When Luke wrote EKLIPONTOS (Lk.23:45), did he have in mind an actual solar eclipse, as a number of translations imply (e.g., Phillips, NEB), or was this just an idiomatic way of describing the darkening of the sun (e.g., NIV, NASB), without intending a scientific explanation? Many thanks. Ted Dr. Theodore H. Mann theomann at earthlink.net http://home.earthlink.net/~theomann