XAIREIN

Bart Ehrman behrman at email.unc.edu
Fri Sep 22 10:02:56 EDT 2000


   Ignatius begins most of his letters with a greeting formula PLEISTA
XAIREIN.  I'm wondering what the best modern equivalent is.  (e.g., just
to give a fuller sense, to Polycarp: IGNATIOS, hO KAI QEOPOROS, POLUKARPWi
EPISKOPWi EKKLHSIAS SMURNAIWN MALLON EPISKOPHMENWi hUPO QEOU PATROS KAI
KURIOU IHSOU XRISTOU, PLEISTA XAIREIN) (consider yourself lucky that I'm
sparing you the greeting to the Ephesians!).

   It's often translated something like (Lake's) "abundant greeting" or
(Mike Holmes's): "heartiest greetings."  Maybe that's the best way to go.  
What about, though, something a bit different, like "all good wishes"?  
(So, for the above: "Ignatius, who is also called God-bearer, to Polycarp,
bishop of the church of the Smyrnaeans -- rather, the one who has God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as his bishop-- all good wishes.")

    Opinions?

-- Bart Ehrman
   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill




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