ANDRES ADELPHOI

Cindy Smith cms at dragon.com
Sat Sep 5 13:21:22 EDT 1998


Sorry to be asking so many questions, but I just got my 
Hermeneutika/BibleWorks 3.5 CD the other day and am fabulously 
impressed and immensely enjoying it.

At any rate, Acts 23:1 as Paul addressing the council, no doubt 
comprised exclusively of men, and he addressing them, ANDRES ADELPHOI. 
This is translated simply "Brothers" in the NRSV, which makes sense.  
ADELPHOI is masculine but properly means "brothers and sisters" in the 
plural, just as ANTHROPOI means "people" and not "men" (i.e., 
specifically male human beings).  The same is expression is used in:

	Acts 1:16; 2:29; 2:37; 7:2; 13:15; 13:26; 13:38; 15:7; 15:13; 
		22:1; 23:1; 23:6; and 28:17

Elsewhere, ADELPHOI by itself can be translated "brothers and 
sisters" or perhaps "siblings."  

Interestingly, Mark 3:32 uses the expression 

	hOI ADELFOI SOU [KAI hAI ADELPHAI SOU]

Of this passage, Metzger says:

	A majority of the Committee considered it probable that the 
	words KAI hAI ADELFAI SOU were omitted from most witnesses
	either (a) accidentally through an oversight in transcription
	(the eye of the scribe passing from SOU to SOU), or 
	(b) deliberately because neither in ver. 31 nor ver. 34 (nor
	in the parallel passages) are the sisters mentioned.  Had the
	words been interpolated, the addition would probably have been 
	made already in ver. 31.  Nevertheless, in view of the weight
	of attestation for the shorter text, it was thought best to
	enclose the disputed words within square brackets.

	[The shorter text preserved in the Alexandrian and Caesarean
	text-types should be adopted; the longer reading, perhaps of
	Western origin, crept into the text through mechanical 
	expansion.  From a historical point of view, it is extremely
	unlikely that Jesus' sisters would have joined in publicly
	seeking to check him in his ministry.  B.M.M.]

The last sentence of Metzger notwithstanding, it seems to me that 
ADELPHOI in this passage means "brothers and sisters" and hAI ADELPHAI 
is an unnecessary addition.  

A use of brothers by itself (without ANDRES) to apparently mean 
specifically male brothers (not sisters) is Matthew 13:55 and 22:25; 
Mark 12:20; Luke 20:29.  Also Acts 23:5.  Followed immediately in 23:6 
with ANDRES ADELPHOI.

Cases where ADELPHOI is best translated "brothers and sisters" :

	Matthew 23:8  All disciples are brothers and sisters

	John 2:12  It seems like likely that, in attending a wedding,
		   Jesus would be accompanied by his mother as well
		   as both his brothers and sisters.

	John 7:3; 7:5; 7:10	Could be either.

	Acts 3:17 	In 3:12, Peter is addressing ANDRES ISRAHLITAI

	Acts 6:3	The Twelve have called together the community
			of disciples -- disciples could be either
			male or female or both.

	Acts 9:30	NRSV translates "believers."  Could easily be
			translated "brothers and sisters."

	Acts 11:1	Apostles and "brothers and sisters."

	Acts 11:12	ADELFOI here seems to refer to the six 
			ADELPHOI who accompanied Peter from Joppa
			in 10:23 and may mean "brothers and sisters."
			After all, the apostles were often accompanied
			by women disciples.

	Acts 15:23	brothers and sisters

	Acts 17:10	There's strong evidence that women disciples
			were often prominent leaders in the early
			Christian communities and may have been among
			the brothers and sisters who sent Paul and
			Silas to Beroea.

	Acts 17:14	same

	Acts 18:27	Luke obviously makes a distinction in Acts in
			general between ADELPHOI and ANDRES ADELPHOI;
			here, again, it is simply ADELFOI.

	Acts 21:17	brothers and sisters.  Don't you think all the
			members of the Christian community in 
			Jerusalem, male and female, would have greeted
			them?

	Acts 28:15	brothers and sisters.  Notice in 28:17 
			immediately following ANDRES ADELPHOI to the
			local leaders of the Jews.

	Romans 1:13	Brothers and sisters (NRSV).

	Romans 7:1	Brothers and sisters.

	Brothers and sisters:

		Romans 8:12; 10:1; 11:25; 12:1; 15:14; 15:30; 16:17

		1 Corinthians 1:10-11; 1:26; 2:1; 3:1; 4:6; 7:24; 
		7:29; 10:1; 11:33; 12:1; 14:6; 14:20; 14:26; 14:39;
		15:1; 15:31; 15:50; 15:58; 16:15; 16:20.

		2 Corinthians 1:8; 8:1; 8:23; 11:9; 13:11.

		Galatians 1:2; 1:11; 3:15; 4:12; 4:28; 4:31; 5:11;
		5:13; 6:1; 6:18.

		Philippians 1:12; 3:1; 3:13; 3:17; 4:1; 4:8; 4:21.

		1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2:1; 2:9; 2:14; 2:17; 3:7; 4:1;
		4:10; 4:13; 5:1; 5:4; 5:12; 5:14; 5:25.

		2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2:1; 2:13; 2:15; 3:1; 3:6; 3:13.

		1 Titus 6:2.

		2 Titus 4:21.

		1 Timothy 6:2.

		2 Timothy 4:21.

		Hebrews 3:1; 3:12; 10:19; 13:22.

		James 1:2; 1:16; 1:19; 2:1; 2:5; 2:14; 3:1; 3:10; 
		3:12; 4:11; 5:7; 5:9; 5:10; 5:12; 5:19.

		2 Peter 1:10.

		1 John 3:13.

		Revelation 6:11.

	Brothers:

		1 Corinthians 9:5




Cindy Smith
					  Spawn of a Jewish Carpenter
GO AGAINST THE FLOW! \\ _\\\_     _///_ // 
                      >IXOYE=('> <`)=  _<< A Real Live Catholic in Georgia
cms at dragon.com       //  ///       \\\  \\
cms at star-nets.com
cms at romancatholic.org
                  
Delay not your conversion to the LORD,
Put it not off from day to day	
   Ecclesiasticus/Ben Sira 5:8

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