Didache

Keith Thompson KAT at kneptune.demon.co.uk
Sun Nov 4 11:39:38 EST 2001


Hi!
  Thanks for the reply, that's very helpful.
>
>>At the end of 1:4 it says EAN LABHi TIS APO SOU TO SOON, MH APAITEI, 
>>OUDE GAR DUNASAI. (I assume SOON = SON)
>
>Yes, that's right -- what edition are you drawing on?
>
I downloaded it from the Internet, 'Prepared by Wieland Willker from the 
critical edition of Funk/Bihlmeyer (1924)'. It also says 'Error reports 
welcome!' but when I tried writing the address didn't work.

>>The problem I have is with OUDE GAR DUNASAI. I'm not very experienced 
>>with MI conjugation verbs, would the aorist middle imperative of 
>>DUNAMAI be DUNASAI? All I know is sometimes MI conjugation verbs 
>>follow the W conjugation in the aorist tense, meaning 'for neither be 
>>powerful/able'. But the GAR seems to imply a statement is being made, 
>>'for neither are you able', but neither of these translations make 
>>much sense to me. What exactly does OUDE GAR DUNASAI mean here?
>
>DUNASAI is the second person singular present tense of DUNAMAI
>
So would the aorist middle imperative be DUNOU or something?
>Keith:
>It will be some consolation to you to know that in:
>Niederwimmer, Kurt, ed. The Didache. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1998.
>
>the author states:
>>> this little clause has confused interpreters from the beginning. The

>most obvious interpretation is : " Let yourself be robbed, because you 
>cannot really defendd yourself, no matter what "
>The clause, thus understood, would make obvious the social milieu of 
>those who handed on this text; they are exploited and helpless people 
>who cannot and will not defend themselves. Other attempts to understand 
>the text remain artificial ..............for the whole pericope we have 
>before us an oral tradition parallel to that of the Synoptics  [ the 
>author has earlier pointed out that "this little phrase" stands out, as 
>it has no parallel in the Synoptic tradition ] or (better) the use of 
>the same apocryphal sayings tradition that was previously suggested for 
>1:3b-5a<<
>
>Incidentally, there is a fine revised edition of:
>Holmes, Michael W., ed. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English 
>Translations. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999.
>which translates "this little clause" as >>for you cannot do so <<
>
Thanks for this explanation, it makes a lot more sense to me now
>On your second query ( 2:2 ) I don't know what lexicon you are using, 
>but if you intend seriously continuing with your work on the Didache, 
>you _do_ need the Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament and Other 
>Early Christian Literature. Now that the latest edition ( known as BDAG 
>) is out, you should have no trouble picking up a cheap copy of the 
>previous edition ( BAGD )
The only lexicons I have are 'A Manual Greek Lexicon Of The New 
Testament' by Abbott-Smith, and 'Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary 
(Classical Greek)'. I've been out of work and broke for a long time but 
now I can afford to buy books again. Would BAGD (or BDAG) provide extra 
help in studying the New Testament as well as works outside it?
>Going to FQORA yields this, after the main meaning you quoted, :
>.
>
>>>in specific senses—a. (destruction by) abortion (cf. Dit., Syll.3 
>>>1042,
>7 [II/III ad]  FQORA=miscarriage [which makes the mother unclean for 40 
>days] and FQORION=a means of producing abortion) OU FONEUSEIS EN 
>FQORA`/ B 19:5; D 2:2.
>[ B = Barnabas, D = Didache ]
>
Thanks again, this is very clear to me now. Some of the other problems I 
have with the Didache may be solved by getting a better lexicon, so I 
won't trouble the list with them at the moment. For example the only 
meaning I have for DIGLWSSOS / DIGLWSSIA is 'speaking two languages', I 
don't understand why this would be 'PAGIS QANATOU' unless it had another 
meaning.
  Thanks a lot for the help,
EN CRISTWi
Keith Thompson (Manchester, UK)
Email: keitht at kneptune.demon.co.uk
Mobile email: koff at t-motion.co.uk

-- 
Keith Thompson



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