[B-Greek] PAROUSIA
Daniel Glick
lists at danielglick.com
Thu Apr 10 21:12:05 EDT 2003
Ann Nyland wrote:
>>2. What other connotations did PAROUSIA have in the first century? Ann
>>Nyland has given evidence to show that it referred to a person's
>>arrival.
>>
>>
>I also gave evidence as to where it meant "presence".
>
I beg your pardon for my ommission... I certainly didn't mean to imply
otherwise.
>>3. What meaning did PAROUSIA have to the first-century congregation?
>>This can only be determined by a study of the word's usage in the NT;
>>
>>
>No, this would be pretty scary lexical method. There was no special
>"Biblical Greek" - it needs to be looked at on a wider basis
>
Maybe I should clarify... I'm certainly not arguing that Biblical Greek
is a separate dialect. But words and phrases acquire specific
connotations in societal contexts. If I speak to an American audience
about the Civil War, they will assume that I am referring to a specific
war that happened 140 years ago. If I speak to a British audience, they
will more likely think of a war that took place (if my memory serves)
350 years ago. If I speak to a Spanish audience, they will think of
events from 65 years ago. Not because the understood semantic content of
the phrase is different... but because specific references have become
attached to it in different cultures.
The only way to find these connotations is to examine the preserved
texts of a community; and the criteria for choosing such texts,
obviously, would be historicity rather than some traditional canon. But
I don't understand why such a study would not be a valid part of
lexicography.
I lack the scholarly background of most on ths list. So if I'm missing
something, please enlighten me.
Thanks,
Dan Glick
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