Hermas's Masonry

Bart Ehrman behrman at email.unc.edu
Tue May 2 11:49:51 EDT 2000


   In the famous third vision of the Shepherd, Hermas sees a tower under
construction:  TOUS MEN EK TOU BUQOU LIQOUS hELKOMENOUS PANTA hOUTWS
ETIQESAN EIS THN OIKODOMHN.  hHRMOSMENOI GAR HSAN KAI SUNEFWNOUN THi
hARMOGHi META TWN LIQWN.  hRMOSMENOI GAR HSAN KAI SUNEFWNOUN THi hARMOGHi
META TWN hETERWN LIQWN "They placed all the stones thus drawn from the
depths in the building; for they fit together and were straight at the
joint [???] with the other stones.  And they were placed together, so that
their joint [???] was invisible." (Shepherd 10:6, and throughout)

   My question has to do with terms for tower construction.  Especially
"hARMOGH" and compounds.  Is this better rendered "joint" or "edge" or
what?  (The idea is that when one stone is placed on top of another they
fit so well together that you can't even see the crack between them; but
what do you call that straight edge where they meet? )

-- Bart Ehrman
   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill




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