Fwd: Re: Lk 1:79 FWS (Codex Bezae 05)

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Sep 10 15:13:52 EDT 2002


Forwarded for George Somsel:

>From: Polycarp66 at aol.com
>Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 14:57:03 EDT
>Subject: Re: [b-greek] Lk 1:79 FWS (Codex Bezae 05)
>To: cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
>
>In a message dated 9/10/2002 8:41:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu writes:
>
>>I hereby submit the twelfth of the questions concerned with distinctive
>>readings of Codex Bezae in chapter 1 of the text of Luke's gospel.
>>
>>Lk 1:78-79
>>NA27/USB4: ... EN hOIS EPISKEYETAI hHMAS ANATOLH EX hUYOUS, (79) EPIFANAI
>>TOIS EN SKOTEI KAI SKIAi QANATOU KAQHMENOIS, ... ;
>>D05: ... EN hOIS EPESKYATO hHMAS ANATOLH EX hUYOUS (79) EPIFANAI FWS TOIS
>>EN SKOTEI KAI SKIAi QANATOU KAQHMENOIS ...
>>
>>FWS does not appear in the critical text but only in Codex Bezae. Should it
>>there be deemed as (1) an attribute of ANATOLH and subject of an
>>intransitive EPIFANAI (which might be either transitive or intransitive
>>here--cf. citation from BDAG below): "a light to shine (upon)" or as (2)
>>direct object of a transitive EPIFANAI: "to make a light shine (upon).
>>
>>How is this phrase in Codex Bezae best rendered, in view of the fact that
>>ANATOLH might seem in Codex Bezae to allude to the "face of the Lord in
>>1:76 (PRO PROSWPOU KURIOU in D05 where ENWPION KURIOU is the reading of the
>>critical text: PROPOREUSHi gar ENWPION (or PRO PROSWPOU KURIOU) hETOIMASAI
>>hODOUS AUTOU. On the other hand, I think it might reasonably be argued that
>>PRO PROSWPOU with KURIOU is strictly idiomatic and means simply "ahead of"
>>or "preceding" as in the texts cited regularly with accounts of the
>>appearance of John the Baptist as "the messenger sent ahead of the Lord";
>>if that is so, then PRO PROSWPOU KURIOU is hardly different in meaning from
>>ENWPION KURIOU.
>>
>
>
>First, before trying to answer your question (as though you needed an
>answer), this is a quotation of Odes of Solomon 9.79 where FWS does not
>appear though it is not unprecedented for the NT author to alter a quote.
>Moreover, when EPIFANAI appears it is in the context
>
>EPIFANAI TO PROSWPON AUTOU . . . or
>EPIFANAI KURIOS TO PROSWPON . . .
>
>which would indicate that it is God himself you shines upon (his people)
>rather than 'light'.  Therefore, it seems dubious that FWS was original
>(though not impossible on these grounds).  In v. 77 we have an articular
>inf. in the gen. indicating purpose.  I would suggest that the inf. of v.
>79 is to be likewise understood.
>
>In trying to understand what might have been the meaning of the passage
>with the insertion of FWS, I think it would be a bit far removed from
>ANATOLH to be assiciated with it.  I would opt for your #2 -- "to make a
>light shine upon."  
>
>gfsomsel





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