Contemporary Social Parallels for "take up one's cross"

Jeffrey B. Gibson jgibson000 at home.com
Fri Apr 28 20:25:17 EDT 2000



Ryan Simmons wrote:

> Dear B-Greekers:
>
> I need some help for a paper I am doing for my
> Intermediate Greek class.  My text is Mark 8:27-9:1.
>
> I would really appreciate any information on primary
> sources for a first century reader's understanding of
> the phrase ARATW TON STAURON AUTOU (take up one's
> cross) in verse 34.
>
> Was this a common metaphor? I recall reading
> references to "crosses" of ill fortune in Jack
> Lindsay's translation of Apuleius' Metamorphoses. But
> it seemed more flipant than the ocurrence in Mark.
>
> Thanks very much.

In his magisterial _The Zealots_ (p. 261 n. 151) Martin Hengel notes that there are
some late and rare rabbinic parallels to the expression (see Str. Bil 1.587 and
3.324), but he goes on to argue, following A. Schlatter (_Der Evangelist Matthaus, 3rd
ed. 1948, 350-351), that it is reasonable to assume that the expression ultimately
derives from a Zealot formula.

Have you checked the article on STAURON in TDNT?

Yours,

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





More information about the B-Greek mailing list