Incidence of article with NT names

Jeffrey B. Gibson jgibson000 at mailhost.chi.ameritech.net
Wed Jun 16 21:06:07 EDT 1999


Steven Cox wrote:

[snip]

> Q2. If it is statistically significant then does the article use tell us
> anything about Petros and (more so) Satanas related to other proper nouns?
>
> Wild guesses:
> e.g. Petros has article more often because it can exist in plural (but can
> Satanas exist in plural? I thought once or twice in PMG but can find no
> trace in Bauer)
> e.g. Satanas is influenced by Hebrew? (but I thought in Hebrew PNs didn't
> take the article?)
>

Don't know how to answer your question on PETROS, but in all but one of the
references to Satan in the Hebrew Bible, the term is *not* a proper name -- it is a
title of a God appointed office. And I'd say that despite our tendency to personalize
*and* demonize Satan (sorry about the pun), most of the NT references to that figure
are actually references to the office that the heavenly being who fills it---often in
the service of God--carries out.

Yours,

Jeffrey Gibson
--
Jeffrey B. Gibson
7423 N. Sheridan Road #2A
Chicago, Illinois 60626
e-mail jgibson000 at ameritech.net





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