hETEROS vs ALLOS

Eric S. Weiss eweiss at gte.net
Fri Aug 16 09:39:53 EDT 2002


> I think we need to think of linguistic change in a more sophisticated way
> than this: linguistic change is not like a simple transition of a physical
> element from a solid state to a liquid state to a vaporous state. It is
> more a matter of new usages coming into currency long before older usages
> have gone out of currency. I think there are many who spoke and wrote Greek
> in the Hellenistic era who DID use ALLOS and hETEROS in the same
> distinctive way as older Greek had used them, but one factor supporting the
> distinction had almost completely gone out of usage: the existence of a
> DUAL number in addition to a SINGULAR and PLURAL number. Attic and Homeric
> Greek knew of hO OFQALMOS (the eye), TW OFQALMW (the two eyes), and hOI
> OFQALMOI (eyes--more than two of them). hETEROS spells out that the item
> referred to by it is distinct from only one other; ALLOS spells out the the
> item referred to by it is different from one or more others.

So one would say, "I see better out of my left eye than out of my hETEROS
eye" but never "I see better out of my left eye than out of my ALLLOS
eye"? Right?

Though I have read statements that there is a distinction in Galatians
1:6-7 between hETEROS and ALLOS -- i.e., "... unto a different (hETEROS)
gospel, which is not another (ALLOS) gospel" -- arguing that hETEROS means
"another of a different kind" and ALLOS means "another of the same kind",
it seems that this argument/statement must be evaluated against Paul's use
of hETEROS in 1:19 just a few verses later when he uses hETEROS to
describe the "other" apostles besides Kephas (Peter?). Kephas/Peter was
not a "different" (i.e., "another of a different kind") apostle than the
other apostles, was he? Or maybe he was. Wasn't it Bart Ehrmann who wrote
that article about the intriguing (and I guess for him convincing)
evidence in Early Church history that KHFAS and PETROS were two different
persons? And would this be the same KHFAS later referred to in 2:9 in
association with James/Jacob and John -- or would that be a hETEROS Kephas
(or perhaps a ALLOS Kephas)?


> I don't doubt that the distinction between ALLOS and hETEROS might have
> been explained to speakers of Hellenistic Greek who didn't observe it in
> their speech and writing; my guess is that they would have shrugged their
> shoulders and said something like "So what?" or "ALLA PROS TI?"
> -- 
> 
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
> Most months:: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
> cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
> WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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