wrote:Does μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ seem a little awkward after πολλὰ σώματα ... ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων rather than before?
Awkward in the Greek or in the narrative sequence?
The sequence of the clauses makes it difficult to decide what μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ qualifies.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Barry Hofstetter
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Re: Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

This was actually the passage I wrote my Th.M. thesis on at WTS. I never remember once thinking that the placement of the phrase was awkward. Looking at t now it strikes me that the placement of the prepositional prhrase between the participial ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων and the main verb εἰσῆλθον highlights the fact that Jesus' resurrection is still considered theologically prior (if you will) to theirs, that their resurrection, however it is to be conceptualized, depends on his. At to what it modifies, it seems natural to me to take it with the preceding participial phrase, although taking it with the main verb would not substantially change the meaning of the text.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
Stirling Bartholomew
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Joined: August 9th, 2012, 4:19 pm

Re: Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Barry Hofstetter wrote:This was actually the passage I wrote my Th.M. thesis on at WTS. I never remember once thinking that the placement of the phrase was awkward. Looking at t now it strikes me that the placement of the prepositional prhrase between the participial ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων and the main verb εἰσῆλθον highlights the fact that Jesus' resurrection is still considered theologically prior (if you will) to theirs, that their resurrection, however it is to be conceptualized, depends on his. At to what it modifies, it seems natural to me to take it with the preceding participial phrase, although taking it with the main verb would not substantially change the meaning of the text.
Barry,

Matt. 27:53 καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς.


Awkward is probably the wrong word. Some of the commentaries try to drive a temporal wedge between the participle ἐξελθόντες and the main verb εἰσῆλθον attaching μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ to εἰσῆλθον. The participle constituent appears to function as a contextualizer[1] for εἰσῆλθον. So we have two setting[1] constituents for the εἰσῆλθον (blue and red). The whole verse could be describing a single event, where as the commentaries want to make it two events with a time lapse between friday and sunday.


[1] I am using contextualizer as a general category for a constituent that describes the circumstances surrounding the action of the main verb. Setting is similar but more vague including adverbials.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Barry Hofstetter
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Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Stirling Bartholomew wrote:
Barry Hofstetter wrote:This was actually the passage I wrote my Th.M. thesis on at WTS. I never remember once thinking that the placement of the phrase was awkward. Looking at t now it strikes me that the placement of the prepositional prhrase between the participial ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων and the main verb εἰσῆλθον highlights the fact that Jesus' resurrection is still considered theologically prior (if you will) to theirs, that their resurrection, however it is to be conceptualized, depends on his. At to what it modifies, it seems natural to me to take it with the preceding participial phrase, although taking it with the main verb would not substantially change the meaning of the text.
Barry,

Matt. 27:53 καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς.


Awkward is probably the wrong word. Some of the commentaries try to drive a temporal wedge between the participle ἐξελθόντες and the main verb εἰσῆλθον attaching μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ to εἰσῆλθον. The participle constituent appears to function as a contextualizer[1] for εἰσῆλθον. So we have two setting[1] constituents for the εἰσῆλθον (blue and red). The whole verse could be describing a single event, where as the commentaries want to make it two events with a time lapse between friday and sunday.


[1] I am using contextualizer as a general category for a constituent that describes the circumstances surrounding the action of the main verb. Setting is similar but more vague including adverbials.
Their interpretation would be greatly strengthened if two main verb forms were used instead of a participle and a main verb. I prefer the explanation for the placement of the phrase that I mentioned above. But I would, now, wouldn't I?
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
Stirling Bartholomew
Posts: 1141
Joined: August 9th, 2012, 4:19 pm

Re: Matt. 27:51 μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Matt. 27:51 Καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη ἀπ᾿ ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω εἰς δύο καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, 52 καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν, 53 καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς.
Barry Hofstetter wrote: Their interpretation would be greatly strengthened if two main verb forms were used instead of a participle and a main verb.
Barry,

I agree. See Gundry and France [1].

Others appear to make one or more of the following assumptions:

1- the cause for τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν was ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη

2 - the opening of the tombs would somehow facilitate: πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν

2a - καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν lends some support to this

3 - the event ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν took place when τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν

4 - the ἁγίων were left hanging about with nothing to do for two days before they εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν

5 - If Matthew was reporting an historical event in Matt 27:52-53 καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν … καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς we would have more reports from apostolic era of this event, Michael R. Licona [2].

#5 Is not a question about language, other than noting Matthews last words on this … καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς a reference to eyewitnesses which would be strange if he were just adding "special affects" [2] or "atmosphere" in the middle of historical narrative.


[1] S. Gundry (p576) suggests taking μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ with εἰσῆλθον would be more in keeping with Matthew's language use. R. T. France (p1073 n8) notes Gundry's analysis but doesn't follow it. He reads μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ with the participle ἐξελθόντες.

[2 ]Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus A New Historiographical Approach 2010, p552.

postscript: I have a library copy of Michael R. Licona on hand.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
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