The structures of Gal 2:4 and 2:6

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Wed Apr 24 05:37:46 EDT 2002


> [Moon]
> I thought that Acts 15:6-21 describes a public meeting. In verse 15:12, it
> says:
> ESIGHSEN DE PAN TO PLHQOS, which RSV renders as "the whole assembly kept
> silent". Doesn't the presence of "the whole assembly" indicate that it
> was a public meeting? Do you take PAN TO PLHQOS to refer to all the
> members of the private discussion?

I always interpret individual words on the background of their context. 15:6
introduces the setting of a meeting with the apostles and elders. There is
no change in setting indicated in 5:12, so the whole group (TO PLHQOS) must
refer to the group of apostles (at least 12 I assume, missing James, brother
of John, but including James, brother of Jesus) plus the group of elders
(unknown number). It was not a public meeting, but all the leaders gathered
together.

After the leaders had reached a conclusion, they shared it with the whole
church (15:22) and together they chose some of the leaders (probably elders)
to escort Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch and confirm the decision of the
leaders personally.
>
> Would you please give me a full citation of Levinsohn's book?
> I would be happy to get a copy of your paper. Thanks.

Stephen H. Levinsohn: Information Structure and Discourse Features of New
Testament Greek. 2001. SIL, Dallas, Texas. Further info should be available
on www.sil.org.

My paper was published in Notes on Translation, vol. 5.1 (1991). SIL.
Dallas, Texas. I'll send you a copy.

Iver Larsen




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