TAFOS and MNEMEION

Ed Gorham egorham at Ackerley.com
Fri Apr 2 08:25:37 EST 1999


Tony, 
TAFOS is basically a hole in the ground in which a corpse is placed, while
MNEMEION is a monument, a memorial ("you build memorials to the prophets" -
Lk. 11:47). In Mk. 5:2, the demoniac is not living in a hole in the ground
but in a MNEMEION, a burial cave or tomb constructed above ground. 
I'm guessing here, and would need to do more study, but I suspect that TAFOS
is sort of a generic word, while MNEMEION more specfically refers to the
kind of above-ground tomb which Joseph of Aramathea, a rich, well-to-do-man,
gave for the burial of Jesus. I'll be interested to see the other responses
as well from the bigger Greeks.
Hope that helps. 
Ed Gorham 
aekalm at a-znet.com <mailto:aekalm at a-znet.com> 




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