Hebrews 12:1-2 and MARTUS

dalmatia at eburg.com dalmatia at eburg.com
Thu Jul 9 11:33:02 EDT 1998


Carl W. Conrad wrote:

> ...there is always, I think,in the classical and
> especially in the NT usage a powerful overtone of the original
> judicial/forensic setting of the word: a MARTUS is a witness in a trial,
> not a spectator at an event--and the distinctive NT usage is of one who is
> brought to trial and faces execution for the "testimony" that one offers
> before the court.

'Tis an interesting turn-around ~ From the witness[es] whose testimony
gets someone else executed, to the witness[es] being executed for
their testimony.  'Twould seem that witnessing about material matters
that can be seen, touched, smelled etc was permitted, whereas
witnessing about matters of spirit was simply not allowed at some
point.

The question that arose for me in this arena concerns the relationship
between MARTUS and hAMARTIA.  Standard Bible class teaching calls the
latter a 'missing of the mark' or a 'falling short of the mark', and I
have wondered greatly if it might mean 'that which is un-witnessed',
or hidden from witnesses, done in secrecy [out of shame or fear of
being witnessed?], cloaked in darkness so as to be not witnessed,
etc.  And to date, I have encountered no literature in this approach. 
Is there such a connection?

George 

-- 
******************************************
Lisa Messmer..................ICQ# 5666415
George Blaisdell        dalmatia at eburg.com

Have you seen Dulcie?  Look for her Heart!
http://www.eburg.com/~dalmatia/dulcie.html

Last Chance for Animals...Fight Pet Theft!
http://www.lcanimal.org



More information about the B-Greek mailing list